Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-08-27
THURSDAY. AUGUST 81, 1908.
TRAINED OF FRAUD.


have been amused while they read the fol-
lowing paragraph which recently appeared
in the Richmond Times Dispatch:
"Hon ]. Taylor Ellyson, chairman OF
the Democratic State Committee, ha~
issued circular letter to the candidates
and party managers throughout the State,
calling attention to the Barksdale pure
elections law, and urging all to abide by
it's provisions religiously."
This frantic appeal of the Democratic
Chairman to the candidates and local
managers of his party must have seemed
ridiculous to the Norfolk Virginian' Pilot,
as the following paragraph appeared in its
editorial columns just after the circular
letter of Mr. Ellyson was made public:
'"Hon. ]. Taylor Ellyson warns the can
didates for Office to keep off the toes of
the Barksdale pure election act. Hon. j..
Taylor EIlyson has been at it long enough
to know where his warnings are needed. "
We agree with our esteemed contem-
porary, the Virginian-P Pilot, that Mr.. Elm
son knows where his warnings are needed.
He knows full well that the State Demo
cratic organization has been training
school for fraud and IFS head-master knows
where 10 find his pupils. Being perfectly
familiar with their aptness for appropriate
ing the lessons that have been taue t
them, he is now greatly alarmed lest they
use the knowledge they have acquired to
the detriment of each other, rather than
for defrauding Republicans, for which
latter purpose the said training school was
established.
The claim was confidently made by the
Virginia Democracy that the new Consli'
tuition would eliminate the negro from
politics, and, with his Acknowledgement, the
Republican party would never again have
anc strength in the State. There is no
Il ,ht but that the sole purpose for max
ing a new Constitution was to so restrict
suffrage as to give the Democrats power
in perpetuity. The new suffrage law wss
also heralded as a remedy which would cure
the cankerous sore Of fraud that had been
destroying the moral tone of the people.
Democratic flice.holders and orators, who
for years had been fattening or the emoIu-
ments of office secured by all kinds Of
frauds upon the ballot-box, declared, With
glowing countenances, that the necessity
for fraud would no longer exist; and that
the Virginia Democracy could now be
virtuons and happy. The Richmond
News Leader Ct the 18th inst exultingly
proclaimed the Constitution as the "New
Charter of Liberty" 1t seems to be its
conviction that this "New Charter Of
Liberty" is to signalize "the dawn of an
era of newspaper freedom" that it will
remove fraudulent election methods and
free the masses of the Democratic party
from disgraceful servitude. Our con-
temporary declares that, "Prior to the
adoption of the new organic law the Vir-
ginia Democracy were as much in political
bondage as were ever the negroes, who
made up the bulk of the Republican
party"
Evidently, Chairman Ellyson is not SO
confident of the purifying forces of the
new Constitution or of the remedial in
fiuence of the so-called "Pure Elections
Law" He, therefore, urgently appeals to
the candidates and local managers of the
Democratic party in Virginia to religiously
abide by the provisions of the Barksdale
law.
What does Mr.. Ellyson mean when be
asks his followers 70 relgiously abide by
the provisions of the Barksdale law? five
are to Judge him and his State organization
by their past code of political ethics, he
means to say: "Boys you must not cheat
each othel-that would be wicked. Rob
the Republicans wherever opportunity is
furnished or whenever necessity requires
that will be Democratic religious observ-
ance of pure election laws"
If human nature is not abnormal with
the constitution of the Virginia Democra-
racy Mr.. Ellyson will not be able to carry
successfully in to practice bis peculiar code
of political ethics. As the twig is bent SO
will the tree grow. The Virginia Democ-
racy has too long been instructed in
school of fraud to become free from prac-
ticing its corrupt teachings, until the pres
ent generation of party managers and apt
pupils has passed away. They have too
freely imbibed the doctrines of political
jesuitism to be honest even toward each
other. The habit of cheating has become
fixed upon them; and if they are not re-
quired to defraud Republicans they will
cheat each other. They will do both as
occasion and necessity require.
From occurrences at recent Democratic
primaries in different sections Of the State
we are fully sustained in the views we