Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1902-04-17
THURSDAY. APRILl7. 1902.
TO YOUR TENTS.


Uuder existing conditions it seems to
us en- useless expenditure Of time and
energy for the Republicans Of the Ninth
Congressional District or even ofVirginia,
to make any contest in National OF State
elections. = Heretofore they have had only
dishonest eloctioR-law to con end against,
and that has been effective enough in the
hands of political machine to defeat the
popular. within every Republican district
in the State Now, that all unfair election
law j. to be reinforced by Constitutional
suffrage provision which even Democratic
newspapers and leaders admit is capable
Of such administration as may make it
.. more fruitful Of fraud than is the Walton
law, it will be worse than folly for the.
Republicans to undertake or expect to win
in any district in Virginia
Not only have the Republicans of lie
Ninth District been outraged by the cor.
rupt practices and devices employed I'M
der the Walton ele, ton law, but they
have been deserted and betraye by a
Republican House of Representatives,
twice, successIvely-the fragrant frauds COM
mitted in the two last Congressional cleo
tons having been condoned and ratified
by the seating of w. f. Rhea as the re.
preventative from this district. In the
first contest of Walker VS.. Rhea the report
of the Elections Committee was as I'M
expected by the Democrats as it was a
Notifying surprise 10 the Republicans.
The Republican members of the Com
mittee who reported in favor of Rhea de-
clared that gross frauds had been COM
mitttd at the election bnt not enough to
change the result. The record showed
an abundance of such frauds.
In the last contest, which was reported
on by Elections Committee No. few
days ago, the Republican members of the
Committee, in their report, denounce the
Virginia election law as ''repugnant to all
lovers Of fair and honest elections" but
they reported that W. +. Rhea was duly
elected in 1900 from this district and en-.
- tirtSd to the seat in Congress. This was
done after the Committee had inspe cted
the 'Scott County Ballot" and the other
dishonest ballots that were used in every
eountYsin tie Ninth District at the last
\ National election. How could a candi-
s. date be duly elected-tliat is fairly. prop
and in a becoming manner
when there was not fair ballot furnished
at single precinct in the district? A fair
ballot is one that can he marked and
voted by an intelligent voter without as
sistance from any lelson. At every pre-.
circt in the Ninth Congressional District
ninety nine Of every hundred voters we're
forced by the c,ml'l, kitty Of the ballot fur.
nished them to call upon a judge of cleo
ton TO assist them in marking their bal
lots. Ii is also certainly tue that nine
OF every ten voters Who were confident
enough 10 undertake the hazardous task
of marking their own ballots, unassisted. |
bad their votes thrown out, because their !
ballots we're Improperly marked With |
these facts plainly before them, the Re
publicans in Congress are afraid or un.
willing to give substantial justice to the
twenty thousand white Republicans of the
NTH Congressional District, and Sc elk to
excuse their cowardice or selfish i4difer-
enoe by ds"ou"el"slhe fraudulent meth
DDS they continue to condone.
The politicians at the South and(in Vir.
GINA. who are pro6ting by election frauds
and who are openly violating the -Four.
teenth and Fi 1t;siA zisshd@eS to the
Federal Constitntion d.oi0. hat the