Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1905-07-13
THURSDAY, JULY IS, 1905.
THE QUALITY OF DEMOCRACY,

such material and is the leadership OF
such a character as to essentially secure
from its hands honest and efficient
management of the State Government?
By its own confessions it stands con-
victed of an intense degree of corrup-
ton that stands unmatched and unri-
vailed in the history of political organ
izations of this country. For more
than twenty years it held control of Vir-
ginia by the use of a systematic, pro-
gressive scheme of corruption. The
registration books were padded and
mutilated; the ballot boxes were stuffed
and robbed; the returns were falsitieG;
elections officers were encouraged to
commit theft and perjury; and the men
elected to Office, executive, legislative
and ministerial, were trained to accept
certificates that were tainted and STAIN
ed with all kinds of fraud, without any
shock to their conSciences or sense OF
honor. This was all done by the DEM
ocracy upon the false representation
that Republican rule meant negro sup
remacy. By exciting the apprehenSIons
of the people with an impossible threat
ened condition they obtained the ac-
uuiescenee of the voting masses to the
nefarious methons that destroyed the
moral tone of the Democratic body
polite"
We can assure our Tazewell contem-
paraly that it need not worry itself
about the quality or the quantity of
Virginia Democracy. The Democratic
party has governed the State of Vir-
ginia for more than a score of years
now. Within that time it has managed
to project the Commonwealth along
lines of progress and prosperity al
though it was hampered by the extrav-
agance, not to say the thievery, of the
Republican administration that had
preceded it. 1t has improved the
schools, it has improved the public ser
vice, it has encouraged the development
of the States resources, it has given
literally to the institutions that stand
for higher education of the youth OF the
State, and it has inculcated ideals of
citizenship that have made for the bet
terment alike of Democrats and Rep
ublicans.
The Tazewell Republican says that
the registration books have been pad
ded and mutilated and that the ballot
boxes have been robbed. This in some
cases has been true. Democrats them
selves do not deny it; but the only
alternative was a resort to this method
of maintaining Anglo-Saxon supremacy
or resort to force. The Democrats gen
orally preferred resort to ballot box
manipulation. Personally, as we have
sa d before, we should prefer a frank
resort to other means rather than the
prostitution of the ballot.
The Republican, however, should be
Just enough to acknowledge that now
the Democrats have given the Republi-
cans fair show to gain control of the
State and that they are no longer dis
posed to resort either to force or fraud
to maintain Democratic supremacy.
1t can be safely said that the Demo-
Gratis of the State as whole today de-
sire TO take no unfair advantage of their
Republican opponents. Norfolk Vir-
ginian-Pilot.
We do not doubt the honesty of con-
viction or purpose of our Norfolk con-
temporary, but it's frank admission that
the Democrats themselves do not deny
that for long period they held control
of Virginia by fraud and the effort of
our contemporary to justify the meth
DDS of its party show conclusively that
the moral tone of the Democracy has
been greatly impaired That the De-
mocracy resorted to dishonest methods
for the purpose of maintaining Anglo
Saxon supremacy is now treated as a
huge joke by those who devised and
employed those methods. That the
Democrats resorted to ballot box ma
nipulation to avert negro supremacy is
disproved by the fact that many OF the
most violent outrages on the ballot box
were committed in the white districts
of the State, some Of the most fragrant
occurring in counties where there were
no negro voters. These methods were
originated and used not to prevent ne
gro supremacy but to permanently es-
tablish Democratic supremacy.
We dispute the claims Of our Norfolk
contemporary that the Democratic
party has so managed the affairs Of the
State as to project it well along the
lines of progress and prosperity. In
stead of being hampered by the extrav-
agance of a Republican administration
that preceded it, but for the Readjuster-
Republican administration the etate
treasury would now be bankrupt and
the public schools crushed out OF exls-
tence. If the Democratic party in
Virginia has improved the public schools
it has been under compulsiOD; and II
they have been so greatly improved,
why this recent noisy campaign for Q
more general education of the masses,
and why the earnest professions OF
friendship by Democratic candidates
for increased educational advantages
for the children of the Commonwealth!
If they have improved the system of
public education, Why is it that Vir-
f,,1 t,Aof-