Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1912-04-25

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they have been uniformly honest since
1894. They cite in proof of this claim,
that General Walker secured the re-
turns in 1894 and 1896. and that Colonel
Slemp and Bsscom Slemp secured tho
returns to Congress six times success
sively-beginning with the election of
1902. This claim of the democrats evil
dences peculiarly defective memory or
a desperate disposition to conceal the
facts. We will proceed to refreshen
their memory and spread before them
facts they cannot dispute. We will be-
gin with the election Of 1898, when Cen
eral Walker was robbed of a seat in
Congress by VIM. +. Rhes. If any hon
est democrat wishes to be sure that
fraud was practiced in that election let
him examine the record in the first con-
tested election case of Walker vs.. Rhea.
He will find that at Rhea's own home.
the city of Bristol. one of his hench-
men, who was registrar, padded the
registration books with false names.
and on election day voted tramps, ne
groes and non-residents on these false
names, and in that way swelled the
Rhea vote so that it amounted to more
than the entire actual vote of the town.
including the men who voted for Gener-
al Walker. Evidence will be found in
this record of every kind of fraud at
Bristol and at many other precincts in
the district.
The Congressional elections commit
tee that decided the case. reported that
many gross frauds had been proven, but
not enough to overcome Rhea's major
ity. The seat in Congress was held for
Rhes only by and through the facilities
furnished by the registration and cleo
ton laws to successfully conceal the
most outrageous frauds. One gross
fraud that was not brought to light un-
til after all the proof had been taken in
the case, was committed at Lebanon,
the county seat of Mr.. Stuart's county.
The clerks of election at that precinct
have been charged, and it has never
been denied by them or their friends.
with padding the poll books with false
names and by false counts, and that
nearly a hundred fraudulent ballots
were put in the ballot box to make the
contents of the box agree with the pad
ded poll books. These fraudulent bal
lots were all for Rhea. One of the
clerks, who helped to commit this fraud.
was g sworn county officer. After
wards he was discovered, we have been
informed, doing something disreputable
in connection with the campaign fund
of his own party; and at the investiga-
ton of Rhea for confirmation as a MEM
Der of the State Corporation Commits
sion, it was developed that this same
man was among those who undertook,
by tampering with the returns of Rus
sell county at the election in 1902, to
steal the seat in Congress from Colonel
Siemp. And, yet, this man remains
honored in the councils of his party,
and has been honored by Governor
Mann with appointment as a member of
the board of visitors of one of the edu-
cational institutions of the state. and
was recently urged as the democratic
candidate for Congress from this dis
trict.
Now, let US go to Scott county. On
the opposite page Of this issue we spread
copies of two official ballots used in that
county, one at the county election, May,
1899, the other at the presidential cleo
ton in 1900. The last mentioned is
known to the world as the infamous
Scott county ballot" But in design it
is not as complicated and infamous as
the one which was used in the county
election of that county. A very similar
ballot was used in Washington county
at the county election in 1899.
These ballots were designed by demo-
Gratis and were printed under the super
vision of the democratic electoral boards
Of Scott and Washington counties, and
of men who were sworn to !
perform their duties lawfully and hon. !
estly. Will any democratic newspaper,
'r any man who claims to be honest, de-
~ that these ballots were designed and
lsed for fraudulent purposes?