The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-11-06
FOURTH DISTRICT.
sydney Il. Epes Takes Back the Seat
That Was Wrested From Him.

PETERSBURG, VA. Nov. Especial
| Much interest is being felt throughout
| the Fourth Congressional District Of Vir-
| ginia in the election to be- held next
/ Tuesday. The Democrats are confident
Of the election Of Hon Sydney 7. Epes.
and by handsome majority. Mr.. John
b. Evans. chairman OF the Democratic
City Committee of Petersburg told your
| CORES Dondent to-day that this city
would give Mr.. Epes a very large ma
jority. lie was also Of the opinion that
Mr.. Epes would get a handsome ma
iOrity in the district.
Mr.. j. c. Smith, chairman Of the
Democratic Committee Of Dinwiddie
county, who was In the city to-day.
told me that he thought Mr. Epes would
carry the district by a majority of at
least two thousand. lie said that there
was no Disgusting the fact that the Re
publicans were very much divided and
he thought but few Of the negroes would
vote for Thorp. Mr.. Smith said that
when Thorp spoke recently at Dinwddie
County Courthouse very few negroes
went TO hear him.
Ex-State Senator G. i. Davis (colored)
said to-day:
In recognition OF the political condi-
ton Of the Fourth Congressional Dis
trict, as seems to be demonstrated
wherever l have gone. and / have can
vassed the whole district with the ex-
ceotion of one or two counties. First
The death and burial Of the Republican
party for the next two years in the
above-named district. is inevitable. bad
upon the ground of the failure or the
Hon. H. T. Thorp in conceding TO the
legal regular nomination of Thomas
/. Jones in the District Congress
sional Convention which convened In the
town of Chase City, on the 1th Of sep
TENDER. II the Hon r.. Il. Thorp had
stepped down and out, and conceded the
nomination to Jones, as Jones was
nominated. and said nomination was en-
dorsed. not only by the state Executive
Committee. but by the District Congress
sional Committc. all would have been
well With the party to-day. But, be-
cause of the steps taken by the Hon.
X. r. Thorp I'm denouncing the the de
cision of the said committees and apply
ing to the National Congressional Com
mittee. and because of the decision Of
that committee. in favor Of the Hon.
r.. T. Thorp. when the people OF the
district had nominated Thomas H. Jones
the Republican voters of the district, by
a large majority, have decided TO vote
against Thorp as he was not the choice
Of the Republican party In the District
The colored people compose two-thirds
or three-fourths of the Republican voters
IN the Fourth District. and have decided
that they Will not be ignored or be
actuated by a minority as (voX del yo1
populD "the voice Of the people Is the
voice Of God" The election in my opin-
ion. of the Hon. Sidney +. E;pes is in
evitable because OF the reasons above
mentioned The defeat OF the Hon. r.
r Thorp. in my opinion. is inevitable,
and cannot be otherwise, as he was not
tho nominee of the party in the said
Chase CITY convention. II is true that
the National Congressional Committee
recoenized Mr.. Thorp as the legal nomi-
noe Of the said convention, upon the dis
puised Testimonies brought 10 bear upon
thou, when they We're not al the con-
vention and knew nothing OF the real
facts connected herewith. ASIDE from
those presented TO them by the repre-
sontati,es of Thomas J.. Jones. These
facts were not recognized by the Ma
tional Committee. as, It is thought be-
copeo Iones WAS q coioTed man. The
colored people Of the district so far as
I have gone. have arisen TO thcir man.
hood and declared that they VIII not
sunno,., q hotter of regularly organized
penublican convention, though he be put
upon them by Mr.. Hull or any one else.
when the funeral OF the party IN the
district shall take place on next Tuesday
and carried to the city of the dead there
TO sleep a sleep that knows no waking
IL the next two years, tho blood OF the
murderer will not stain the hands
OF Thomas /. Jones, but the hands
and garment of the Hon. r. Il. Thorp.
One Of the most prominent leaders OF
the Thorn faction in Petersburg says
that 1. "a a well-known fact that the
Fourth District is Republican by from
5000 TO 1900 majority. He declared that
Thorp would certainly be elected and
that while Epes might be counted IN.
Thorn would be given the certincate OF
election by Congress. which Will nave
a RAnnhiican naaiority. This gentleman