Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-05-05
Virginia and the Administration.

From the fredericksburg Free Lance.
1t will be quite awhile before the bril-
llantly inventive genius os the Washing
ton correspondent of the Richmond Times,
OF the skim milk editorials of that same
sheet will persuade any one to believe
that Dir. Cleveland is at all concerned
himself about the petty chickering's of Vir-
ginia politicians last year, and that he |
has failed to substan tally recognize Vir-
gina under this administration, because |
forsooth Senator Daniel and some of his
friends, who we're not Cleveland men, |
were put on the Virginia delegation to
Chicago This is making Mr.. Cleveland
very small man indeed, and putting him
on the plane of peanut politics.
Virginia has probably gotten nothing
from the administration because she Goes
not deserve it. She has few if any men
of commanding ability in public life, and
those that are, are compelled to take
back seat by the rngsters who have gotten
control of things in this state. The dem
ocratic party has reached in Virginia the
condition of the lean and slippered pan
taloon, and it must rid itself of its senliiy
before it can hope to cut much of figure
in national politics.
Why should Mr.. Cleveland honor a
state where such condition prevails as
we have governor who would not at
tend the Inauguration because be was not
furnished with what he regarded as a
sufficient number Of reserved seat tick
cts state chairman who is so persistent
ly seeking Office that he refused to help
any one else for fear he might injure his
own prospects a state committee that
has never been called together to act in
concert regarding the states claims on the
administration and lot of flushed states
men, each one seeking at pell nell speed
the best cover Add to these conditions
petty ring in every county that seems TO
be politically composed of political resur-
rectionists who are trying to pull out of
their unforgotten graves all the hoary old
democratic mossblcks of the last twenty
five years, and you have a state OF affairs
that would not entitle the party to much
consideration from Mr.. Cleveland or any
other president. Of course Mr.. Cleveland
will finally throw a sop to this political
Cerberus, but it will hardly stop ITS howl
ing. This IS a lamentable condition, but
the democratic party of the state must
purge tself before it can expect to cut
much figure in national politics. 1t is
now like a company of broken down ac-
| tors
The man in graver tragic known,
bough his best part long since vas
done,
Still on the stage desires to tarry,
And he who played the Harlequin,
After the Jest still loads the scene
Unwilling to retire though weary.
The Lance regrets this state of things
1t wants to see Virginia great and bon
ored it wants to see her play giants
part in national politics it wants to see
her lead again as once she did before the
great recession of states in the national
government, but it will never do so as
long as the dominant party in the state
remains in the condition it new is.
If the voters of the party can only be
aroused sufficiently to determine to re-
tire all of the present regime and begin
the work of regeneration this year much
NAV be done. Give us Hogs Tyler or
some such man for governor, VIM. A.
Little. Jr., for attorney general, and elect
a legislature that will send to the senate
that man whose tact, good sense, good
standing abroad and historic name will
make him a tower of strength. Then re-
organize the party, adopt Mr.. Cleyelanfs
ideas, bring forward your young men,
put aside your ex-office- holders, and
break up your rings. You will then hnd
that it will be but short time before
Virginia will retake her old place in the
government, and become once more the
mother of presidents but, believe us,
this will never be done by trying to
persuade our people that Cleveland is a
peanut politician.