Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1902-10-30

way; that it made no difference. i tolC
hisN l didn't think had the legal right tC
do 60. and when examined the law
found had no right to register Darnel
under my oath, and refused to do 30.
7. P. CURTIS.
Col. Richmond commenting on this acI
of Smiths said
"Why was it of such Importance that
William Darnell was to be registered
Why violate the law and suborn the regis
trar to commit perjury? The sequel will
show. MIR. Darnell was with Mr.. Smith
on Saturday next before the election on
Tuesday, November 5th, on the same day
that Mr.. Smith told the registrar (Curtis)
to register Darnell anyway, as it made no
difference; and. on election day Mr.. Oar
nell appeared aA Hilton precinct and pre-
sented his certificate of appointment as Il
Judge of election, and insisted on serving
as a judge. When told that he was not a
registered voter, Darnell replied that"they
told me to come here and demand my
rights and serve as judge"
The purpose of Smith is very easily un-
derstood He tried to get the registrar to
register Darnell at a precinct where be
was not legal voter, for the purpose Of
having him act as judge and ballot fxer.
This game had been played before in Scott
county, notably in the election of 1898,
when judges Of election were imported to
commit fraud against General Walker; and
we have right to conclude that Smith
was the promoter of those frauds.
COL Richmond In speaking Of the"Scott
county ballot" which be made an exhibit
in his communication published in the
Richmond Dispatch, has this to say about
Smiths connection with that ballot:
"Mr. Smith gave bis deposition in the
Walker.Rhes contest which may be seen
in the record Of said contest from page 20
to page 2S, inclusive. and casual reading
thereof will convince any impartial mind
that Mr.. Smith 10 the author Of the above
ballot"
We have the printed record in the
Walker-RheA contest before Us, and have
given il careful examination. After do
ing go we have no hesitation in saying
that Col. Richmond has rendered cor
rect verdict as to the authorship of the in
famous Scott county ballot. In his depo-
sition Smith shows the marks Of an unwil
ling witness and constant effort IL made
to so shape bis answers as to conceal the
truth.
There is strong coroborOtive proof in the
printed record in the Walker-Rhea con-
test that w. D. Smith was not only the
deviser Of the Scott county ballot but that
he prepared forms for ballots and sent
them to the counties of Lee, Pulaski Wise,
Wythe. The county electoral boards in
those counties were not under the in.
fuence of Smith, as it was In Scott county,
and, consequently, we find no ballots as
complicated as the one printed and used
in Scott. The ballots in Bristol city and
Washington county were set up in the
same kind of type, without any punctua-
ton or display heads, and but for the diff
ference in spacing would be exactly like
the Scott county ballot. In the counties
of Russell, Dickinson and Pulaski, w. +.
Rhea's name followed Immediately the
names of the electors on the Republican
ticket. The typewriter form from Which
the Pulaski ballot was printed was carried
from Bristol by James A. Stone, who was
Rhea's manager in the campaign of 1898
and who was the instigator of all the
frauds committed at the election that year
in that city.
Stone also gave bis deposition in the
Walker-Rhea contest, and in it stated that
he and Smith had conference at Bristol
and that Smith agreed with him that 1--WE
had best prepare something on the idea
of the typewriter paper referred to-"
Stone says when he met Mr.. Harman, q.
member of the electoral board of Pulaski
county, II had typewriter paper
which was intended to be used as guide
in the preparation Of the official ballot.
That typewritten form was delivered to
Mr.. Harman, and he delivered 1t to the
printer. The printer swears he printed
the official ballot according to that form,
except that he "spaced the ticket some
what differently, putting in separating
rules between the different tickets. This
change was made Ito make the ticket less
confusing" So, the form that Stone car
ried to Pulaski had Rhea's name immedi.
ately following the Republican electors,
and was SO confusing in arrangement that
the printer suggested different spacing and
the use Of rules to make 1t less confusing.
The ballots used in Russell and Dickinson
counties had Rhea's name placed on them
Just after the Republican electors. We
have a right to infer thKt the form for