Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1902-05-01
THURSDAY, MAY /. 1902.
NOT VENGEANCE BUT JUSTICE.


of tie ord ult., mdtr tie head "A word
to a wailing contemporary" has an ed
itolial criticism Of an article whicl,
appeared in the "Republican" Of the l7IlI
ult. In that editorial, "TO your Tents, -
we advised the Republicans in Virginia to
refrain from voting in State and National
elections, until we have an honest cleo
ton law honestly administered or unit!
the Republicans in Congress become brave
or virtuous enough TO protect us from
fraud and outrage" This advice on our
part was prove ked 10y the recent decision
of Elections Committee No 8 in the Wal.
ker. Rhea CONTEST
The Nirginian PloI opens it's criticism
with there renaIks:
"rhe Tazewtll Republican is an ably
edited newspaper printed at Tazrwell In
this State and Of politics indicated by lis
name. In its grasp Of matters it shows
far and away more ability than the
average Republican newspaper of the
South and far less of the venom and blind
unreasoning prejudice that make discuss
ion of any issue with the average Southern
Republican paper, upon plane OF
decency aud sanity, quite out Of the ques
tion."
The Vhgiuian. Pilot then Gays: 1T If.
the efOre, with some surprire that We tiud
it taking the position. as we understand
it, that Congress should undertake to in
terfere in Southern elections"
We thank our able Nolf Xix contempor
ar. for the unusual generosity ii displays
as a Southern Democratic journal in con
ceding that there is either any virtue o.
ability ossessed 10y Southern Republ
can paper. We do not claim to possess
great ability, but We do feel that trutl'
and Justice are so completely on our siit
in the matters that enter into politics in
Virginia that we are not afraid to measure
arms with the ablest Democratic Journals
in dhiSenez;on of the political conditions
here. And we have never doubted that
the Democratic press in tie State wa
afraid to enter the arena Of discussion be
cause it knew 1t could not sustain itself III
luch discussion. Hence, We have found
our Democratic contemporaries attempt
ing 10 hide their lack Of faith in the
strength of their cause by planting them
selves on what they please to turn "a
plane Of docen"y and sanity"
The virqinian. Pilot proceeds to ask us
the following questions:
sis it not aware that the Republicans
in this Congress have been =. oiirg' TO
unseat Democrats, from the South espec.
tally, ami that fany case had been made
oct, the member from the Ninth wOul1
have been unseated? Is the Republican
to be understood as favoing Federal
control Of G mgres>ional elections? If not
then what is it afei?"
To the first inerrogatory We will re-
spond, that We have not found tie present
or past Congress spelling to unseat Demo
Gratis, from tie South especially. Upon
the contrary we have found it spelling the
other way, just as the Southern Democrat
ic press has asserted it would do. because
there was a sufficiently large Republican
majority in the House of Representatives
and because the Northern Republicans
were afraid that if they interferred with
Southern elections they would provoke
sectional issues. The Virginian-Piot may
not have made such assertions. If it has
not it is an exception. And we have
found that the Democratic press has
guaged the motive and courage of the
present Republican Congress more correc.
thy than we could have done.
The claim of the Nirginian Pilot that no
case was made out against Rhea or he
would have been unseated is not sustained
even by the report of the Elections Com.
mittee. If the editor of the Virginian will
read that report he will find that the
Scott County ballot is pronounced unfair,
misleading and confusing. The Committee
says, Those official ballots could and
should have been uniform and so arranged
and printed as 70 assist rather than con
Fuse" The report says" The commit.
tee does not wish to conclude this
report without expressing its disappro-
val of a law which makes cheating and
corruption possible, even easy, and in
vites and facilitates fraud at the polls.
The Committee not only bad the "Scott
county ballot" before it but samples of
the ballots used in each county in the
Ninth District in the National election of
1000 And we assert, without fear of
successful contradiction, that there was not
a fair or honest ballot prepared for the
voters in single county IN this district.
These things being true how could the