Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1902-10-30
A DISGRACEFUL
LEADERSHIP
Some Of the Record Of the Democratic
Chairman Of this District,
WHAT DEMOCRATS SAY OF HIM.
He is Called a BallOt-BOx Suffer anu
affidavitS published 10 sustain charges
of corruption.

We have repeatedly said that there are
many good men in the ranks of the Demo
cratic party in the Ninth Congressional
District. They have been Inundated and
made heartily ashamed by the methods
that have been practiced by the Demo-
cratic leaders in the district at the last two
congressional elections. Knowing their
estimate of these corrupt methods, it is
astonishing that they will continue to
compromise with them by giving their
support to a candidate who has been the
willing beneficiary of these vicious prac-
tices and by being led by chairman who
has a record for political crimes that has
never been matched in this section. There
are some, perhaps, who do not know the
record of w. D. Smith, the district chair
man of the Democratic party in the Ninth
District. For their benefit and enlighten.
ment we will give some Of bis political
history, which has been written chiefly by
men of his own party and by himself.
Then. if men can still march under bis
banner and claim to be conscientious,
after the knowledge they will possess, it
will be by suppressing' all sense of political
ethics,
This w. D. Smith is the county sup
erintendent of schools for Scott county,
Virginia. He is a member of the State
Democratic Committee and Chairman of
his party in this district.
Col. ]. 3. Richmond, who is Democrat,
was the representative of Scott county in
the late Constitutional Convention. On
the floor of that convention he made a
speech which was published in the Rich
mond Dispatch of November 2lst, 1901.
In that speech among other things Col.
Richmond stated:
'That w. D. Smith county school sup
erintendent of Scott county was a pollt'
ical ringster, ballot.box stutfer or at the
head of the regime that does do 1t; that
old Congressional Records had been
trimmed in the form of tickets and sent to
one precinct in my (Scott) county, and
that the county school superintendent of
Scott county is at the head Of all this
political villainy."
W.D. Smith replied to these charges In
a communication published in the Rich
mond Dispatch of November 29th, 1901.
He denied the charges; and Col. Richmond
published an elaborate communication in
the Richmond Dispatch of January 24th,
1902, which occupied six and one-haif
columns in that paper. Col. Richmond
published a fac simile of the notorious
Scott county ballot and afidavits made by
Democratic registrars. These afhdavits
have never been disputed and are of
most damaging character He also pub
lished a letter which w. D. Smith wrote
to a registrar in 1892 and which we pro,
duce below. Here 1t is:
Yuma, Va, October s, 1892.
Mr.. John Haynes,
Mr.. Dear Sir:-Msjor Wood is going to
be elected if there is not diligence and
economy used by the registrars. Especial
ly now you can gain several votes by reg
isterine all and every man we send to you,
and refuse to place on the books Repub'
licans who you think can be handled that
wav. Be sure to not let any Republicans
see or copy your books. Do everything
YOU do in a quiet way, and if we carry,
which l am certain, we will give you a
good paying position.
w. D. SMITH.
The authorship of this letter has never
been denied. 1t speaks for itself, and is
a plain proposition to G sworn officer OF
the law to perjure himself and commit
frauds of various kinds. In suggestion 1t
ia Infamous in character and closes with a
tender of a bribe to registrar If he will
commit the crimes requested. SOFT seems
that w. D. Smith began to make a black
record ten years ago by trying to corrupt
one John Haynes, registrar in Scott
county.
In 1900 Smith was Democratic chair
man of this district and manager for W.
F. Rhea. His elevation 10 the place oi
chairman and manager did not change biz
nature as a coruptionist; and in 1901 We
find him again trying to corrupt regis
trar. We reproduce below letter frou
w d. Smith to Mr. Curtis and an ati
dayit of T. P. Curtis which were publish
ed in the Richmond Dispatch by Col. Rich
mond. They are as follows;
w. S. Cox, Attorney at Law,
Gate City, Va.,--l9O-.
Mr.. Curtis,
My Dear sir:-Come down to Gate Clt'
tonight. Come without fail. l want tC
see you on important business.
w. D. SMITH.
1. Thomas Curtis. registrar Of Hiltor
r,.o,;,ot In gcntt county, do hereby state