The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1901-08-23
ADJOURNMENHATR ROANOKE
The Virginia Republican Conven'
ton Completes Its Lab0rs.
state and National Democracy De-
nounced in the PIntform-opposi-
ton to Submitting the Constitu-
ton to an Abridged Electorate.

ROANOKE, Va, Aug. 22.-The Virginia
Republican Convention adjourned at II 80
this morning after a short session. during
which the platform was adopted and
speeches heard from Col. J. II. Hoge and
Captain Lurty, his defeated opponent
Colonel Hose was very critical Of Mr..
Montague, his Democratic opponent and
charges that he used his official position
to secure his nomination. The ticket
which was completed after midnight last
night is as follows:
For GOVERNOR. Hampton Hoge.
For Lieutenant Governor-Robert W.
Blair.
Groner.
The platform adopted today starts with
high endorsement of President McI<in-
| ley's Administration and congratulates
the country upon its prosperity
As to State issues it says: I'VE declare
! our confidence in the virtue intelligence.
and patriotism of the people, and our
Willingness to trust to them the decision
of all political issues and election of all
civil officers. We denounce all attempts
to discriminate in favor or against citi-
zens of Virginia, on account of race or
color, because of violation of the Constt-
tuition of the United States, which we
respect and obey as the supreme law of
the land
We protest against the proposition to
confer the right of suffrage on unworthy
persons on account of the merits or the
achievements of their ancestors as tend
ing to create privileged class and dis
elimination against others equally wor-
thy. We favor the right of suffrage be-
ing left as fixed by the present constitu-
tion of Virginia. with such laws and guar
antees as will secure to every qualified
voter a free ballot and a fair count We
arraign the Democratic party of Virginia
for the willful, deliberate. debased, and
fraudulent elections that have been held
in this State for years past. Controlled
by lust for office. impelled by fear that
they We're in the minority. they have pros
tituted the manhood in their own ranks
until the reeking corruption has borne
fruit in the demand which has caused the
assembling of a constitutional convention,
in the hope that by restricting the suf-
frage they would minimize the fear of Re-
publican victory
I'VE deny the claim made by the Demo-
cratic party in its last platform that they
entitled to the credit of having salts
factoiily settled the State debt 1t is a
fact too wei known to be disputed that
the State debt was settled by the Read
juster party, in spite of the bitter opposi-
tion of leading Democrats
I'VE notice with surprise that the Demo-
cratic party of Virginia, in the platform
claims to be the special friend of the
common schools, in the face of the undis-
puted fact that the free schools were first
given to this State by the Republican
q Constitutional Convention
of 1870. They cite the fact that In the last
fifteen years the number of schools has
increased ard that the school fund has
grown, but they ignore the fact that only
enough money is collected to keep the
schools open for five months in twelve
We also declare our unalterabie oppo-
sition to criminal trusts and TO every lille
gal combination of capital; but we wage
no war on combinations OF capital for le-
Ultimate purposes, and We arraign the
Democratic party of Virginia, which has
had absolute control of every branch of
the State government for fifteen years,
for its failure to enact any law or to take
any steps to control. prevent or punish
such criminal trusts and Illegal combina-
tons of capital.
We enter our earnest protest against
the scheme to promulgate the new con-
stitution without submitting 1t to the peo-
pie, or of submitting II to an abridged
electorate as being Illegal and in violation
of the solemn pledges made to the people
which met in Norfolk. and by the Legis-
lature in the law assembling the Constitu-
tional Convention.
We earnestly demand libereal State PEN
sions for our disabled Confederate SOL
diers and their widows. who have been
cruelty neglected and so grossly de-
ceiyed by the Democratic party which
has pretended TO care for them by voting
niggardly pensions and then appropriating
only money enough to pay them an aver
age of about 80 per capita per annum.