Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-06-25

Attorney. General, afterwards emphasized
the idea of submission to the people in
published letter, in which he declared
that: 1.-THE very genius of free govern
ment, in my opinion, requires such a sub
mission" He further declared that the
refusal to submit the constitution to the
people would be a departure "from the
fundamental principle underlying the
making of all Constitutions.
An election was ordered to vote upon
the question of holding a constitutional
convention, and the convention was de-
clared carried by the fraudulent counting
of votes 10 the negro districts, the white
districts of the State voting against a con-
ventlon.
This was followed by an election Of
delegates to a constitutional convention.
The convention was speedily assembled
and inaugurated its partisan work by
refusing to require its members to
take an oath of Office. For a year it
labored to devise a suffrage scheme that
would perpetuate the power of the Demo.
cracy in the Commonwealth. A suffrage
law, the longest and most complicated
that has ever been written, was at last
evolved from the brains of the skilled
tricksters, who posed as statesman and
patriots. Its operation will ultimately
disfranchise fve-sixths of the negroes and
one half of the white voters Of the State.
The convention, by violent act Of usur-
patton, proclaimed the new constitution
instead of submitting it to the people.
This was not only usurpation but an
other act of perfdy placed on the es-
cutcheon Of the Virginia Democracy. The
party, however, upheld the conventions
action, and the Democratic Governor,
who had recently said that: 1.-The very
genius of free government demanded its
submission to the people" ratified and
confirmed the work of the convention in
its violation of 1.-THE fundamental principle
underlying the making of all Constitu
tons"
The convention deserves the severest
condemnation for one provision in the or
dinanCe attached to the constitution.
That provision authorized the registrars
appointed by the convention to perform
the duties assigned them without taking
an oath Of. Office. The registrars that are
hereafter to be appointed by the circuit
courts will be required TO take an OATH
why exempt one class from taking an oath
and not the other? The reason is too
Obvious-a fraudulent registration. In
some counties the suggestion was followed,
in others it was not
The drastic provisions of the new suf
frage law and the wholesale disfranchise-
ment it was intended to accomplish were |
defended upon the pretext that they would
insure us fair elections in Virginia. Even
some Republicans believed this. But at
the first election held under the consttu-
ton, the Congressional election last Fall,
numerous bold frauds were committed.
We will mention some of them. In Scott
county, the home of Democratic fraud,
the returns from three precincts were
altered after they had been certified by the
elections officers. The guilty parties
have not been hunted down and no
effort has been made by Democratic Off
GERS to detect them. In Buchanan county.
The returns from the county were tam.
Dered with after they had been certified
ty the commissioners and placed in the
hands of the clerk of the county. They
we're changed so as to increase Rheas
majority in the county from % to 125.
The man who did that crime has not been t
pursued and no effort been used by Demo {
ratio officers to find and punish him. In t
Russell county at one precinct a Demo- |
ratio judge was caught stufing the ballot '
'ox. The Republicans could not get the I
natter before the grand jury ofthe county,
'ut did succeed in getting the culprit be- '
ore a Democratic magistrate, Who con- t
icted him of the charge, and sentenced G
0 the dreadful punishment of ten minutes 9
d Jail and the payment Of a fine of ten o
ollars. This is giving us pure elections o
18th vengeance. b
With such charges as these standing il
ndenied and undeniable against the it
organization in Virginia, u
e ask in all earnestness can it claim 81
be a respectable party? If such p
record as this makes political party y
spectacle, we are profoundly thankful ii
lat the Republican party is not respect W
Die. q
There are thousands of honorable men lii
the ranks of the Virginia Democracy TT
no are familiar with its record of fraud p'
I'd who do not approve of these things p,
e are at loss to understand why they 70