Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1902-07-03
"EO White Man Shall Be Dlsfrauchlsed." "

During the last campaign every Demo
cratic spell. binder, from Governor Mon
tague down, gave assurance from every
stump in the State that under the new
Constitution, "No white man shall be DIS
franchised." That the leaders OF the
Democratic party have broken their
pledge to submit the new Constitution to
the people is now history. In the light
of broken pledges in respect to submis-
sion, it must be admitted that it requires
great credulity and larger faith than
grain of mustard seed for ordinary men to
give further credit to the solemn pledge
that "No white man shall be disfran-
chised." Hard as it may appear, and as
it really is, to longer believe those most
solemn promises, vet despite their broken
VOWS, | am constrained to confess my
faith in this pledge. cannot believe and
will not believe that the Boards of Regis
tration in Tazewell county can ruthlessly
pocket their consciences and basely vlo-
late this promise. Now there is no use
for these registrars to try to deceive them
selves into the notion that they can reject
any white man under the understanding
clause, unless he be an idiot. The regis,
trars must assume equal knowledge with
the Judges of the Supreme Court Of APP
peals as to what is or what is not a
reasonable explanation" of any section OF
the Constitution. This they will not at
tempt. The understanding clause is to be
strictly construed by the color line, OF at
least this is the intention of the trainers OF
this suffrage clause. They dare risk vio-
lation of the Fifteenth Amendment, but
will not risk disfranchising white men.
Now Mr.. Editor, from my standpoint
l regard the action Of Republicans in the
Ninth District as very bad politics. Of
course if the registrars shall violate the
pledge and proceed to disfranchise white
men Just because they are Republicans,
then will take off my hat and say that
these weak-k Republicans are wiser
that l am. But if, as l contend, no white
man will be disfranchised under the
understanding clause, then, when it is too
late to undo the damage already done,
those weak-knee Republicans may wish
they had not done it, They will find no
place for repentance though they seek 1t
carefully with tears, as did Esau. know
the Democratic leaders in the convention
have acted in bad faith in failing to sub
init their work to the people, yet l have
not lost faith in the nine gentlemen who
are to sit in judgment upon the qualllca-
ton of their neighbors, as to their fitness
TO exercise their blood-bought right to
American citizenship. If other counties
in the Ninth Congressional District have
as good men for registrars as l believe we
have, there is no cause for alarm; and all
this talk about not running candidate
for Congress this fall, and. of refraining
from voting, is childish and cowardly.
My opportunities to make accurate po-
litical observations have been much better
for the last year than have been the op-
portunities of most of the men who are
advocating a campaign of "Mastery In
activity" And l must say that l am
convinced that the chances for Republl'
can success have been greatly increased by
the manner in which the new Constitution
has been forced upon us by its makers, II
not by the Constitution itself. l believe
further that the Constitution will not be
satisfactory to the people and that they
will elect men to the General Assembly
who shall as speedily as possible provide
for the repeal of many of its most objec'
tionable features. We cannot afford to
lose this chance to make the fight. Bet
ter fight snd lose all, than not to make
the fight at all. Oh, they say there is no
use opposing the present Congressman;
that he has stolen his seat twice already
aud would do so again. My reply to that
is: If he has stolen it twice make him steal
it third time. He ought not to have
walk-over this time. 1t is very lame logic
to say because there are persons in the
community who will pick locks, therefore
we will not lock our corn cribs and
chicken houses. Let us lock them. 1t
might be sufficient obstacle to enable us
to cripple the thief while he is picking the
lock.
1t is to be hoped that the leaders Of the
Republican party may yet recover from
their nervous prostration in time to kick
against the Scott county ballot and all
other corrupt devices invented to deceive
Yours truly,
J. N. HARMAN.