The times., 1897-09-02
TnURsDAY, SEPTEMBER 2. 1897.
O,Eerrall.

Many years ago the Hon. Charles T.
O'FerralI appeared i'll Washington as
contestant for seat in the Congress, from
which time unto this season, the Demo
cratic party has kept him in some honorable
or lucrative office every minute. 1t is the
fault OF certain people, 50 protected and
cared for in public way, that they become
im5ued with the idea Of political proprietor
ship; that moro or less of the party be
longs 10 them, and not they TO it. In much
the same manner bank cashiers have the
money OF deposltors SO completely at their
command for series Of years, that, at
last, they cannot help looking upon 1t as
their own, OF in treating it as If il were.
Mr.. o'Ferrall soon win complete his four
years term as Governor OF Virginia. The
end Of lis administration win be coter-
ninous with the end of bis political
career, unless he should do the Improbable
thing and join the Republican party, whose
name he detests, but whose principles,
policies and designs against liberty and
prosperity be most heartily indorses as an
Old Dominion annex Of the small but select
Waldorf dinner party. safein the assurance
that what Grover Cleveland, John G. Car
llsle, Whitney. Pierpont Morgan and Ickle-
heiIner say is right. OF course, is right, par
ticularly when REINFORCED by the opinion
of an oFerrau, the Governor sings his
political death song 10 the interviewer and
at the Democracy or his State. aud tells
them both that he is Democrat, and the
people who constitute the State orgsniza-
ton, with the utmost unanimity, are not
Democrats.
Once upon a time the distinguished mem
bers OF the Tailor family who lived IN
Tooley street addressed q relnonstTance
to the crown, and in it styled themselves:
Eve, the peopler' Mr.. o'Ferran does
not live in Tooley street. The political
suburb occupied by Cleveland and the
other ghosts is without name; but the prin-
Ciple is the same. When he asserts that the
platform and ticket of the Roanoke con-
vention are not Democratic, and that he
viii not support either for that reason, he
iust1fies the suspicion that something is
wrong with his intellectual processes.
The Roanoke convention was as repre-
sentative a gathering o aIltha istruest and
best II the political life of the common
wealth as ever convened in Virginia. 1t
was unanimous in decla ring for the princi
pies and platform for which in 1896 more
than six million Democrats cast their votes.
II the great convention of Chicago, the
mighty army that fought for its candidate
and theonel living issue OF the campaign, and
the determination reiterated all over the
United States 10y Democratic conventions,
with one straddle-bug exception, to stick
to that platform and that issue, did not
make the Roanoke convention and its work
Democratic, what could do so? Mr. o'Fer.
ran is not in a logical position to say that
all the Democratic millions, their repre-
sentative men and bodies, are not Demo
crafts while he and his dozen or so of Vir-
ginia Waldorfers are the true-blue variety
What would constitute good Democracy
In his eyes would be a platform and
declarations taken from the st. Louis
platform Of 1896. In short, to be goot
Democrat, as that term is expounded by
Cleveland and Carlisle, in effect one must
be a Republican. That is what they al
are, whether they own up to it or not
Mr. o'Ferran Is not an exception.
However, it does not much matter. Hi
career is closing. He has been county
clerk. assemblyman, Congressman and gov
ernor. He has accepted many good thing
at the hands or the party kind enough
20 bestow them. In return we are no
advised that the inflammability OF th,
James river thereby has been visibly in
creased. But 1t is nearly over. In shor
time he VIII be out of the governor
chair, as well as out of the party. II
both cases it wiz be departure without
hope or return. ~De mortnis nil mis-
boEuni"
Common Law Pension Widows.