The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-08-09

| placed restrictions upon the rights Of
suffrage by requiring the prepayment Of
the poll tax six months before al cleo
ton, as a prerequisite to voting, which
disfranchises thousands Of honest, repu-
table white men; 1t prescribed educational
qualifications for those who hnd not
registered prior to JANUARY, 1901. which
DISTINGUISHES many thousands more. I
am personally acquainted with many
men, whose property listed for taxation
exceeds that given In by Governor Mon
tague a hundred fold, and who pay their
taxes each yenr as they fall due, who
are DISTINGUISHED under this educational
clause. X 4 II y ", i 4 4 ~
This constitution and ;,the Legislature
which followed. and. which was the long
est and most expensive that ever con
vened In Virginia, denied to the Reptb-
licans the right to select one Of the
three Judges OF election. but vested that
power in n partisan electoral board OF
their own party. 81 M t3t 4
I t. created n corporation commission,
the members of which receive large sal
aries, and which had scarcely been In
existence twelve months before it. became
tainted with suspicion, and one Of It's
members charged by his own party with
being the beneficiary Of graft. 81
No Graft for Them.
It remained for Republican member
OF the Legislature to call for nm invest-
cation of the auditors Office to endeav
to ascertain how much OF the peoples
money had been stolen. Tho investigation
disclosed the fact that tho clerks who
handle the money were not required to
execute a bond, and that the books were
In such a condition 1t could not be told
how much had been stolen. The Attor-
ney-General was directed tosinstitute suit
to recover, II possible. some part OF It,
No suit has been entered, and there the
matter ended.
There Is no telling what Will DO re-
vealed could the books be Inspected The
people OF Virginia owe 1t to themselves
that the Republicans be given an oppor-
ltunity to overhaul them. "A good old
fashioned house cleaning n is necessary.
Upon all sides wo hear 1t said that 1t
would be n blessing to the State II the
Republicans should triumph.
What n spectacle we have In Virginia
to-day! Two candidates for the United
States Senate, three Il for Governor, and
SO on down the line, traversing the State.
and wherever they can got n hearing.
hnrangung the people and undertaking to
demonstrate their own peculiar fitness
and the peculiar unf1tness OF their oppo-
nents for Office; washing the soiled linen
of each In the presence Of tho public. and
II tho half said BIO true the people should
turn their backs upon all Of them.
And their phrtlsans! Each denounclng
the other as ballot box suffers and cleo
ton thieves; one set lndcting the other
for felones and mlsdemeanors; grand
Jury being kept In almost continuous SEES
sion.
Another set invoking tho courts to
grant tho extraordinary writ of man
damus, to compel tho other set to act
half way honestly, while each candidate
is camoring for the, right to have watch
crs around the ballot-box
People of Virginia, what think you of
your election officials2
These Judges and committeeman, all
of their own 1<oosng, were capital fell
lows, acted well their parts, and received
tho paudits Of their party when there
was no ono to cheat and defraul hut
Republicans; the present Executive did
not hesitate to profit by such corruption
when coming his way, but the bare fear
that another may now be the beneficiary
has given him and his followers severe
case of nervous prostration.
They pirate of ideal citizenship, and
civic virtue and morality; they grow elo-
uuent when they descant upon restoring
Virginia to her pristine atness and re-
-rown, but how can this be accomplish
cd Wnen lne pitHot, ms saIcBuhTu Oh al
our liberties, Is denied outright to thou
sands, and stolen from thousands of
others?
But a great tidal wave of honesty is
seemingly sweeping over our friends
caused BY the recent exposures In Rich
mond and other places. TO an experienced
observer, however, It Is the Same old
wave which comes every four Years, and
,recedes before election day. The organ
Of tho party processes great surprise that
such a state of affairs should have been
discovered. laments that such practices
should obtain among gentlemen, and
broadly states that bullets Instead OF bal
lots will be resorted to II such thieyery
continues, Bear In mind this applies only
while they are stealing from each other,
not when n Republican - the victim.
Has Already Been Sprung,
J. rhe ssA lirRs piper further states thai All