Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1907-11-14
THURSDAY. NOVEMBER IA, 1907.
REPUBucANIsm IN THE NINTH.


strong and victorious organization. 1t
will be well for the Republicans of the
district to remember what influences and
whose leadership have brought these
favorable conditions. Colonel Slemp
was our leader, and he was ably assisted
in his noble work by men of courage
and influence in each county of the dis
trict. He and they inspired the people
with new hope at time when but few
deemed it possible for our party to win.
By the operation of systematic partisan
legislation and unfair election methods
the Republicans in the Ninth had re-
peatedly been deprived of success; and
the making of a new constitution was
declared by the Democrats to be all that
was needed to make the district per-
manently Democratic.
Republicans will remember how in
1898 and 1900 our gallant leader and can
didate for Congress, General James A.
Walker, was counted out; and that in
1900 the majority recorded against him
was nearly two thousand. The election
of that year was followed by the max
ing and proclaiming of new constitu-
ton, and under it new registration of
voters, which the Democrats boosted
would wreck Republicanism in our Dis
trict- This was in 1902, and on the eve
of a Congressional election. The Re-
publicans of the district met in conven-
ton at Abingdon to determine whether
they should nominate a candidate for
Congress. Even the unterrified Repub-
hcans of Tazewell county had expressed
their conviction that it would be i'm
possible to win and that it was best to
make no nomination. The outlook was
dark, seemingly hopeless; but Colonel
Campbell Slemp accepted the nomina-
ton and promised victory if he was
cordially supported by the party leaders
and workers in the several counties of
the district. We can all recall how the
Democrats laughed at his promise and
boastingly declared that their candidate,
w. F. Rhea, was invincible.
Colonel Campbell Slemp never lost a
moment after his nomination, but went
actively to work on the stump and in
organizing the party. In this work he
, was most efficiently assisted by his son,
c. B. Slemp, who suddenly became
known as the most tireless and success
full party organizer this district had
ever known. When the results of the
election were announced the Democrats
were dumbfounded and the Republicans
were surprised and jubilant. Colonel
Slemp had been elected in the face of
crooked election methods and regard
less of the wholesale Acknowledgement
of Republican voters by Democratic
electoral boards.
AS soon as Colonel Slemp found that
the party was about to be robbed of the
victory he had so gallantly and unex-
pectedly won, he lost no time in invok-
ing the aid of the courts to secure what
had been gained. The election of 1902
made him and the Ninth District con-
spicuous in National politics, and he was
Immediately looked to as the man who
was to reorganize the broken RepubH-
can forces in Virginia. Later on, he as
sumed that duty, and in 1906 the Re-
publicans of the Fifth District came
within two hundred votes of electing
their candidate for Congress.
In 1904 the Republicans of this Dis
trict again nominated Colonel Slemp for
Congress; and although the whole effort
of the Democratic organization was d.
rected to secure his defeat, he was tri-
umphantly elected, his majority of two
hundred in 1902 being swelled to four
thousand in 1904.
Again, in 1906, Colonel SIemp was
nominated by the Republicans of tie
Ninth District. Then the Virginia
Democrats abandoned work in all the
other Congressional districts in the
State, and no more desperate effort was
ever made than the one which was used
to defeat Colonel Slemp. But he was
again the victor with a majority of
two thousand in an off year.
Then came the campaign for the cleo