The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-01-12


sense OF the word aud it IS to be safesparded
just the same general election. The su-
preme Court Of Appeals Of Virginia aad J#dge
Keith are 10 be commended for the able, com
prehensive and conclusive opinion which sets
the existing laws regulating elections on
sound foundation.
Since the passage OF the act To regulate cleo
lions" corrupt politicians and primary nanipu-
lators have taken advantage Of what they
thought defective title aEI engineered affairs
as they chose. secure in he belief that the State
had no law under which they could be prose
cnted. Although the SUPP I'm. Court of Appeals
had previously passed the constitutionality
and validity of the law, but only il. a verbal
opinion. iu several quarters of the State partic-
ularly in Norfolk. there was question in the
minds of the Corporation Court Judges as to
whether IT was adequate TO sustain prosecution
in the matter OF a primary
The latest attack upon the law, based on its
supposedly inadequate title, made in the
cases Of three judges in the notorious and de.
piorabie primary OF August ed, in the Second
District The investigation which followed that
Z IfdHu-fiu0tf anu C1IE upl primary JtSulleu III
pinning responsibility for Il portion of the polit
ical highwaymanship on trio OF judges and
they were indicted. They we're charged with
being lax in their duties primary judges and
aiding and abetting those whose purpose was to
defeat the will of the people A demurrer filed
by counsel for the accused, on the ground that
the Law ITO regulate elections did not cover
released.
For a time 1t looked though the primary
was to be the stamping ground for crooked poll
ticians and manipulators. but Attorney General
Williams took appeal in the name Of the
State. and writ of error was granted by the
Supreme Court
The court is TO be lauded for reviewing the
Law and the facts TO such an extent L lay
the strongest and most secure foundation for its
opinion, the essence of which is that the title
TO Regulate Elections" is amply adequate to
cover primaries, since the latter the heart
and soul OF general elections. To expect a clean
and pure general election as the fruit of a cor
Jolly. Tor, as the Supreme Court pats it, "os
tnoTnS men 90 not gather HgS, nor oil Il DralnDle
bush gather they grapes
In view of the courts decision that the de-
murrer having been sustained, the three primary
Judges have never been in actual jeopardy, and
be re-indicted ana placed trial. The inten-
tions of the prosecutors i'll the Second District
are awaited with interest throughout the State.
1t would that in view of the mportan OF
their eases and the extent 10 Which they have
already gone. that it IS incumbent upon the
Commonwealth Attorneys to press them to Vi
aeonciasfun, thar an actual example OF tie work
ing out OF the Law held valid by the highest State
tribunal may be made
The decision Of the court, which leaves abso-
lutely doubt that any individual who hampers
with any voting proceeding in the State OF Fr-
ginia is liable to prosecution and punishment
comes particularly welcome at this time. when
fights for direct primaries being waged in
many Northern and Western States, and the
battle seems a hopeful Virginia now has
most binding, stringent and plain, direct pri.
mary law, and it is possible for the people to
get square deal at the polls and select their
municipal, State and national representatives
The Old Dominion sets d standard for pure pri-
maries, and this is as il should be-