Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-05-28

dClCu upOhs
When this ordinance first came into our
hands we were so shocked by the in
iquitious provision that we called the per-
sonsl attention of member Of the Revis'
ion Committee to it; and he did not hesi
tate to say that it had crept into the ordl |
nance without his attention and that 1t
was "a trick" We then addressed an
open letter to each member of the Revision
Committee asking them specifically II 1t
was intended by the trainers of the con-
stituton that registrars should act without
taking an oath of Office. Dolly one mem
Der of the committee, Judge Bergman
Green, of Danville, replied to our letter
He said most emphatically that it was the
intention of the convention that the regis |
trars should take no oath. At the time
we did not hesitate to pronounce the act
of the convention crime. Can any |
greater crime be committed against the
citizenship of a republic than for law
making body to appoint officers and clothe
them with judicial authority to pass upon
a right of citizens more precious than the
rights of property and as dear to men as
the right of life and liberty, without re-
curing such officers to take an oath to
discharge their duties honestly?
Encouraged by the outrage perpetrated
by the constitutional convention in giving
such license to registrars. the General AS
sembly OF Virginia at its recent session ac'
centuated the crime by enactlng law
which adds to the judicial authority |
already vested in registrars power
more dangerous to the rights of freemen.
1t is an Act to amend the election laws,
and reads as follows:
every board of registrars provided for |
by the Constitution, or their successors, !
for the years nineteen hundred and two
and nineteen hundred and three, or
majority thereof, every registrar there
after appointed, and every registrar for
any town in this Commonwealth, shall
preserve order at and in the vicinity Of
the place of registration; and to enable 1t
or him to do so, they shall be clothed with
all the powers of conservator Ofthe peace
while engaged in the discharge of the
duties imposed by law, may exclude from
its settings all persons whose presence 1t
or he deems unnecessary, and may APP
point special constables, not exceeding
three in number, in each maglsterial dis
irict or ward, and may summon the by
ISLANDERS, or other persons in the vicinity,
to assist whenever in its judgment, it shall
be necessary to preserve order"
This Act was vicious in conception,
diabolical IN purpose, and will be fruitful
Of crime. 1t was bad enough in the con-
venuon to turn a lot of D lrtisan registrars
loose, unhampered by an oath, to sit
judicially upon the qualifications of honest
men for exercising suffrage. But there are
no words in the English language sufficient
~ fire FIJI t. express the con demnatlon
that should be placed upon the legislative
body that has made these same partisans
conservators of the peace, with authority to
deprive citizens Of their liberty as well as
to rob them of the sacred privilege of vot'
ing. No more arbitrary legislation was
ever enacted, and it Is more suited to an
to autoratic Russia than to a land where
constitutional freedom is claimed to exist.
We have heard frequent EXPLANATIONS
of horror from the Democratic press
about" Force Bills, and the danger of per
hitting The President to place Gordon Of
soldiers about ballot box at any election. |
Here is a statute in Virginia which gives
unsworn officers, many of whom are ire
sponsible, corrupt men, authority to arrest
citizens without warrant, to surround the
places of registration with constituencies
cOnstables, and to sit in secret session
while passing upon the right of citizens to
vote.
The enforcement of law less vicious
than this has produced a revolution. Will
the honest freemen of Virginia continue
to submit to the outrages that are being
heaped upon them by partisan constitu-
tional and statute law?