Evening star., 1908-01-26
IN THE OLD DOMINION
POLITICS AND OTHER NEWS
THROUGHOUT VIRGINIA.
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

special correspondence of The Star.
RICHMOND. Va. January %. 1903.
Senator Chase of Dickinson county has
offered resolution in the senate which
seeks to amend the constitution Of the
state as regards registering and voting.
senator tnase proposes to let every man
In the state re gister and vote without any
reference to the poll tax qualification. He
does not propose to change the present
law as regards residence. but opens the
door to straight manhood suffrage. He
goes a good deal further than that, how
ever, and seeks to abolish the official
ballot now in use in Virginia. and would
have the old order restored and require
each of the political parties provide its
own ballots and permit the use of en-
blems and distinguishing marks If they
SO desired. The effect of this amend
ment to the constitution would be to per
nit every ignorant white and negro man
In the state to again get on the polling
lists and would also enable them to vote.
as the emblems would be to them an in
deN by which they could vote for party
men. The amendment has gone to the
committee on privileges and elections. the
chances being that it will sleep the s,eep
that has come to other measures offered
to the same end
SOlldpSe OF c1SuL on 1Sued.
The fight made by Senator Noel of Lee
county against the confirmation Of Judge
William F. Rhea of Bristol will collapse
before the investigation can be completed.
Judge Rhea is here and is demanding an
open session OF the committee and court
ing full investigation. With Judge Rnea
came a number of distinguished demo-
Gratis from Bristol and from the ninth
district. and they are to remain here TIL
the matter is finally ended. The commit
tee met few days ago to receive the
charges which Senator Noel said he would
file. Judge Rhea was on hand, and Wnen
they had been read Judge Rhea asked
permission to say few words. He denied
the charges in the order in which they
were made-alieging that he had conspired
in altering the election returns that he
connived at gross frauds in elections, that
he had received bribe while on the cor
poration court bench He made an lndlg-
nant denial of each and every allegation,
demanding that the witnesses be called
and that they be put under oath and
record made of the evidence. lie sald
that if the general assembly had conhrm-
ed him after the speech made by Senator
Noel he would not have accepted the Of
flee under any circumstances until an IN
vestigation had been held and an oppof-
tunity given to show the correctness OF the
same. Senator Noel said he had made
no direct charge, and that If Judge Rhea
were innocent he would be glad to vote
or him, but he wanted the investigation
held. Several gentlemen whom Senator
Noel relied on to prove his case and
whom he named as witnesses are here In
the interest of Judge Rhea. The case is to
come up next Tuesday.
Washington for Hall of Fame.
Virginia is to send statue of George
Washington to the Hall of Fame in the
rotunda of the Capitol in Washington,
A bill to this effect was introduced by
Senator Halsey 1t provides for an ap-
preparation of $4,000 for the purpose OF
having made a duplicate of the famous
work of Houdon which has been the
property of the state for more than a
century, and which has stood in the ro-
tunda of the Capitol for all that time.
The figure has been admired by many
hundreds of thousands of visitors from
all parts of the world. This figure will
be sent at the same time as that of Gen.
Robert Z. Lee, and will be Virginia S
contribution to the collection of celebri-
ties of the American continent. OF course.
it is not known who will have the task
of producing the statue, but it is believed
that Edward " Valentine of this city
will be the artist.
Some Doubt as to Bryan.
While there are reports that the Vir-
ginia delegation in Congress is favorable
to the nomination of Bryan at Denver.
there are serious doubts if he is given the
delegation from this state in the national
convention. That he is popular with the
people at large is not denied. but that he
is as strong as he was several years ago
is doubted The belief is that the Nir-
ginia delegation will go uninstructed.
That some of the more prominent of the
men in the party in Virginia are antason-
istic to the Nebraskan is known, and
there is reason TO believe that this pre-
mature boosting of Col. Bryan will pass
away when the people have grown tired
of shouting themselves hoarse. Senator
Daniels recent colloquy with Col Bryan
is being recalled and there are many who
indorse the views of the senator. whether
the remarks of the senator We're to the
liking Of Col. Bryan or not. 1t is safe
to say that the Virginia delegation will
be composed of many new men if there
is an effort to instruct the Virginia dele
cation. and that effort is successful, to
vote for Col. Bryan as the choice of the
Virginia democrats.
No More Unwritten Law
Virginia is to have no more of the un-
written law which has figured in at least
two Of the most celebrated murder trials
in the history of the state within the last
twenty years. The bill offered by Dele
gate Alden Bell of Culpeper has received
the approval of the committee for courts
of justice. That bill allows the state.
when certain cases are being heard
and when assault is alleged to have been
committed on the female members of Il
mans family. to introduce evidence To es-
tablish or disprove such alleged assault.
If there has been an actual assault and
there is reason to believe it to be true the
verdict of juries will protect the man who
defends his home. At the same time it
affords an opportunity for the friends of
the man who may have been the victim
of summary vengeance to remove a stain
from his memory in cases of innocence
The Strother and Loving cases are re-
sponsible for this bill
DESCENDANT OF PIONEERS