Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1900-02-22
THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 1900.
PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL C0NVEN-
TON.

TON.
The machine Virginia Legislature which
adjourned last week, after a session OF
ninety days, has ordered an election TO be
held next May for the people of the State
to vote upon the question of holding
constitutional convention. Without con-
sdenng the question of the assumed ne
cessity for changing the organic law of the
State by a convention, we will inquire as
to the object. What reasons do the ma
chine Democrats assign for holding con
vention and framing new constitution ?
The Richmond Times, which has been
an advocate of honest elections in Virginia,
in speaking of the purposes Of the consll-
tutional convention in a recent article said.
at has been determined to remove every
obstacle which stands in the way of fair
elections in Virginia 1t has been determ-
ined in short, to eliminate the ignorant
negro vote, and when that has been done
there will be no excuse for election trickery
in this State, and the occupation of the
election law will be gone" We are sur
prised at the child-like simplicity of The
Times, usually so astute, in thus cOnstu-
ing the plans and purposes of the machine
that is running the politics Of the State,
and that will direct the movement for the
proposed constitutional convention. The
machine may assign such motives, but
they are not true ones. The record Of the
Democratic machine and recent results in
Virginia elections show cOnclusively that
no such worthy motive as making election:
fair is influencing the dominant party in
favor of a change in the Constitution. One
thing is plain, and that is that the organic
law is sought TO he changed for the pur-
pose of restricting suffrage, but that the
restriction is to be applied not only to the
negro but TO the illterate and poor white
man. Therefore, the contention Of the
Times that the object is to eliminate the
ignorant negro vote is a mistake.
In the election for President in 1896 the
Republicans carried over twenty of the
counties in the State that had white ma
jorities and the Democrats carried thirty
of the counties that had negro majorties,
in some of these counties the Democratic
msiorities being as great as the negro ma
jority in them. This shows that the ma
chine is not being hurt by the negro vote,
and that it has some other object in view
forboijing constitutional convention
What can that object be but to ds(ran-
chise the poor and illiterate white men
whom they think are helping the Repub-
licans in The great white districts of the
State? This to our mind is the primary
object of the machine.
There is another reason, however,
which may he potential with the ma
chine. 1t may have grown tired of buy
ing the purchasable voters, and afraid to
longer defraud the iliterate voters. To
escape the first trouble bill was intro
duced at the recent session OF the Legs
lature by Senator Barksdale, of Halifax,
but the bill was defeated. The conven-
ton was considered the best means of
relieving the machine from the expense
of buying votes and the danger of steal
ing them. What other motive could it
possibly have? 1t already has com
plete control of the State. 1t either gets
honestly, by purchase, or by theft nearly
all the negro counties in the State, and
with the use of corrupt election officers
can control large portion of the viii e
counties. We, therefore, take it for
granted that the purpose Of the machine
is to relieve itself of expense, trouble and
danger of detection in its fraudulent prac-
tees and not to secure fair elections in
Virginia. The very fact that the machine
Is advocating the convention movement l
is enough to convince any honest man
that it is not for any worthy purpose.
Tne machine is playing sharp trick to =
strengthen its hold OH the affairs of the 2
State, and make its control less expen. [
sive and troublesome.