Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1912-04-11
AN UNFAIR IMPLICATION.

On the End instant there appeared in
the Lynchburg News an editorial head |
ed: Not Creditable to Mr.. Slemp."
This editorial was based upon an inter |
view that MIR. Slemp was supposed to
have given out to the Washington cor
respondent of the Richmond Times Dis |
patch, and in which he was said to have
made entirely conditional his acquies-
ence in the reported desire of General
Ayers to use no money during the pres
ent campaign in this Congressional dis
trict. When we read the editorial Of
the News, we were impressed with the
belief that the correspondent had not
correctly interpreted and stated the
views of Mr.. Slemp. We were further
impressed with the belief that the
Lynchburg News was seeking to regain
its lost influence in the Ninth district by
giving to the interview, even as report
ed in the Times Dispatch, an artful
Misrepresentation of MIR. Slemp's posi-
ton.
The Times-Dispatch headed the inter-
view: "Slemp In Favor of Clean Elec-
TONS" The Lynchburg News headed its
editorial comment on the interview:
mot Creditable to Mr.. Slemp" And
in its editorial the News sought to show,
by implication, that Mr.. Slemp was in
favor of using money for corrupt pur-
poses in elections. Now which of these
newspapers is most likely to be correct,
the one to which the interview was sent
or the one that gave it subsequent pub
LEGATION and seeks to analyze and inter-
pref its meaning?
On the 9th instant Mr.. Slemp address,
ed a letter to the Lynchburg News
about its comments on what he terms
an alleged interview" Mr.. Slemp's
communication is published elsewhere in
this paper. Read it, and you'll agree
with US, that the News has been guilty
of a discreditable act and Mr.. Slemp
has not
The contention Of the News that the
republicans do not speak truly when
they say that elections have not been
fairly conducted in the Ninth district
because of the use of unfair election
laws, gives ample ground for the re-
publicans to deduce, by implication,
that the News is not in favor of honest
elections.
If the present election laws were not
intended to be used fraudulently, why
were they framed to give so many OPP
portunities for fraud? And why has
the Lynchburg News so recently ex-
pressed wish that the election laws
could be more fairly interpreted and ad-
ministered in the Ninth district?
Commenting on a remark of Mr..
Slemp that there was no hope for hon
est elections in the Ninth until the re-
publicans are permitted to name their
own election judges, the News, on the
Both of January, 1912, said:
while having no sympathy with
this implied reflection upon demo-
cratic judges in the Ninth district,
and while convinced not only of
their integrity, Ibut that Mr.. Slemp's
election and reflections to Con-
gress and the uninterrupted series
of political trlumphs of his father
before him, are Sufficient to con-
vince that the republicans have had
square deal at the hands of the
democrats controlling the election
machinery, we yet think it is but
fair that the local authorities of the
republican party should be accorded
the law-granted right of selecting
their election judges"
If the republicans in the Ninth have
been denied the law-granted right of
aalarfiror THAR alarfior {udorao haoo !