Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1904-08-25
owe MUST BEAT SLEMP."


This is the order that has gone forth,
and oil effort and every possible method
must be directed to that end. 1t seems
that the Virginia Democracy feels safe as
to every other district in the State except
tine Ninth. lis policy of Acknowledgement
and fraud has been made triumphant in
all the other Districts and Democracy
seems eager 10 lay its unholy hands again
upon the Ninth.
A significant meeting was recently held
at Bristol. ]. Taylor Ellyson, State Chair
man of the Democratic party, was there in
secret conference with the district COM
mites; the chairmen of the counties in
the district, w. F. Rhea and Mr.. Wysor,
the candidate for Congress. Mr.. ( Tyson
has visited the district several times before
and be has always left the trail Of fraud
behind him. His visit on this latter oc-
caslon is very significant and is made more
so by the character of men with whom he
was comforting. There was w. f. Rhea,
who has proved himself an expert grad
uate of Mr., Ellyson's training school.
Then, w. D. Smith, who created the
''Scott County Ballot and was the origi-
nator of all the vile schemes of fraud that
were used in that county, was also in the
conference. The same district committee
that directed party affairs when Rhea sue
ceeded twice in defrauding General Wal
ker of his seat in Congress and made the
effort to defraud Colonel Slemp of bis seat
was assembled at the conference. This is
enough to put the Republicans Of the dis
trict on their guard; and they will haye to
watch at every point to see that no new
tricks are operated that will be sufficient
TO overcome the majority of two thousand
that our party won in the legislative cleo
ton in the counties of the district last fall.
We had hoped to see the present cam
paign conducted on fair lines After the
severe criticisms so frequently made by
Mr.. Wysor on the methods of w. F. Rhea
and his man Friday" W. D. Smith, we
hardly expected him to be mixing and
counselng with them as he did at Bristol.
But the Democracy finds itself in desper-
ate straits and has concluded to use all
its fair and unfair methods combined in
this campaign. A press dispatch from
Washington says Mr. Ellyson will super
intend the fight in the Ninth District, and
it,says:
Z "The majority of the Republican voters
are white men. For this reason the lead
ers haye determined to play the race issue
for all it is worth, and there is every rea- |
son to believe that hundreds who voted
for Slemp at the last election will vote for |
Wysor his fall"
This statement, connected with the re-
cent conference at Bristol, raises strong |
suspicion that the race issue is not being
used with the hope of getting white Re-
publlcans to vote against Colonel Slemp,
but as a mere sham for frauds that the
Democratic MANAGERS have been devising
and intend to carry out, if they can. The
Republicans are not afraid to meet the
Democrats on the false issues they are try
ing to force into the district, but they are
justly disturbed by the evident purpose of
the Democratic party to leave its manage
ment in the hands of a district organiza-
ton that has heretofore enjoyed the repu.
tation of being without a peer in con-
socting schemes of fraud.
A gentleman from Tazewell recently
visited st. Louis, and While there met and
told leading lawyer of that city
about the "Scott County Ballot" The
st. Louis gentleman is machine Demo.
crat and expressed desire to see copy
of the ballot in question. Upon his re-
turn to Tazewell the gentleman who re-
sides here sent copy to the gentleman at
st. Louis, aud tae following is an extract
from letter written acknowledging its re-
ceipt:
II am in receipt Of your favor of the Bird 8
inst, inclosing copy of Tazewell RepubE- 8
can, containing fac sinile Of the official :
ballot in one of the counties of the 9th G
Congressional District in your State. 1t 4
was certainly AN infamous device to pre-
vent free expression at the polls. The
politicians of this State, irrespective of
party, resort to many unfair methods in y
conducting campaign, but have never