The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-03-13
july3o-1y
THOMAS M. WOOD.

A Candidate for Commonwealth Attor-
ncy His Brilliant and Spicy Card.
To my Fellow. Citizens of Roanoke city:
am candidate for commonwealth
attorney at the ensuing May election.
have few words to say in addition to
simple announcement of my candidacy
am not the candidate of any clique,
ring, family, corporation or com bination.
l am my own candidate. I am 'not
built" to sneeze when some vulgar and
brainless boss takes snuff, nor do / wear
any mans collar. I have had Tray,
Blanche and Sweetheart, little dogs and
all, barking at my heels for ten years
(Which is about the period Of my resi-
dence here) because h ave been openly
and fearlessly fighting these things. It
is the LITTLE FELLOWS that have to COM
bine and conspire and form cliques and
rings because it takes so many OF them
to make man. The evolution of the
little fellow is physiological fact. He
is the starting point OF the Darwinian
theory. He is the microbe upon the body
polite, but ''he struts his brief space"
upon the stage and vanishes into "im-
penetrable nothingness." Verify. he
is even now languishing and vanishing!
l have ''weeded my own row" in Roa
noke. During my ten years residence
here have seen dynasties political and
individuals (brainless) rise and fall in
city government, in finance, law, physic
and commerce! have seen men flushed
with temporary success, dressed in O
little brief authority, "recede like the
baseless fabric of dream" leaving
deep and feeling financial signs and
groans behind them. And still l am
here at the old stand!
And am not specially in need of re-
pairs! l have seen many queer things
years last past, and 1 do believe "there
are more things, Horatio," in this city
government of ours ethan are dreampt
of in our philosophy" But more of that
anon!
want to know if the now men whose
intellectual and congenital Idiosyn-
cracies, whose untried and unseen
ability 'still slumb ereth" have any
better claims to Office than L? Every
one OF the young attorney with whom
l commenced practice in Roanoke have
been helped by, and held. office except
myself Is it this inevitable law OF
evolution that has been at work? and
shall it continue forever?
But the people OF Roanoke are at last
beginning to find out what is what
They are just in the humor to discard
the bosses. They no longer believe
that
when rank Thcrsitcs opes his mastifr Jaws
w, shall hear music, wit and oracle"
For my friends past and present, l
have the tenderest words. To the
nearly 900 unpurchased voters who
stood by me in my last race. return
my sincere and feeling thanks. ] trust
and believe (for crawl up every time)
that I shall have to thank many more
after this election. For the sneaks and
buzz flies-why, fye upon them.
trust my friends who hear any man
misrepresent mo Will make him face
me. Tell him to "call around at the
'front.'.
1t is for you, fellow citizens to Judge
of my capacity and fitness as com pared
with my competitors.
stand for this Office of common
wealth's attorney to be impartial in my
official acts should be elected, and to
do the same right and duty to the
lowest and humblest as that which
would do, to the loftiest, tho noblest
and the best. THos. M. WooD.