The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-15
- AMERICAN OFFICERS OF HIGH RANK
2M AND OTHERS ENDORSE PE-RlJNA
.CHOKEDM OFF LAWS
NEEDED by STATE
tContinued From First Pase') Z

PLANTATION in sight of tho fact that for
six or eight years every effort to Sc
cure Legislation TO remedy nn admit
tcdly bad condition fails to materializc.
Revision OF Code.
Tite bill to PROVE O. commission 40
revise The Code passed the House. put
was not voted upon In the Senate. IL
was conceded that a revision was
needed, but there was some anxiety,
lest. lii the rush OF the closing hours
OF the session, the Legislature might
mi he nble To secure a commission en-
tirely fitted for the work.
number of excellent men were
spoken Of for the positions, but IL be-
gan 10 look as though persistent but
tonholin1, campaigning and the eHer-
else Of political pull In favor Of q few
OF the aspirants might not result IN
the most jndlcious selections. AT any
rate. the Senate thought the matter
might well wait two years longer.
Primary ElectiOna.
The bill to legalize primary cleo
lions, after floindering fearfuily IN
the committee. came upon the Senate
calendar too late to he reached in due
course, and It was not allowed to be
taken UP out of It's order. This Is the
fourth 81 ssion that measures of this
kind have been killed By indirectlon.
A few gentlemen In the Senate. several
Of them upon the Committee on Privi-
lcges ana Electiona- have been the chief
executioncrs. II IL more than suspected
that they have had the ENCOURAGEMENT
OF some other gentlemen of consider
able political prominence in the state.
who are not members of the General
Assembly. The oId-line politicians, VINO
once knew so we'll how TO pack and
dominate conventions. have learned
how to manipulate our present loose
and irregular primarics.
With A strict legal System that would
ensure absolute fairness and admit of
rigid enforcement. by, fine and impris-
oninent. tho professionals would Indeed
he in parlous plight. AS things are
now. the aspirant for nomination.,
who has not made In advance terns
with tho powers that be. will not know
the date of the primary until COM
mittee meets and juggles ~ back or
forth, as the exigencies of the situa-
ton require. He may be required to
submit to, an election by Judges In
kinds OF ballots arc used and marked
openly In the eight OF the ward or
precinct bosses. at precincts which
may. or may not. be the ones estab-
lished by law for regular elections.
The precincts may. or may not be
opened at the regular time. may he
removed miles away from the places
where they are expected TO he. and the
votes may be counted canvassed and
certified in n manner which may fur
rish the best opportunities for fraud.
The evidences of wrongdoing may be
destroyed so that existing statutes
could not be made to apply, and mere
Irregularities, however gross. must be
considered, not by an impartial court
or jury sworn to do It's duty. but by
Il committee which may or may not
have been selected with view to Its
honesty and ability. 1t would not be
fair to charge that these evils result
from every primary or that all of them
are practiced at any. Many-perhaps
most-of the primary committees and
judges are fair men, and many pri-
maries are conducted fairly. But the
system is iniquitous, because it permits
and invites the kind of election offenses
which all honest men should abhor and
condemn Our general elections are
safeguarded In every conceivable way.
but our primaries, which really select
our officers In nine-tenths of the State.
are left wide open for every kind of
fraud to enter. There is. no doubt.
much conscientious difference OF opin-
ion as to the cxpcdIcncy of making
nominations by primaries, but 1t is in
conceivable that honest men should
differ about whether. if held, they
should be fair or fraudulent.
Payment of Poll Taxes
Strange TO say, 1t was impossible to
secure the passage at this session OF a
bill TO prohibit the corrupt payment
OF poll taxes. The Constitutional Con-
yention. in It's wisdom. provided that
poll taxes should be paid six months
In advance OF the regular elections.
Presumably this was done to prevent
the taxes from being paid corruptly
within a short time OF the election.
The convention apparently forgot that
there wns such a thing as q primary
election. Now. primaries are held five
months or so in advance of the regular
elections. The result is that poll taxes
may he paid at the very time when the
temptation to pay them corruptly is
strongest.
Therefore. 1t is notorious that in
some sections they are paid by candi-
dates and by interests in lots of SO, 100,
and even OF 500. The Attorney Cen
cral has ruled that all poll taxes ten
dered must be received by the treas
urer. There Is no record kept Of the
persons by whom they are paid. The
consequence is that the tax has be-
come prolific source of corruption.
If there is any virtue in the six
months provision it should be cx-
tended to primaries, the corrupt pay
ment of the tax should be made mis-
.demeanor, and the treasurers should
be required to keep a record of all
persons paying poll-taxes for others,
so that the grand juries may be able
to investigate the cases and indict
those who may be using this means 10
corruptly Influence the electorate.s
Some Other Bills.
Time and space would fail to re-
cord the other matters which the
Legislature did not act upon. The bill
revivfns the Wharton. law. prohibiting
combinations Of insurance companies
for the purpose of raising rates; the
pink tea BILL for prohibiting all
kinds Of wagers upon games; the
Richmond Torrens bill. the Stock
Breeders Association bill, the bucket
shop bill-all of them were allowed to
perish.
The bill to reform the divorce laws. In
accordance with the recommendations
of the National Divorce Congress, also
failed. This measure would have gone,