Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1908-09-17
SHALL TIE PEOPLE RuLE?"

SHALL TIE PEOPLE RULER"
This question, propounded by Mr..
Bryan, has been made ridiculous by the
effort of the Virginia Democracy to use
1t. But no more inappropriate use has
been made of the question than that of
Mr.. Byars, the Democratic candidate
for Congress in this district. He closed
his speech at Jonesville with the dues-
ton as the climax for his very feeble
effort. Now, if there is any one in the
world who ought to hide from that
question it is the regular Virgins Dem
ocrat- And if there is any person in
particular, Mr.. Byars is the man who
should shun it He has not made much
political record in his day, but what he
has made is of very damaging charac-
ter on the line of ''Shall The People
Rule?''
Mr.. Byars was a member of the
State Senate from the district COM
posed OF the counties of Smyth and
Washington. An examination of the
Senate Journal discloses the fact that
Mr.. Byars voted for the legislative ap
portionment bill which is such an out
rage upon the rights of the very people
he is now soliciting to send him to Con-
Sress. This legislative apportionment
makes a most unfair and dishonest dis
elimination against the white counties
of the Ninth District and other noun
tain counties of the State and in favor
OF the counties of Eastern Virginia. We
have before called attention to the man
ner in which our people have. been rob
bed of their proper share of legislative
representation, and we regret to saw
that MIR. Byars contributed to this out
rage by his vote as the representative
OF the people in the State Senate. We
will call attention to some disgraceful
features of this bill, and see how Mr..
Byars has stood by his people.
Lee, Scott and Wise counties with
5S,s7l white and 1881 colored popula-
ton, has one Senator.
Halifax county, with a white popula-
ton of 1882 and 10, 275 negro popula-
ton, Is given one Senator and two men,
bers of the House of Delegates.
Tazewell and Buchanan counties are
put together as a legislative district.
They have, combined, %. 4s9 white and
1857 negro population. These two
great white counties in the Ninth Dis
trict are only given one member of the
House of Delegates.
Appomattox county, Hal Floods
county, with 5,731 white population and
1881 negroes is given a member of the
House of Delegates.
We could fill column with illustra-
lions like the above to show how the
Democrats have worked the legislative
apportionment to the disadvantage of
the white counties, and have outraged
the rights of the people of the Ninth
District particularly.
Mr.. Byars helped to infiict this great
wrong, and yet he has the cheek to
stand up before audiences composed of
the very people he has wronged and put
the question, "Shall the people ruler"
Another thing. Mr.. Byars in his
Jonesville speech gave his complete ap-
proval to the new constitution and the
manner in which it was made by his
party, the Virginia Democracy. That
constitution was proclaimed, though the
Democracy had given an unqualified
pledge that it should be submitted to
the people for ratification or rejection.
Mr.. Byars in his Jonesville speech also
gave his unqualified endorsement to the
new suffrage laws by which the Demo
Gratis have disqualified and disfranchised
sixty per cent. of the white voters and
ninety per cent. of the negro voters of
the State.
Is not Mr.. Byars a pretty fellow to
be asking the question: "Shall the peo-
pie ruler"