The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-12-01


mere san 80 lnssrvssw whseh seow'
the rotten eondlisoa o. hls parxT II
tie Old Dominion In fact thsr'
wza 30 aneA fraud praciiced amon,
the Democrats - their last prinar1
,aat one element Of the party ls nov
circulating q petition which they I'll
present 10 the Governor OF that Stat
asking him TO call > special sexssol
Of the Legislature 70 amend the cleo
ton laws before another election o.
primary In held 10 that the election
thieves can be prosecuted.
The Democratic election thieves In
Virginia seem TO be almost m hat
as those in this State
Congressman Glass does not hest
tate TO expose the rottenness In th'
other element Of his party. He vii
probably be a candidate for a seat In
the United States Senate from vir
ginia and he Ii very anxious that the
election law be amended before b.
makes the race next year. In speak
Ing OF his candidacy and the condi
tons In his party in Virginia. Con
gresham Glass says:
"'But lis there much encour-
agement,' asked Mr.. Glass. turn
ing Questioner with some heat,
for anybody not identified with
machine methods to be q candi-
date for anything in the State
under the chaotic conditions ere
ated by the recent decisions Of
the Norfolk and Portsmouth
courts? The safeguards OF the
party primary were feeble
enough under the statute which
these courts have invalidated.
Now. ii I correctly apprehend
the decisions referred to. there
are no safeguards. The scoun-
drels who instigated and the
creatures who perpetrated the
recent primary frauds in the
Norfolk district go scot-free.
That Is shameful enough; but
the situation in which these
court decisions leave us is full
of peril to the integrity of the
Democratic party and the good
order of the State.
GA Democratic nomination
in Virginia ordinarily means an
election. Hence frauds perpe-
trated at Democratic party pri-
mary means, in the last analysis,
the subversion of popular gov
eminent. The fragrant rascal
Norfolk district seem suddenly
to have shocked the State; and
yet that sort of thing has been
going on for years, If not with
the open sanction, certainly with
the tacit permission of the con-
trolling element Of the Demo
cratic State organization.
Nearly ten years ago re-
signed from the State Executive
Committee, because, dominated
by that element, 1t refused to re-
pudiate brazen condition down
there, whereby the public Of
fees were parceled out to men
of both parties who were willing
to be beneficiaries of political
larcency. The people of that sec
ton who openly revolted last
month and started right after
the rascals did not act any too
soon, and it Is to be deplored
that the courts found legal jus
LITIGATION for declaring unconsti-
tutional the statute under which
redress was sought for the i'm
pudent frauds so long endured
Congressman Glass was ask
ed il he thought there would
be an extra session OF the Gen
eral Assembly to legalize pri-
mary election in Virginia.
"I can form no idea as to
that said Mr.. Glass; I am not
of the Governors Council nor in
the confidence of those who con-
troll. But IL the General Assem-
bly, is not to act promptly, some
way should be found to insure
approximate fairness and hon.
esty in the conduct Of primary
; elections. The primary system
is not going to be abolished, and
its enemies should not be per-
mitted to make it ordious by de-
laying to make it legal. In the
very face Of supposedly valid
statute prescribing pains and
penalties, political crooks have
not hesitated to vote absent and
dead men and perpetrate other
gross election frauds. With this
law now invalidated by the
courts; with thep rimary system
literally stripped OF every SEM
blance OF legal safeguard. there
is nothing to prevent a repeti-
iton OF fraudulent practices
throughout the State by those
who believe there Ia no such
lea