Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1905-05-18
THURSDAY, MAY IS, 1905.
THE HEATHER RAGE.


ed about and critical of what the Re-
publicans are doing in this State in the
way of organization as now. What is
the matter with our Democratic friends?
Are they becoming alarmed at the
prospect of Virginia being won by the
Republicans, and do they dread to see
the honest masses turn away from the
Democratic party? How can they ex-
pect them to do otherwise, when the
Democratic press strives to awaken
sympathy and respect for the party by
asserting in one paragraph that the
Democracy in this State is now a SUI
perlatively honest organization and in
another paragraph cOnfesses that until
recently it has been committing every
fraud and crime known in the catalogue
of politics They make no apology or
excuse for the corrupt acts of the Dem
ocratic agents, the perjured registrars
and elections officers, except a ridicu-
lous apprehension of the negro danger.
The sincerity of that excuse may well
be called in question when it is recalled
that the Democratic press and leaders
strove so persistently to make the negro
the leading issue in this State last year,
though they had declared with such
emphasis that the negro question was
to be permanently eliminated from our
politics by the adoption, or rather the
proclamation, of the new Constitution.
The Democrats in Virginia now claim
to be seriously alarmed lest the Repub-
licans become addicted to the dishonest
habits that are admitted to have been
practiced so freely and so long by the
Virginia Democracy before its present
claimed condition of reformation was
reached. It's truly ludicrous to read
the lectures contained. in the editorial
columns of our Democratic contempor-
aries, directed to Republicans and urg-
ing that elections be kept pure. What
would be thought of a woman who had
been leading an impure life for great
while and who professed reformation,
if she presumed to lecture others, whose
lives had been pure, as TO what they
were doing, and intimating that they
were going to the bad? Would she not
be told to prove her reformation by
years of right living before she presum-
ed to warn and criticise others who had
neither the opportunity nor desire to
follow the life of shame that had once
been hers? This illustration is, perhaps,
severe but it serves to fairly illustrate
the present disposition of the Virginia
Democracy to look after the morals Of
Republicans. Not only has the Demo
cratic party in Virginia, by and though
its chosen leaders, failed to establish
its claims to a reasonable reformation
in elections methods, but at every step
taken in that direction, from the time
of the call for constitutional conven-
ton till now, only one paramount pur-
pose has been made manifest, and that
is, to permanently establish Democratic
power, at any price. The Constitution
was made and proclaimed with that OBJ
ject chiefly in view; and a present ap-
prehension that the poll tax qualifca-
ton will not prove the valuable asset it
was thought it would be for furthering
their partisan scheme is greatly distur-
bing the peace of mind of the Demo-
Gratis. This is why they are making
such an cutlery about Republicans VIC
Iating the spirit if not the letter of the
Constitution by assisting poor men in
qualifying themselves for voting. If
these Democratic howlers for pure
electorate in speaking of a violation of
the Esprit" mean to say violation OF
the intention of the poll tax qualifca-
ton clause, then they are not very far
wrong in claiming that it is being sislat-
ed. The plain, damnable intention OF
the poll tax qualification for voting is
TO disfranchise the masses of the white
men and curtail the electorate in the
interest of a Democratic ohgarchy.
Let the heather ra9el The Republic
ans Will continue 10 use ali h049}fDle,
moral and lawful means to preserve the
right to vote for every honest man
whose name is placed upon the registrs-
ton books. From this noble aim they
will not be frightened or cajoled by
Democratic threats or a pfeteDded de-
sire for honesty in elections. They
have no fear of the threats and no faith
in the professions:
The wheat crop of Kansas for this
year it is announced will be record .
breaker. 1t is estimated that the far =
- 81 +ba+ cfofo will have to iYnnofd .