The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-05-16
A STATEMENT
TO THE VOTERS OF ORANGE COUNTY
Shall Trickery be Allowed to Wins

deem il proper To make the following
statement in regard To the Democratic
county convention held on the Both of
April at Orange:
The Orange county Democratic com
mittcc designated Saturday the 9th oi
April, AZ the time for holding primary
elections at the different precincts. to
send delegates to the convention OF the
Both, which convention was authorized
tOnominatc the Observation-Disclosures
the Constitutional Convention. Judges
were provided at each precinct, whose
duty il was to make return OF those dele
gates who were elected To the cOnyen-
ton. This duty the judges performed.
and made return To the secretary Of the
Democratic committee. Mr.. r. y Robir-
son. who printed the following in his
newspaper the Orange Observer
The Democratic primary election to
select candidate ior the Constitution
Convention, was held on Saturday last,
and resulted as follows:
Observation-Disclosures -. Barbour
-. Scott %
Orange-Taliaierr III. Barbour a.
Scott -.
Gor,lonsvillc gave Scott - majority
Hale's-Taliaicrro -. Barbour u,
Scott !.
Observation-Disclosures -, Barbour
b.
Woolfolk's-Ta!iafcrro 30, Barbour
30. Scott l3.
Locust Groye-Taliaicrro 9G, Barbour
81
The following delegates were elected
To the county convention.
Barboursyillc-G l.. Head and J.. II.
Davis
Orange-T. o. Gillum and W !. Stock
don.
(iordonsyille-G. VI. Watkins
Ilalles-J. NJ Pendlcton.
Rhoadesyille-F. W Clarke
Woolfolks-B Voolfolk and j. B.
Terrill
Locust Grove-P. VI. Gibbs and W II.
RhOadcs.
Total number Of delegates for Talia-
ierro q. Barbour /, Scott /.
From which itnppears that n majority
of the delegates composing the nomnat-
inc convention were in my favor, and
that they were elected by overwhelming
majOrities.
Now before the time for the assembling
of the nominating convention the county
chairman and secretary, whose duties
were merely 10 call the convention to
order and hand over to its members the
returns which had been sent in from the
different precincts, prepared two papers
without notice TO me, IN secret cOunch;
in one of which papers they exclude the
delegates from Orange and RhOadesvlile
precincts, and in the second they call at
tention to ex-parte charges against the
fairness of their election and say that
they "lcave it to the convention To de
eide" The two papers follow:
Orange Va, April 30, 1901.
We. the undersigned chairman and see
retary of the Democratic committee Tor
the county of Orange Va, do hereby GER
tifv that the returns from the primary
election held on the 9th day OF April,
1901. at certain precincts in our county,
have been received by us. and that the
following delegates appear To have been
elected, and this paper is to he their ere
dentals of election:
Rarboursvile-GeOr t. Head and l..
H. Davis.
Halle's-J. NJ. Pendleton.
Voolfolk k's-Butellc Voolfolk and John
y. Tcrrill
Locust Groye-P. NJ. Gibbs and VII.
RhOades
Observation-Disclosures NJ. Watkins.
VIM. e. WILLIAMS, Chairman.
r. y. ROBINSON, Secretary.
Orange, Va, April 30, 1901.
We. the undersigned chairman and sec
retary Of the Democratic committee for
the county OF Orange, Va, do hereby GER
tify that the returns from the primary
election held on Saturday, the 9th day
of April. 1901, at Orange and RhOades-
Vile precincts, have been received by us.
and that they show thatT. o. Gillnm and
w J. Stockton received a majority OF
the votes at Orange, and +. W. Clark u
majority of the votes at Rhoadesville.
But Il. II. Browning, T.. V. Hoffman and
]. W. Clark have entered their protest
(backcd by sworn afIidavits) against our
issuing credentials to the said T. .. Gil
lum. W. ]. Stockton and +. W. Clark,
and we decline to elect as Judges in the
matter. and leave it TO thecOnvention to
decide, merely stating that the said +. o.
Gillum. w. j. Stockton and +. W. Clark
received majority OF the votes east at
their respective precincts.
VIM. G.. WILLIAMS, Chairman.
r. n. ROBINSON, Secretary.
Instead of leaving the decision OF the
eligibility OF it's members to the conven-
ton, to which body the question solely
belonged, the County Chairman refused
to entertain the motion of n delegate
from Orange. Mr.. Gillum, when hesought
to nominated a temporary chairman, thus
by his unlawful assumption OF authority
DISTINGUISHING three out OF the six dele
gates who were friendly tome, and max
ing it impossible for them 10 organize a
legal convention without violence.
The delegates favorable to me were un-
acquainted with parliamentary rules,
and were opposed by those who wer9
(but ignored them) so that in order 10
carry out the will Of the people, they
left the Courthouse and organized the
convention, cOmprisnga majority OF the
delegates elected thereto, and nominated
me as Democratic candidate for the Con-
stitutiOnal Convention. have accepted
the trust.
The remaining five delegates, constitut-
ing the Barbour-Scott' strength, pro-
ceeded to hold what they are pleased to
call n convention.
The Committee on Credentials of the
combination of five handed in a report
carrying out the pre-arranged plan to
capture nomination, in which they say
that the delegates elected by the voters
of Orange and Rhoadesville have no
vote in this convention.
We. the undersigned committee, find
by the evidence before us that the pre-
cincts of Orange and Rhoadesville were
e 10 ,.ouov and