The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-09-27

said county: in pursuance of said
resolution We met in the city Of Nor
folk on the twenty-third day of Au-
gust, 1911, and heard the testimony,
and after consid ering the whole mat
ter ! beg leave to submit the follow
ing report:
In this case the contestants will be
referred to as "Straightouts' and the
contestees as "Fusionists."
Fusion.
The negro population Of Norfolk
county greatly exceeds the white and
prior to the adoption OF the present
constitution the county had large
majority of negro votes. and prior to
1891 many of the county Offices were
hlled by negroes. This condition had
become so intolerable to both white
Republicans and Democrats that in
order to rid the county of negro rule
and insure white supremacy, in 1891
the leaders of the Democratic party
ana certain white Republicans enter
ed into an alliance or Fusion" where
! by the Republicans nominated can
didates for the offices of county clerk
treasurer and comm issioner of revenue
for both districts and the Demo
Gratis nominated candidates for the
offices of Commonwealth attorney
sheriff, membe of the House of Dele
gates and various minor district Of
I fees The candidates of this alliance
or fusion weer elected at the subse-
| quent general election, and Norfolk
/ county was rid of negro office holders
Most, II not all, of the white people
! OF Norfolk county approved of this
alIlance at the time OF Its forrDatio
| This was the beginning of "E'usionism
in Norfolk county, and the arrange
Inentecontinued openly In force up to
. a
/ emf constitution
| There 10 testimony to the effect that
after the adoption of the new con-
stitution the alliance was abandoned,
there being no longer any need for
IL, ana 1t is certainly true that in
| 1905 the Democrats put IN the field
a full ticket, and that the county
committee adopted resolutions calling
| on all Democrats OF whatever fac
ton to support the Democratic can
| didates, However in the election Of
1905, and Notwithstanding the afore-
said resolution, the old officers under
the Fusion alliance were returned
! elected. This result was brought
about 10y the fact that both the Fusion
democrats and the Straightout Demo-
Gratis deserted and voted against Dud-
ley. the Democratic candidate for
county clerk. and further the Demo-
I ~ aeaS SdhbtddteS IOT treasurer anu
commissioner of revenue in the cleo
ton of 1903 failed to have their names
placed upon the official ballot, where
by their Republican opponents were
elected without opposition. 2 In this
election first appeared that remark
able species OF offlce-seeker known az
a straw candidate.
The faction of the party termed
| fusiOnist deny the existence of an al
lance with Republicans at this time.
! While the evidence Is not sufficient to
show that said alliance is openly re-
.cognized by the Democratic county
committee. ~ the fact that there is
/ an understanding among the people
that certain Democrats are to 60 into
! the primaries, and then bolt the ticket
and vote for the Republicans in the
: general election. is fully and abund-
antiy proven. That the people have
acted on this understanding in for
mer elections is very clear. Whether
the majority OF the boilers and stay
at homes" have been fusionist or
straightouts the evidence does not
disclose. Certainly 1t is that both fac
! tons have been guilty of ''sulking in
their tents" and of openly boiling. 1t
has been testified that each faction
would rather vote for the devil than
the candidates of the opposing fac
| tAOii, anu tuis sctiiS 10 ne eutiTGly
! true.
There Is no direct and positive evil
dence that the contestees; A. c. Crom-
we'll sheriff; Il. c. Marshall. attorney
for the Commonwealth. and B. O.
I Fentress. commissioner OF revenue, are
parties to this alliance, The evidence
against them Is the merest hearsay,
and the testimony of their political
enemies as to common. refulte and
general rumor There is no evidence
that these gentlemen ever voted the
Republican ticket, on the contrary
| the evidence Is conclusive (see Maui
rice Lacy's testimony that they
have religiously voted the Democratic
ticket in all elections. These gentle
men took the stand and positively de-
MED that they had every voted the
/ Republican ticket or that they were
parties 10 any fusion alliance with
Republicans,
The straightouts do not charge these
gentlemen with actively advocating
the election of the Republican can
didates for clerk. treasurer and com
missioner Of revenue, The charges
against them is that they put for
ward straw candidates In the prim-