A Ray of Hope
March 17, 1894
Summary
A plea from a newspaper asking for Virginians to question the passing of the Watson Bill as it is voted in the House of Delegates.
Transcription
The Petersburg (VA) Index-Appeal in its issue of the 11th Inst. gives encouagement to the right thinking Christian element of the commonwealth, when in reply to the Richmond (VA) Dispatch. It says:
“The Dispatch objects to the term, ‘dominant faction’ as applied to the differecnes of opinion which certainly exist in the Democratic Party in Virginia. Perhaps the expression might be qualified to advantadge, as we are not among those who would like to see an actual division in the Party on any issue that can be avoided. But it is certainly true that the party is spilt upon the question of an honest and reasonable election law.”
And again:
“When the vote was first taken in the house of delegates on the bill engrafting certaun feautures of the Australian ballot upon the Anderson-McCormick system, the result was the defeat of the proposition by 41 yeas and 42 nays. The result, if it indicated anything at all, went to prove that the party, so far as its representatives in thie general assembly can speak for it, is about evenly divided on the most important question now before it. The subsquent reconsideration and passing of the measure have little significance except to show that party discipline was brought to bear upon the members, and that they yielded against their original convictions-which may be their convictions now, as well as we can tell.”
It asserts:
“They indicated a strong and resolute determinanion in several quarters of the state to make the question of honest elections an issue henceforth. On the other hand, there was equally as strong expressions in favor of a law and practice which would give certain advantages not in accord with the full and unrestricted right of suffrage. Here were certainly two diagonally opposed shades of opinion between which there cannot be any truce or compromise short of absolute fairness and honesty in elections. So we affirm that unless elections hereafter are conducted with perfect squareness the question between between the two shades of opinion which were represented in legislature will be transferred to the people for final settlement.”...
“The Dispatch objects to the term, ‘dominant faction’ as applied to the differecnes of opinion which certainly exist in the Democratic Party in Virginia. Perhaps the expression might be qualified to advantadge, as we are not among those who would like to see an actual division in the Party on any issue that can be avoided. But it is certainly true that the party is spilt upon the question of an honest and reasonable election law.”
And again:
“When the vote was first taken in the house of delegates on the bill engrafting certaun feautures of the Australian ballot upon the Anderson-McCormick system, the result was the defeat of the proposition by 41 yeas and 42 nays. The result, if it indicated anything at all, went to prove that the party, so far as its representatives in thie general assembly can speak for it, is about evenly divided on the most important question now before it. The subsquent reconsideration and passing of the measure have little significance except to show that party discipline was brought to bear upon the members, and that they yielded against their original convictions-which may be their convictions now, as well as we can tell.”
It asserts:
“They indicated a strong and resolute determinanion in several quarters of the state to make the question of honest elections an issue henceforth. On the other hand, there was equally as strong expressions in favor of a law and practice which would give certain advantages not in accord with the full and unrestricted right of suffrage. Here were certainly two diagonally opposed shades of opinion between which there cannot be any truce or compromise short of absolute fairness and honesty in elections. So we affirm that unless elections hereafter are conducted with perfect squareness the question between between the two shades of opinion which were represented in legislature will be transferred to the people for final settlement.”...
About this article
Source
Location on Page
Upper Right Quadrant
Topic
Contributed By
Carlos Serrano
Citation
“A Ray of Hope,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed April 24, 2025, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/1579.