The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-08-12
THE TIMES COMPANY
re- souRcE OF CORRUPTION.

T,E SOURCE OF CORRUPTION.
n expressing q hops Of pure elections
1aer the new Constitution. the New
News .eas says that ''in other days
N who .,0uld scorn TO steal money
I'VE s;oie4. .aat which is far more pre-
:.oas ihan money: men who would IN
DER ordinary circumstances consider It
crime TO lie, have perJured themselves
tasrantly and consistently to forward
their political ends; they have held up
the specter OF negro supremacy and have
justified their crimes by the end at
tanned; they have not only done this. but
Democrats have stolen from each other
with the same facility with which they
have stolen from the enemy; they have
gotten 40 n The habit OF stealing votes
and perturing themselves. when they do
II they cannot break themselves OF 1t
when they are counting their own ball
lots
Several Gays ago the Old Dominion
Sun, q Republican newspaper, said that
the Generalization which Is alleged to
exist In Richmond. Norfolk and other
places In the State might in measure
be traced to the election methods which
have been pracused Cor years and the
perjury and fraud which have been per-
petrated TO subserve partisan ends In
commenting on this serious charge We
said that II 1t had been SANDER 1t
might havo been treated with silent con-
tempt. but that II was sad and solemn
truth.
The same charge ts now mace by a
Democratic paper. and not by one only.
but by two. The Portsmouth Star re-
produced Whist The Times said ii reply
to the Old Dominion Sun. and adds:
The reaping from this sowing is not
done exclusively IN Richmond. Norfolk
and other cities. The people OF the en-
tire State have the poison in their blooo
The Leosburg lynching and the case OF
Judge Campbell. of Amherst county,
prove conclusively that the spirit of de-
noralization is rs rampant in the coun-
try districts as 1t IS in the cities. The
whole body polite is sick. 1t could not
be otherwise after breathing in for thirty
years the miasma arising from ballot
box stuffinG and dishonest returning
boards.
disorder. scandal and corruption from
her sowing of dragon teeth. Her crop
is not more bountiful than in other bal
lot-boX stuffing States, nor does her pun
ishment vary much from that now being
melted out TO other Southern States. In
all of tuem. the small man and the I'M
scrupulous man is In the saddle in poll
tics. The fingers Of one hand suffice TO
count up the statesmen which the South
can show in the past three decades. In
cur State Legislatures we have a stand
ing and horrible exemplihcaton Of the
rondescript which a system of ballot-boX
stuffing gets together as the law-nlaking
power. A .agler in order to satisfy
his lust. finds it easy to buy up the
Florida Legislature at wholesale prices.
While the Legislatures OF other States.
including that of Virginia, have per-
formed some feats which can be ex-
pialned only on the supposition that ele-
ncntsry decency was absent or the al
mighty dollar was present.
All the way down from the Legislature
to the town government We can easily
trace the Shiny course of this serpent.
In the county and municipal governments
it has placed ignorance. incompetence
and venality in office. One look at the
personnel OF our county and municipal
governments will bear out this asser-
ton. It's dark picture But. thank
God, through the new Constitution there
is light and hope ahead. In that instru-
ment we zee the determination Of the
people to change from darkness to the
light
It is distressing to every Democratic
editor in the State to have to make such
q confession as this and to feel in duty
bound to tell the plain truth about the
abuses that have existed. But the way
to get rid of an evil is first Of all to
recognize It For long time Virginia
Democrats shut their eyes to these pain
full facts. but they have at last had a
square reckoning with the situation, and
now. under q new order of things. we
believe that they Will purge the State
OF the infa1ny and demand that here
after every qualified voter shall have the
privilege OF voting as he pleases and
that every ballot that goes into the box
FhalI be honestly returned.
II this reform does not come we may
hook for more and more Of corruption in
cur affairs OF government and continued
contempt Of law. The balot-bo1 is the
source OF our government. and If the
source be corrupt the stream must ne
cessarily be polluted.
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