Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-10-22

the peculiar methods of fraud that have
for the past twenty years been practiced
in that county by the Democratic ma
chine. The State Committee and the
Richmond press have encouraged fraud
by the stand they have taken for Brauer,
who has been proved vioater of the
BMksdale pure elections law.
Down in the city of Norfolk we find a
more significant situation than that in
Henrico county. For several years there
has been contest wsged for control of
that city by TWO Democratic factions. One
has been called the "ring," the other has
named itself the good government" or
ganization. The "ring" had absolute
control of the election machinery until
short time ago when it pass ed into the
hands of the so-called good gov eminent"
people.
We have been kept pretty well infor-
med by our able contemporary the Nor
folk ylrgnian. Pilot about the misdoings
of the "ring" According to its testi-
mony the leaders of that faction should
long ago have been put in prison for
crimes against the ballot box, instead of
being permitted to sit as represent atives
in the Legislature and to fill important
municipal offices.
Theae was a Democratic primary held
at Norfolk last week for the nomination of
candidates for the House of Delegates and
the selection of a city Democratic COM
mittee. TIE good government" faction
had entire control of the primary; and the
'ring" has, with seeming justice, charged
the "good government, people with Sc
curing victory by boldest kind of fraud.
When the ring was iu power it padded
registration books, stuffed ballot boxes
aud falsifed returns. Now, it accuses the
"gOod government" faction with manipula'
ting the viva voce system, provided by
the Democratic plan of organization for
use at primaries, in such way as to cheat
the ring out of the victory which belonged
to it. Our esteemed contemporary, the
Virginian- Pilot, speaking of the matter,
says:
The defeated faction of the Democratic
party in this city has set up the charge
that gross fraud was committed in
Tuesdays primaries. That is, of course,
a matter of demonstration rather than as
sci ton and assumption. If fraud was
committed, the responsibility should be
fixed to the end that the Democrats of
Norfolk may take vengeanc &c therefor \ 4
cat the same time. the Virginia. Pilot
is impeled to observe that the event has
justified its assertion that blunder was
made when the ring people were denied
representation in the primaries and
another blunder was committed when
they were refused tally keepers within the
polling places. Had that been done,
there would have been no room for the
charge of fraud that was made inevitable
by refusing the ring people taly-keepers
and representation. Both Of these con-
cessions having been denied, it was a fore
gone conclusion that, however fair the
primaries we're, the charge of unfairness
would be made by the ring people and &C.
cepted as we'll founded by hundreds of
Democrats who have no sympathy with
ring aims or methods"
Heretofore our contemporary has been
holding and expressing perfect confidence
in the integrity of the"good government"
organization in that city. Now its con-
fdence seems to be shaken. When that
faction fthe Democratic party took ad-
vantage of the power it held to exclude
representatives of the other faction from
the polling places it made plain its pur
pose to commit fraud. 1t had been de-
nouncing the ring for manipulating ballots
and returns when it was in position to do
those things; and now it establishes it's
character by manipulating tie viva voce
plan of voting in such way as to make it
as secret as is voting by ballot. When
the so-called 'good government" people
are charged by the ring with committing
frauds, they reply by counter charges and
offer in proof the statement Of a former
member of the 'ring" who has, for some
reason, become jealous member of the
"gsod government" band.
The Virginian-Pilot declares that the
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