Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-10-06
Judge Lewis, Repubn,a. A
For Governor. Asked Grant
For Troops TO Intimidate
Virginia Voters.
ECHOES OF THE HAYES STEAL.


ECHOES OF THE HAYES STEAL.
10 the Presidential election of
1876, when Samuel j. Tilden was
counted out of the Presidency, Fed
eral troops were sent to Petersburg
for the purpose of being present on
election day.
The late Gen. James l. Kemper,
then Governor of Virginia, pro-
tested against the presence of troops
in Petersburg.
"No domestic violence" said he,
"no breach of the peace, no molesta-
ton of any citizen in the exercise of
his rights exists, or is threatened, or
apprehen led, or likely to arise In
this Commonwealth. Perfect peace,
order and security reign throughout
all our borders. Every citizen of
whatever race, color or condition ie
protected, can be protected and will
be protected, in ali his personal aud
political rights, privileges and i'm
munities by all the authorities of
the State. No application by the
Legislature or by the Executive has
been made to the President for pro-
lection against domestic or other
violence. No complaint is made any
where that the rights of any citizen
are assailed or threatened. But in
the midst of profound peace and
without Constitutional requisition
from any quarter, the President of
the United States has stationed
troops in a little city Of orr Com
monwealth with the design, as it
cannot be doubted, of intimidating
the people and controlling the pend
ing election for pertizsn purposes"
Regarding the above the Rich
mond Times-Dispatch has the fol-
lowing:
But there was another official who
testified differently. He was then
United States District Attorney for
the Eastern District of Virginia,
and he wrote letter TO DR.. Jorgep-
sen, pledging himself to go to Wash
ington and tell the President that In
his judgment it would be criminal
to fail to send troops to Petersburg.
True to his word, he made the fol-
lowing affidavit:
81 am from my knowledge of that
(the last State election) and other
elections held in Petersburg pre-
pared to say that unless the marshal
is furnished with better and more
reliable posse than he will be able TO
summon to his aid from residents of
the city, the election on the 9TH of
November In that city will be a
farce as gigantic AS it will be fraud
ulent. / am not now prepared to
express the opinion that the presence
of troops to act as the marshal's
posse will be essential to the
preservation of order and to in
sure a fair election at other
points in the Eastern District
of Virginia, but of the neces-
sity Of their presence to prevent
bloodshed and SECURE A FAIR
ELECTION IN PETERSBURG
leaps ours) think there car not be q
shadow of doubt."-(See Congress
sional Record, Forty-fourth Con-
gress, second session, p. $50
The United States official holding
Office under the Republican admins
tration who made that affidavit and
who did what he could to bring
these troops into Virginia on cleo
ton day was l. l.. Lewis, the man
who is now running for Governor of
Virginia on the Republican ticket.
He speaks with absolute certainty as
to the need of troops in Petersburg,
yet in a speech subsequently deliv-
cred by Col. r. f. Withers, of Vir-
ginia, in the Senate of the United
States, reviewing this outrage, it was
stated that Mr.. Lewis was not in
the Fourth Congressional District
during that canvass and could not of
his personal knowledge have known
that troops were needed in Peters
burg.
Although Judge Lewis is fine
gentleman, he is a lifelong Republic
can; he has repeatedly held Office
under Republican administration;
be has in all campaigns stood with
the Republican party, and now we
show by the record that in 1876 it
was upon his suggestion and assur-
ance that a Republican President
sent United States troops to the
city of Petersburg in order to sim
sure fair election" Judge Lewis
pleads eloquently for the new Re-.
publican party, bleached and re-
formed. But it is the same old
party and he was member of it in
the days of reconstrnetion, force
bills and Federal troops.at- the-polls,
returning boards, Hayes Electoral
Commission aud all the rest, and he
must bear his part of the responsi-
bility for the acts of his party.
A Republican with such political
record cannot be elected Governor of
Virginia. In 1876 he asked for
Federal troops in Virginia on cleo
ton day in defiance of the protest
Of the then Governor of Virginia.
1t is q fair inference that if he
should himself be Governor of Vir-
ginia, and the campaign of 1876
should be repeated, he would call
for Federal troops.
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