Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-09-17
THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER II, 1903.
For House Of Delegates,
J. POWELL ROYAL,
OF TaZ0W0ll.
EVERYBODY TO THEIR TASTE

The Norfolk Nirglnan- Pilot, whose
ability we greatly admire, but whose
judgment in political matters is frequently
greatly at fault, has recently been discuss
ing with us the question of fraudulent
elections in this State. Our contemporary
diScoses no reuctancsi in expressing severe
disapproval of the fraudulent practices of
the Virginia Democracy; but it has been
laboring under the mistaken idea that
frauds have been chiefly committed in
what are called the negro counties. Lately
we have been earnestly endeavoring to
disabuse orr con ;emporary's mind of the
false impression. Replying to a recent
editorial in the Republican" in which
We asserted: "tbat in recent years the
most glaring frauds were not committed
in the Black Belt but in the great
white districts, where the Anglo-Saxon
rule was supreme" the Virginian-Pilot
says:
"Our contemporary then cites instances
of alleged fraud in the white counties.
We shall neither attempt to discredi
these instances of alleged fraud nor ofer
apology for them. They may be authentic,
for aught we know, though it has always
been our information that the elections in
the white counties we're comparatively free
from crookedness. If the facts are as
alleged, there can he no excuse for such
a condition of affairs, and if the culprit,
have escaped through the guilty conni-
vance of Democratic officials, the people
should turn such officials out and lose nc
time about it. There can be no excuse
for election frauds in white counties"
While several of our Democratic con
tomporaries in the eastern part of the
State have been, with seeming earnestness,
protesting against dishonest elections they
have been guilty of the vice of denying or
doubling the existence of frauds in the
white distrcts That vice still appears to
be alive and at work, as is evidenced by
the doubt expressed in the above quoted
paragraph There are none so blind a.
those who neg.igently or Intentionally re-
fuse to see. The Congressional elections
in the Ninth, Tenth and Fifth Congress
ional Districts have been attended with
s1ch frequent, persistent and vicious
frauds that the newspaper in Virginia
which las not found them out is either too
iNaolent to investigate or too partisan to
exnose them. IT was this ignorance as to
facts or nsinceritv of purpose on the part
of our Democratic contemporaries which
provoked MS into saving:
these things can the Norfolk Virginiau-
Pilot afford to make an apology or excuse
therefor nv saving that it has no respect
for the thoroughly dirty and crooked
Republican party or its organs?"
Responding to this the Virginiar- Pilot
saws:
"Thp Repuhican mis0uotas us. II was !
tho nretoneione of the Republican party
and lie organ n superior virtue for which
we said wo he'd 70 rpsnec'. As for freud
in the Democratic rrimaries. the Repuhi-
can ronfevs q favor on the Democratic
,ortv nv oxnOsing them. The Viroiniin-
Pilot hos coreetOrt'v ownoeod fraud to tho
party wherever It has detected It. Nor 10
we denv that thn Democratic partv is M
hetter than IT should no. But az its worsf
81 is hotter hore in the State of Virginia
than the Republican nartv. And that is
no extravaesnt compliment"
Begging the nWdon If orr esteemed
wo insist that while we
NAV not have quoted its words literally
we have CORRECTLY interpreted their moan 8
nr. II would certainly not have uttered {
he words "thoroughly dirty and crooked
party or its organs" If it had
not held in contemnt those to whom If re- =
erred. And what better evidence could q
70 furnished of lack Of respect for the I
9ennhlican partv than TO declare that il I
g even worse than the Virginia Democ. "
acy. which our contemporary has 81 :,
requAntly before admitted has been the
nown beneficiary Of AL kinds of frauds Il
non the ballotbox? 1t declares now II
hat the Democratic party Sat ts worst is *
etter here in the State of Virginia than =,
he Republican partv." This cannot be {"
NE. iii were so Virginia would long pl
20 have deserved, lift did not receive, Oh
similar horrible fate to that which was 90
ificted upon 1.-THE cities of the plains"
he political crimes ofthe Virginia Democ- A
CIV have been as defantly and CORES q
,ndingly aggravated as were the physical &
ID unnatural sins of the inhabitants of u
dom and Gomorrah. 81
We deny the correctness of the asser- Fl
m of the virginian- Pilot that the Demo 81
ltic party "at its worst is better here in y
2 State of Virginia than the Republican y
rty." We defy our contemporary to n
we by specific statement Of facts that u
charge is true 1t has tried to bolster