The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-08-18
JUDGE MANNs PLAIN ANSWER


lkNIIM " illtU NINNhANN ~ 9"NAA
Of the l4th instant, IN which you cop.
and comment on an article that ap
reared In the Emp0ria Messenger
where IL H. alleged that ! was fraudu
lently elected 10 the state Senate u
1899.
/ do not deem IL wise ordinarily L
take notice Of campaign charges, bu
uasmuch as this charge Affects m'
personally, and both your paper ant
/. ihe Emporia Messenger have made
I the same without any specification
and without any attempt 10 tell you
readers upon what II was based,
deem IL proper 10 state the facts ID
| reference 20 that election.
was first elected To the state sen
ate i'm 1889 ON the second day aitel
/ the election, the commissioners ol
election for NOttOway county met
and made their returns IN duplicate
as required by law, and adjourned. II
I had been the custom Of our old clerk
10 forward the returns on the day fol
| lowing the meeting Of the commits
sioners. but the old clerk had died
and his successor on the day the com
missioners met sent the returns to
Richmond. That night the clerk
Office was broken into and the DU-
PLICATE RETURNS and POLL
BOOKS stolen. THE BALLOTS
AND REGISTRATION BOOKS
WERE LEFT UNDlSTURBED.
The poll books only showed, As the
law required, the names Of those who
voted. and then stated how many bal
lots had been cast for each candidate.
The name of each person who had
voted was checked on the registration
books i'm the manner required 10y law,
and the ballots were intact
The original returns Of the election
commissioners had been sent 10 Rich
moud so that, FOR the purpose Of
investigation, every fact could have
been established a. well after as be
fore the poll books were taken. Ger
tainly. nothing i'm my favor was &c
cOmplished 10y the taking Of the
poll books Fortunately for me, the
original returns Of the commissioners
were in Richmond; otherwise the
taking Of the papers would have been
very much against my interest, As ]
would have had to establish my seat
10y legal proceedings. As II WAS no
harm was done 10 anyone, further than
to furnish a pretext for cry Of fraud
on the part of some Of my political
enemies
Immediately declared that, If it
were shown by any reliable evidence
in a contest or otherwise, that there
was ANY fraud i'm my favor IN the
election, or that the papers had been
taken by any one friendly TO me, !
would at once resign. | did not ask
for proof of the facts. II there had
been produced substantial evidence
which would raise even suspicion
OF fraud. IL would have been sufficient,
and ! would have sent in my resig-
nation. To have done otherwise
would have been 10 charge my friends
with a crime Of which / believe they
are entirely innocent.
was opposed in the election by All
independent Democrat, and the white
Republicans and negroes united with
the regular Democrats in voting for
me Only two votes were east against
me AT my own precinct, and only fifty
i'm NOttOway county, 80 that II would
have been very easy tO show fraud
If any existed. Ii was known who
those fifty voters were, and publicly
stated that If il were shown that one
single other voter had voted against
me, and his vote had not been count
ed ] would resign. ! did everything
j thought an honorable man could do
in the premises.
No evidence Of any kind whatever |
was ever produced Of any fraud i'm |
the election; no charge of fraud was
ever made, except 10y my political ell
emieS, who specified nothing, and |
who did not have enough faith in /
their OWL charges 10 inquire into them |
when every opportunity for investiga-
ton was open to them, and All inves-
.igatiOn was invited.
TO show that the people here do
not connect me in any way with this
natter, / will state that at the last
election, with the liquor element or
yanized and earnestly desiring my de
eat, and with no effort on my part,
eceived at my own, the Courthouse
precinct, l25 votes, while my OppO-
rent received only S. Not the slight
st question as to my election was
aised
a very large number Of the most
equitable and honorable citizens Of
and Lunenburg counties.
he other counties which in 1899 form
d with NOttOway my senatorial dis
rict, are supporting me now, and my
riends i'm those counties tell me that ,
will receive very much larger vote /
u both Of them than / received when ,
candidate for the State Senate.
'ill get several times as many votes !
D NOttOway county as my opponents :
Now that have stated the facts,
'ish 10 state with all the emphasis I
ossible, that ! did not know then. q
nd do not know now, who took those =,
apers from the clerks office. and | }
aven't the most remote knowledge V
why they were taken. And furth- c
+, that ! have not the slightest rea- +
IN TO believe, and do not believe, that
lere was fraud practiced in my favor. d
at on the contrary, ! believed at the s.
me and believe now, that ! received 1,
majority of the votes cast, and was
lnestly and fairly elected.
/ trust that this statement will sat II
~ my friends and all others who are v
spOsed to deal justly / do not be- II
eve that either Of my honorable op- a
lnents would cOuntenance this
large against me, but / realize that u
e liquor element, who are organized u
I'd working strenuOusly TO that end, tC
e using and will continue to use p.
cry possible means to bring about
Y defeat The Christian and tenn n
rance people and all people who g
lieve i'm law and order are COM n
encing to realize, however, all that =,
G "Mann law has accomplished for
e country districts, and that an or le
nized effort Is being made to over h
me that law; and If may credit the O
ports my friends send me from every :
ction Of the State, ! shall win i'm the -
imary and be elected 10y an over 81
lelming majority. in
trust that the Emporia Messenger in
d all other papers which have pub =,
he'd this charge against me will do ."
2 the justice 10 publish this state p'
snt. ! am glad to have had this p,