Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1912-04-11
THURSDAY. APRIL IL, 1912.
Wall OF A LOST SPIRIT.

be either conscience-stricken or terribly
frightened about the record his party
has been making for so many years in
Virginia and thseNinth district. On the
3cd instant he made public a circular ad-
dress to the voters of the Ninth district,
in which he clamors for a pure ballot
and an honest election. 1t sounds more
like the wall of a lost spirit than the
gentle, pleading voice of some guardian
angel. 1t reminds one more of the pitt
full plea of a Dives requesting that a
Lazarus be sent to even partially assu-
age his torment with a few drops of
pure water, than it does of the thunder
tones of some mighty, earnest reform
er crying out against the political cor
ruption that has so long prevailed in
Virginia. The General declares:
Il do not want the support of
men who have to be bribed to give
it.
Il therefore appeal to every vo-
ter in the district who has not paid
his poll tax, and qualified himself
to do so at once-pay it before
May ffth-pay it yourself-psy it
with your own money, qualify your
self to exercise the privilege of an
American citizen without wearing
any mans collar.
Il appeal to the heart and con-
science of the electorate of this
the greatest district in the state,
to join me in q supreme
effort to cut out and destroy this
cancerous growth which has been
grated upon the body politic-cor-
ruption of the ballot"
If these appeals from General Ayers
are sincere and proceed from the heart,
he should request that another conven-
ton be called and that he be nominated
arain as the candidate of his party.
AID his second nomination ought to
come after due confession by himself
and those who were most conspicuous in
procuring his present candidacy, that
responsibility rests upon him and them
for the disgraceful political conditions
that now prevail in this district. In
the new or second convention he should
be sure that his friends Peyton st.
Clair, Bert Wilson, W. d. Smith, jim
Stone, Barney (Judge) Campbell, Tate
Irvine and Frank WYsor attend. And
it would be we'll for Judge Skeen to be
present to introduce his ringing Norton
resolution, with his former confession
as to when vote buying was first intro
duced in the Ninth-and by whom.
Possibly General Ayers may recall
the fact thst he was a beneficiary al
the first state election held under the
first dishonest election law ever intro
duced in Virginia. We refer to the
Anderson Nc Cormick election law, and
the election we have in mind was that
of 1885, when General Ayers ran for
Gttorney-general on Fitz Lees ticket.
It is we'll known that the purchasing of
votes was then introduced by the demo-
cratic managers; and that Ham Shep-
ard, nephew of Senator Barbour, and
secretary of the democratic state COM
mittee, was sent over the state to train
men to use the kiss ballot and other
fraudulent methods for securing the
election of Lee and his associates on
the state ticket.
Then, General Ayers ought to remem-
Der that two years ago the most de-
bauching methods that were ever known
in the Ninth were introduced by Mr..
Stuart's managers. And the special
friend of General Ayers-Mr. Tate r.
vine-a few days after Mr.. Stuart's
sent out a circular letter,
calling the Democratic leaders together
for the announced purpose of raising a
poll tax fund to pay the poll taxes of de-
lirquent democrats and ''anybody's
floaters." Don't the General know
how well Mr.. IrviDe's scheme worked?
Don't he know that the fund was raised
and that the poll taxes of about eight
thousand men were paid out of this fund
and the Stuart democratic collar put
On them?
And don't General Ayers know that
early in the "tuart campaign Mr.. Frank |
Wysor sent out his celebrated '.floater"