The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-03-14
SATURDAY MARCH Il. 1903.
NOW FoRTTHE PRInARY.

tt IN the course 4 of discussion IN the
/. House on the Barksdale pure elections
@ Bill, one LOT the speakers remarked 'Ha "a
4 Ia had heard no great cry for pure elec-
ton, save from the Senator from Halifax.
ut should be further stated, however I.
FRAT this remark was made in fun. surely
,,o y, member Of the General Assembly coulu
have made such remark I'M earnest
There Is a demand all through tho state
OF Virginia for pure elections and tne
H foct that the Barksdale bill was passed
IL an almost unanimous vote Is conclu-
live Of that statement. The MEMOIRS 81
3 the4 General Assembly are representatives
q Of d the people, and they vote as thelr
4 constituents desire them ito vote. nc
sentiment of the people, 80 far as It mas
been expressed or 50 far5as 1t Is KNOWN
&c u pretty we'll represented In the actions
Of the members OF the General Assembly.
Is The demand for pure elections was 1irst
4 expressed in call fora constitutional
{. convention, 1t was then expressed In the
suffrage clause Of the Constitution which
Mas designed to get rldto the cause OF
corruption and the pretcxt for IT, arg
III now that tho negro vote Is out OF, tfle
way. now that There is mo occasion FOR
4 bribery or trickery or corruption OF any
sort, the great body of Virginia. y peop pie
demand that elections shall be free ana
pure f8 IT.
a great deal has been said in print and
Il on the stump about tho money power.
Money is a power, and men who have
Il money are very apt 10 become arrogant,
yerS apt to use their money TO promote
II the,r interests. But when money Is used
"a influence voters or to influence legis-
ton, II Is used to roll, the people OF
the,rtliberties. It is just here that the
pcdple must be Vigllant. 1t is, Just here
that the law must take the money power
bv.I the throat and throttle it. We are
notIafraid OF corpora tons per SO. So long
IS they conflne themselves to legitimate
business they will do the country ser
vice and SO long as they deal with the
general public they must be OH their good
f behavior, so far as their business trans
actions go. But when they use their mon"
ey to corrupt the suffrage or to secure
RlSlHll0n III lIlelI ildRol' IhoS Wv pSSoAAA>'
a dangerous element In the republic, !
Everything possible should BIO done In
aW and otherwise ito prevent the use OF
money in elections! 1t is demoralising, "
is corruptng, 1t tends to sttle the voice
Y of the people, and it Is to be discouraged
and discountenancod and prohibited.
Some Of The members OF the House OF
Delegates wished to insert in the Barks-
Z dale bill an amendment providing that
money should not pc used "corrupty,''
But il money IS to be used without limit,
how is 1t possible ito prevent 1t from be-
Ing used corruptly, Even the best of men
with tho best OF Intentions. cannot pre-
vent the corrupt use of money which
they have lot out. when once 1t has
q passed out lot their hands. A candidate
may take his agents into his private
Office and charge them upon their honor
and command them not to let dollar
OF money contributed be used otherwise
than legltimately. But when he ha:
H turned thai money loose to his agent:
and when the agents have turned 1t loos
togthe sub-agents, how Is It possible 70
tho candidate to prevent the money iron
being used 10 debauch the suffrage? Tn
only way to check 1t Is to prohibit tn
use of money except for the bare ,necessi
ties OF the case. and then to require tn
candidates TO render u strict account Q
all their expenditures.
Now let us have legalized pr!marle
and let us have the Barkshale bill apple
4 in@all Its force to primary elections. I
this State primary elections are reall
more important than regular election
and 1t is more to the point to have II
provisions of the Barksdale bill apple
To the primaries than to the regular Gle
tons. The Democratic party has spoke
IL In favor OF legalized primaries, and u
news Constitution commends the dener
u Assembly to enact such law, The pa
sage of the Barksdale bill ID q gre
triumph for honest politics and, hone
Democracy IN the State az Virginia, al
the triumph will by complete Il only Il
/ General Assembly viii enact law lega
[ izing primaries