Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1905-05-12
THE POLITICAL HEALTH OF VIRGINIA

HE POLlilCAL HEALTH OF NlkUlNlA.
The Roanoke Times, i'm its issue Of
last Sunday quotes from an excellent
and timely editorial in current num-
Der OF the News Leader as follows:
"Such a practice, referring to the eva
sion Of the Election law by the Repaid
licans in paying the poll taxes OF
vOters) is beyond question calculated
10 debauch the electorate, and it is the
duty Of every honest citizen, be he
Democrat or Republican, to resort to
every means within his power TO bring
to prosecution and conviction all par
ties to the fraud . We shall never
have pure election methods until the
moral sense OF duty i'm regard TO this
matter, permeates the public mind. The
Times adds, "The News Leader here
touches upon aYital prerequisite TO the
political health of the State * ="
Various attempts have been made to
improve and build up the political
health ofVirginia, in recent years. There
was time when certain political means
were recognized as necessary to be
used as a lesser of two evils. The
Democrats stuffed ballot boxes, and
the Republicans bought ballot boxes
neither party denied that they did so.
The kettle called the pot black, and
said it had a right 10. and it did, for
both were tinged. Both parties-the
best elements in both-were continual
ly crying out for reform. How to re-
form was the question. Finally, law
was enacted by the Democrats, which
made it possible 10 have clean. fair
elections. The necessity for stealing
on one hand and buying on the other,
no longer existed, and every body was
hopeful that a brighter day had
dawned.
There has been two elections under
the new law. 1t is charged, that the
Republicans in the State are still buy
ing votes, not outright, OF course, but
under cover OF loanng delinquent tax
payers money to pay poll-taxes in or
der to qualify them from voting This
charge has not been denied by Repub-
leans. 1t cannot be denied, as the act
is open, and evidenced by notes given
by the borrower" A man or party has
a right to loan money, and a man an
equal right to borrow, but in this case
the effect-(whatever the motive) will
be to evade plainly written law, and
tend to debauch the voter and further
corrupt the political morals of the state.
The serious question recurs: Is Vir-
ginia TO have a political relapse ? While
only in a convalescent state which
gave hope of ultimate and speedy re.
covery is the political health of the
Commonwealth TO be again under
mined and perhaps destroyed? If so,
the calamity must be laid at the door
of the Republican managers of the
state. After crying out for fair cleo
tons for years they seem determined
that We shall not have them. Shall
corruption stalk boldly and brazen-
faced through the state? Lending"
campaign funds is only another form OF
vote buying. As the Times declares:
Each man whose poll tax may have
been paid for him out Of Republican
campaign money could be bought at
the polls with Democratic campaign
money"
Democrats and Republicans alike
should take a firm fixed and deter
mined stand to not only abide by and
in the spirit as well as the letter of the
law, but see to it that everybody else
does OF suffers the extreme penalty of
it's violation.