Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-04-02
THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 1908.
NOT THE WHOLE STORY.

Springfield Mass Republican to task Tor
some views it had expressed upon the
motive which inspired the enactment Of
what is called the Barksdale Pure Elec-
tious law. The News Leader says: 1.-The
Republican charges that the enactment OF
the Barksdale bill was a hypocritical per-
f,rmapce, for it says that now the negro Is
d;sfrarchised the white politicians do not
want to buy him up and the law was pass
ed as a picus act OF civic virtue"
Our Richmond contemporary resenls
N charge of hypocrisy, and declares that;
ono such cant, discreditabie considera-
ton. fraud and mockery OF honest pur'
pose can be rightly associated with the
law or the motives that prompted the
people of Virginia to insist upon it."
The News Leader then states that the
Democrats in Virginia did not buy the
votes of the negroes, but admits that they
prevented them from voting, and will also
have TO admit that the negro vote was
stolen when occasion required. Our con-
temporary declares. that such frauds as
were practiced by the Democrats were de-
fensible but that they, "familiarized US
with shady transactions in election mat
tiers that were gradually tainting the
whites I'M their relations with one an
other" The News Leader concludes ite
article as follows:
"With, however, the passing of the
negro incubus-the elimination OF the
negro problem from this section and its
transfer to the North-no excuse remained
for anything but fair and square dealing
in elections and innate civic virtue
which the crime of the Republican party
in giving the negro the ballot had sup
pressed and vitiated, reasserted itself IN
favoring such safeguards to the purity OF
elections and such guarantees against the
further working Of the leaven OF democrat
izart-t traceable to negro enfranchsement
as are provided for in the Barksdale law.
That il the whole story and our Northern
Republican contemporaries place them
selves in a very awkward and unenviable
postiou and become fair targets Of sting
ing. recoiling shat of the logic of history
wren they indulge in such 'skepucism
ard eucers as characterize our Springfield
firnds' article"
We can but admire the childlike faith
Which our Interesting contemporary re-
poses in the motives and desires of the
Virginia Democracy. But when it offers
the above quoted paragraph as the "whole
story" of the diegraceful methods that
I have obtained in this State for the past
twenty years. and when it assumes that
:
the so called pure elections law will re-
move the "leaven of decentralization, 1t
ySSws that it either has very short mem
ory or that it is i'll informed as to the his
tory of the party it defends.
When the Anderson. Mccormick eltC
ton law WAS enacted it was de
clared that its purpose was to purify cleo
lions. So it was when the Walton law in
EQUITY WIS placed upon our statute books
No more outrageous election laws were
ever made than these, and their subse-
ouent use demonstrated that they wele
patsed to suggest and shield the frauds
that have brought odiunG upon the Demo
cratic party and disgrace to the Common
wealth. When the Kentucky Democrats
ATanted to make an election law that would
be perfect in its opportunities for fraud
they sent to Virginia for pattern to con-
strnct by. How we'll it served its purpose
in Kentucky history has recorded.
The election laws of Virginia have been
changed but very little, so far as the
conducting of elections is concerned. The
Walton law is still in force, except in
60 far as it is amended by the so-cslled
pure elections law and as modified by the
new constitution. The Barksdale bill
only undertakes to prevent bribery at
elections. and the notifications made by
the constitution have not proved very ef
fective in preventing the frauds that are
suggested and made easy of accomplish
ment under the Walton law. Upon the
contrary, in some respects, the constitu-
tional notifications have made ballot-box
stufing easier. The constitution has pro-
vided for the came partisan electoral
boards, with authority to appoint the
same class of INSCRIPTIONS judges Of elec-
ton, who can, and do, appoint both clerks
of election from their own party. This
provides an extra opportunity for stuffing
baIlot-boxes; and the game was certainly
worked at one precinct in this district last
Fall, perhaps at others. The Republican
judge would be sent into the booth to
mark ballots, and then the stufing went
on. In that way strong Republican
precinct was made to give large Demo-
cratic majority. This is not the "whole
story" We remind the News Leader of
the frauds that were practiced in Scott,
buchanan and Russell counties last Fall,