Year: 1876

unable in law or conscience to recognize
the so-called amended, revised or supple
mental returns, nevertheless rejected Prince
George, mot counted because Of informal
ity;" not because of any essential defect.
but solely "because Of informality." And
thus they secured to Goode the certificate


which gave him the advantage Of his posi-
ton as sitting member in the contest. And
thus ends the matter, so far as this Demo
cratic Board of State Commissioners are
concerned.


Mr.. Plat, in justice to himself and the
district he was elected to represent, con-
tested the election. The House Committee


on Elections, nearly two thirds of whom
are Democrats, upset the action of the Nir-


ginia Board OF State Canvassers, and ad-


mitted the vote of Prince George. Then


began in earnest the war of party in the


effort to retain the cheeky intruder,


Goode, in Platt's seat. All kinds of devices


were trumped up for the occasion, to coun-


teract this action of the committee; such as
trying to throw out the votes of whole


communities, as in Guilford township, in


Surry, because it was alleged that six or


eight persons were registered on the Satur


day preceding the election, and were per-


mitted to vote on election day, and at other


places it was asserted that the officers of
election had failed to 'fseal up" the poll


books and ballots according to law. When
this latter charge was proven to
have been from no fault of the Of
ficers, who were in an isolated region, and
who could not obtain the necessary sealing


wax, and when it is remembered that
nothing of an illegal character, either in
the matter of Improper registration" or


ga want of sealing wax" is alleged to have
occurred, save at precincts that gave Mr..
Plat large majorities and which Goode
would have been glad to have entirely re-
jected, taken in connection with the fact
that the Democracy Goodies party and
personal friends) had control of all the
election machinery, the appointment of
every official, not only connected with the
election but with the returns, both primar
lily and finally, it is not at all surprising
that majority of the House Committee on
Elections, including two Democrats in the
number, made report to the House in
favor of Mr.. Platt's claim to the seat.
With proper regard to their sworn duty,
in view OF the facts that have been ELECTED,
it would have been strange if Messrs.
Thompson and House democrats though
they be) could as members of the COM
mittee have done otherwise than run
counter to the wishes of the party major
ity of which they are unfortunately
members.


But what shall be said of the Democratic
party in the House, who, despite the trans
parent frauds by which he first obtained
the certificate and thereby obtained the
seat, in defiance of the majority report of
the committee who had been appointed by
themselves to hear the testimony and de-
eide upon it. yet ignore the commonest
principles ofjustice and equity, and for the
sake of shielding party favorite, and in
an effort to crush a political opponent,
whom they both fear and hate, declare by
their act in continuing Goode in the seat he
disgrsces, and which man of less cheek
would scorn to hold under such circum-
stances, that the Election Committee was
either composed of ignoramuses or else
they were not up to the demands of the
"Great Democratic partyI'


That there is some decency left among
them is evident when we remember the
small majority of siz, by which the infamy
was consummated. When we consider the
overwhelming Democratic majority in the
House, and the Insignificant majority by
which the dirty work was composed, we
are led to one or the other of two conclu-
sions, either that there is some remnant of
propriety left in those of them who have
not become hardened by the commission
of Democratic sins, and who are in fair
way to be reclaimed, or else a regard for
the interests of their party in the approach
ing election constrained them to an act of
justice. If Influenced by the last ma med
we commend their sagacity
and their knowledge of the sense of fair
play entertained by the American people.
But in this, as in other attempts to conduct
themselves with seeming propriety, they





secession leaders. The party whip, when
applied as in this case by Mr.. Ran. Tucker,
the type of Virginia Secession Democracy,
has been effective IN lashing the weak
kneed into the party traces, while the calm
and well considered utterances and protests
of Mr.. Thompson, a representative of Mas
sachusetts Democracy, in his efforts to pre-
vent great wrong, have been productive
of little less than to draw upon himself the
contempt of his party associates, who now
openly doubt his fealty to Democracy.
But Mr.. Tucker was not the only "xhip-
Democracy, mindful only of the exigencies
of the case in hand, were altogether un-
mindful of the instrumsntallties employed,
hence an individual known in this COM
munity as Wilkes Booth Hambleton, sup
posed to be from Georgia, and for brief
period after the organization of the present
House clerk to the Ways and Means Com
mittee, from which position he was driven
by the press and public opinion, looms up
as a striker for Goode. We have the au-
thority of an intelligent and highly respect
able gentleman now in this city for the
statement that this gentleman told him
(our informanD that "Platt would have
" been admitted to the contested seat but
"for him, (Hambleton3 that he CHI
"went among the members who were
doubtful and urged them to vote for
"Goode, and succeeded in getting enough
"to do so to keep Goode in" He (H)
stated, furthermore, that he knew Goode
had not been elected, but when it came
to a question lbetween Southern man
and Yankee, he was for the South
ern man. And this is the party, differed
by such men as Tucker, Hambleton, OF i'd
omne genus, that now has the effrontery to
come before the people of this country and
deliberately ask them to hand over to
their hands the destinies of this nation.
Their presumption has but one parallel
that we know of, and that was when these