Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1912-10-17

not he Of the same political psrty
as the Other two, which council
should not meet i, the district. but
meet at the county seat, and all
acting together openly should deter
mine upon tbs applicants for regis
tratlon who met this provision.
Il think the result OF the action
of that board would b 10 enfrar-
chise, to register. practically sill the
white men in this State. think
the action of that board would be
to register considerable portion.
but nothing like a majority, of the
colored men entitled to vote in this
State"
Clearly it was then the opinion of
General Ayers that the declaration in
the Bill Of Rights, that all men. hav-
ing sufficient evidence OF permanent
common interest with, and attachment
to the community, have the right Of
suffrage" is sound democratic and
sound republican doctrine. Though he
had but recently, by his vote, declared
himself sovereign and the people his
servants, he had not yet reached the
advanced position Of usurpation which
he and his associates later attained
when they degraded the right of suf
frage into cheap privilege. General
Ayers now speaks of suffrage as a priv
ilege and not as a right.
The views expressed by General Ayers
IN his speech on thu Bill Of Rights
shows that he had at that time some re-
spect for the rights Of the people as to
the elective franchise and registration.
but later he voted for the iniauitous
regis ia, ion and election l4ws He voted
ror the prepayment Of the poll tax - n
qualification for voting He voted for
property and for an educational quail
iiication. he voted for tn. '.under-
Standing clsuse," which the Hon. Henry
Z. Stuart declared was to be 90 admin
lstered as to discriminate in favor of
the white man and against tho negro.
lie voted for the appointment of narti-
san boards Of registration in each citv
and county in the State, and helpsd to
turn them loose without requiring them
to take an oath. This was done to en-
able the registration boards to admins.
ter the dishonest law unfairly. He Sc
lected and appointed the registration
boards for the two counties he repre-
sented IN the convention-Wise and
Dickinson. The boards of Wise and
Dickinson were composed solidly Of
partisan democrats. Not one of them
was from different party, which the
General had previously said should be.
General Ayers voted for the provision
in the constitution that gives the people
one man for registrar at each precinct.
and he to be the most ultra democrat
that can be found at that precinct.
These registrars have been invested
with such arbitrary power, SO destruc-
tive to the electorate, that even the
Roanoke Times has raised its voice in
favor of reforming the registration
laws.
The result Of these unfair partisan
registration AMI election laws is a great
curtailment of the electorate of the
State. So many difficulties have to he
met and so many obstacles overcome in |
journeying to the ballot box, that more
than half the white men of voting age
are now deprived Of the right to vote.
and more than nine.tenths of the color
ed men of voting age cannot register
md qualify themselves to vote.
Is not this violent encroachment up.
m the suffrage rights Of the people of
Virginia? Have not General Ayers and
he democrats deprived a large major
ty of the people Of Virginia of all right
r opportunity to participate in their
4.