The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-10-28

1 ~ VI
in its entirety there is still no semblance
| OF n charge that Judge Lewis advocated
INCORPORATION. The simple charge Is that
he EXPRESSED himself rs being opposed
| TO any legislation prohibiting the Inter-
| marriage of the races. leaving whites
md blacks free to intermnrry If they
| so desired.
There can be no doubt as to judge
I,ewiss attitude a year or so later a
,cnst towards the legal aspect of this
subject IN 1878 Edmund Kinney. II
negro residing In Hanover county, was
married in washington city to n white
woman. also from Hanover. He and the
In March. 1870, they were indicted, con-
,jctod, and each sentenced to fve years
inprisonment In the penitentlary. On
May 10, 1879, application for n writ OF
habeas corpus was made by the negro
to the United States District Court. judge
Robert w. hughes presiding. Judge
Lewis. then United States Attorney, APP
reared for the petitioner and ar
Eued that the Act of Assembly max
Ing such marriage n felony was un-
constitutional and that marriage
was civil contract, and that under
the .'cvll rights" law, negroes had
full power to contract with white
persons as we'll MS with members OF
their own race; he also stated that
Massachusetts had long since repeal
ed her prohIbitory law on this subject.
Attorney General Field appeared In
this case on behalf OF Virginia The
above report of the trial is taken from
tho Richmond Dispatch of May Ia,
o1STo.
Judge Lewis made this argument as
an attorney, but 1t is fair to presume
that he was sincere in all his conten-
tons. anu the incident indicates his
state of mind at that time
For our part, we attach no more I'M
nortance to Judge Lewis's alleged utter
ancc at Chesterfield Courthouse than that
II is a significant incident In his life,
ro,nr to show as we have claimed from
the beginning, that from his earliest
manhood and throughout his political ca
reer he was identified with the Repub-
l,can party, latterly and in its worst
DAYS. He ridlculed the statement made
IN thjs naper that he was n Republican
In The dark days of reconstruction, plead
ing that Mt the time he was u mere
striplng, but 1t is none the less fact.
that in the year 1865 he was, appointed
commemorative attorney for Culpeper'
county by the notorious General stone
man. He entered Virginia politics IN
reconstruction days, and he mas either
held office or sought office under every
Republican administration since then
In 1876 he recommended that Federal
troops be sent to Petersburg TO insure
a fair election" and again. in 1877 or lste'
we find him at Chesterfield Courthouse
preaching Republican doctrine to an au-
dience of excited negroes, and no matter
what he said on the subject OF intermar-
riage, he certainly urged them to vote
against the nominees of the Democratic
party, which then represented "hiltee
mans government in Virginia.
Judge Lewis now comes before the pco-
ple of Virginia as Republican nominee
for Governor, and asks them 10 elect
him to that high office over the regular
Democratic nominee, and We submit that
his record as q politician and as Re-
publican officeholder is proper subject
of review and attack, and by all the ruies
of notifies 1t is fair and becoming ior the
Democratic managers and Democratic
newspapers to recall incidents in his Ire
and expressions from his lips as means
Of influencing voters to vote against
him. No attack was made upon his
personal character or his private life.
Nothing but his political record was as
sailed.
But how has 1t been with Judge Lewis?
How has lie met these attacks? He
made n bitter retort against Judge Humid
ley imputing 10 him the basest motives
and provoking Judge Hundey to reply
in manner which The Times Dispatch
disapprovcs and deeply deplores. How
ever. Judge Hundley's first public COM
munication was not only free from Of
fensive Language. but even contained ex-
pressions OF friendly regard for Judge
| Lewis. 1t was in reply to this that Judge
Lewis said:
HE Judge Hundlcy) says he per
| sonalIy likes Judge Lewis He has poor
way of showing his friendship and when
| 1t is remembered, as ] am informed, that
he Is an avowed candidate for reelection
TO the judicial office he now holds-whch
office is to be filed by the Legislature to
Ebe elected next month--a not altogether
unselhsh motive to be doing something
| for his party Will very probably be at
tributed to him by many not uncharltablc
persons in his present agitation of this old
matter"
Again, In a speech in the Southwest, it
was reported that Judge Lewis accused
Chairman Ellyson of ballot box manipu-
4 lat!on. Mr.. Ellyson wrote him polite
letter inquIring II he had been correctly
reported, and upon receiving a disclaimer
from Judge Lewis, dropped tho subject.