Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1894-07-21

Few districts in the United States
can boast of so good a representative
in Congress, and none can boast of
better than can the First District of
Virginia. Our Representative is not
only an honest, able and courageous
man, but he is also an industrious
and sagacious one, always at his post
of duty and always working and
voting for the best interests of his
constituents He is now serving his
second term in the House of Repre-
sentatives, but in this short time he
has made an enviable record for
ability, industry and political sagac-
ity. This is fully attested by the
following extract from the gifted
Washington correspondent of the
Richmond Times:
"A good many of the Virginia and
North Carolina congressman last year
voted for the unconditional repeal OF
the purchasing clause of the Sher-
man law, but differing with Mr..
Breckenridge, they first voted for all
the ratios proposed, and for the re
storation of the Bland, Allison act,
before they got down TO the main
question. Messrs. Jones and Epes,
however, OF the Virginia delegation,
were conspicuous in refusing TO vote
for the repeal when the question was
narrowed down. They stuck out 10
the last, and refused TO go into the
unconditional repeal business, which
canght at that time so many OF the
southern congressman, and they now
enjoy themselves in smiling at the
members who have had a hard time
explaining TO the people their votes.
Just at present the question is not
only the one most discussed here,
but it is apparent to every one that
the Republican managers are pre-
pairing to step in and steal from the
Democrats the free coinage issue II
the latter are not careful. They
will not succeed, according to talk
heard here, for the Democratic
State conventions of this week have
been coming out sQuarely for the
free coinage idea. Not alone Ar
kansas, but Illinois and Michigan
have declared emphatically for the
coinage of silver The ''gold-bugs
confidently predicted that Illinois
and Michigan would merely reatfirm
the Chicago platform. and thus
straddle the question, but they dld
nothing of the sort. There was no
talk such as they had in Alabama
about differing in matters OF de-
tail.n
"Mr. Jones is candidate for re-
nomination, and his constituents are
earnest advocates Of the free coinage
of silver at a ratio Of Is to /. That is
where he stands, and there is no
one in Congress who is more earnest
" or more aggressively for the white
metal. 1t will be remembered that
during the winter of 1S92-93 Mr..
Jones expressed some very interest
ing views on this subject through
the Dispatch correspondence from
Washington. Even then he said that
efforts were being made to sidetrack
the tariff issue, which had been the
most prominent of all, so that legis-
lation could be forced to the front
for the demonetization of silver; and
he exhibited a number of letters and
circulars sent him by gold-standard
clubs in Boston, New York, and
other large cities. He made the
point that these men would not rest
until they had degraded silver, and
that they would sacrifice tariff reform
and every other principle so they &C
complished the one object on which
they had set their hearts. The tariff
question, Mr.. Jones said early in
1898, ought to be brought to the
front, and he then favored the call
ing of an extra session of Congress
for that special purpose. He soon
found how things were running, and
predicted that tariff reform would be
showed aside in order that the gold
advocates could put forward the
legislation they cared for more than
ANYTHING else. He said he feared
lust what has come about-the I'M
conditional repeal of the purchasing
clause of the Sherman law, post
ponement of the tariff fight, and a
long business depression such as the
country is now passing through.
They did not pull the wool over
the eyes of the gentleman from the
First District of Virginia, and to-day
he not only realizes that he stood up
Tor lne principles ne oeileNeU ~ '',
right, but he has the satisfaction OF
knowing he is strictly in line with
prevailing Democratic sentiment in
the sections of the country on which
the country must rely for votes IN
the electoral college"
In the light of the present deplor-
able condition of affairs Mr.. Jones
can truly be pronounced a political
prophet, and no reasonable man can
now doubt that it would have been
far better not only for Virginia but
for the entireeountry if the policy
advocated by Mr.. Jones had been
adopted by the Democratic party.
Let the Democrats OF Accomack see
to it that their able, honest and
courageous Representative is en-
dorsed by the coming mass meeting
and that the delegates to the con
vention be appointed who will vote
for his denomination.