Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-10-01
Tie Republican Party in Virginia.

Republican should insist that we were so
discourteous as to declare that we had no
respect for it. On the contrary we assure
our contemporary that we entertain for it,
and all Republican newspapers of its class,
the respect that ability and sincerity al
ways command. The fact that we have
frequently and at length quoted its opin-
ions in these columns should have been
prima facie evidence of the respect we en-
terrain for it as the exponent of that white
Republicanism of the western part of the
State to which much of the States best
citizenship gives allegiance. The Virgin
lan.Pilot respects any newspaper, what
ever its views, that speaks with ability and
sincerity its opinions and appeals to re-
spectacle constituency. Let our contem'
porary accept as final the assurance that
we put it in that category.
Our contemporary also is an error in
sIpposing that we doubt its assertion thai
the Democrats have committed frauds in
the white counties Having no first hand
knowledge of the facts, We said merely
that if our contemporary was not in eror'
the men who committed the frauds
should be punished and the Democratic
officials who had connived at their escape
from punishment should be turned out of
Office. Surely that it is frank enough and
plain enough not to be misconstrued.
The Virginian-P stands for Democ.
racy, but it also stands for decency. 1t is,
therefore, more than pleased to have its
Republican contemporary expose any
frauds committed by democrats that may
come to its notice. -Norfolk Virginian.
Pilot.
1t was with pleasure we read the above
in the columns of our contemporary,
the Virginian-Pilot. Its kind expressions
for US are no more appreciated than are
those it speaks in praise of the constitu
ency We represent. Naturally We are dis
posed to form our estimate of Republican
ism in Virginia by the character of the
men who constitute the party in the
Southwest and the Valley of Virginia.
They are among the very best citizens Of
the State. Such men as these have deserv.
ed better treatment than they have been
receiving at the ballot box for the past
twenty years They have been made des-
perate by the frauds that have deprived
them repeatedly of representatives they
have elected to the State and National
Legislatures, and they cannot be expected
to have anything but a profound disgust
for the party organization that has encour-
aged the outrage and protected those
who committed them. Whatever necessity
m ay have existed in the eastern part of
the State for such frauds there has never
been nyreason for them here. We trust We
will zee no more of them. If they do come,
however, we shall expose them and shall
expect our contemporary to assist us in
bringing the guilty perpetrators to bar
of justice.
Our contemporary expresses its con.
tempt for "the ignorant and vicious ne
groes, pie-hunting politicians and riff-raf
that constituted the bulk" of the Republi-
can party in Virginia For this class our
contempt is equally as great as is that of
our contemporary. But we have no class
of that kind in the great white districts
where the Republican party has been
constantly gaining strength. If vicious
class has dominated the party it has been |
caused by two things-connivance of
machine Democratic politicians and the
reluctance of the best men in the party to
participate in State conventions and |
assist in contests that have been made USE
less by the fraudulent methods of the
Democracy. When an honest election
law is not spoken of but becomes reality,
in Virginia will become
thing which its political foes will both
dread and respect.