Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-10-20
AlR. EDIToR:-

l nave DecH CdIeIuily 'S"u'"
the political articles which have food
ed the county, and with your permls-
sion I will give the public the bene-
fit of my views.
have endeavored to fully inform
myself before expressing al o. mion.
am interested in 1 e succr OF
the democratic party, avlng voted
that ticket all my life.
/ have been nauseated with the
slurs on individuals, and also with
the SILLY argument that man should
be sent to the legislature because he
is a farmer.
| don't care whether a man is a
farmer, shoemaker or lawyer, or
whether his name is Stickley or Eel
Ter. / want the best man for the
place; one who will most faithfully
represented me and my interests.
Being an agricultural people, it is
natural that, other things being equal,
we would prefer a farmer. 1t is not
necessary that he should be liter
airy man. MIR. Sager | think repre-
scented our County faithfully and et-
fciently, and yet he was never
charged with being a "literary"
man.
Mr. Feller is held up to the people
as the farmers candidate, because he
is farmer. He may have worked
some on a farm, and even now be, to
a limited extent, farmer; but l can
not believe that that is his regular
occupation, for since he has ceased
to be school boy, l have heard OF
him as school teacher, justice OF
the peace, County Surveyor and a
school trustee. think also that he
was an aspirant for County Clerk be-
fore Mr.. Boyer was nominated.
Holding two positions now, having
sought a third last Spring, and now
endeavoring to grasp fourth, would
in my opinion entitle him more to
the name Of chronic office
seeker than that OF farmer.
Mr.. Stickley l learn has been
Il farmer all lis life, is now the owner
Of farm and lives upon it. On ac-
count of his excellent business qualif-
ca'lHns he has had the management
of The Strasburg Steam Mills, and as
such has done much, in fact more
than any other man in the County,
to enhance the price of wheat to the
farmer, and give him the opportunity
to sell his wheat IN a competitive
market. On account Of his same
business qualifications he has been
selected as the member of the Board
of Supervisors from his district. 1t
is also said that he will receive the
largest vote at home, where he is best
known.
In Justice TO both candidates | can
truly say that have never heard
anything discreditable to either.
As 10 one Of tie other being a
ring" candidate, every intelligent
man the County knows that one
candidate is favored by little ring
of politicians, and the other is favored
by another little ring of the same
character, and it is my opinion that
these little rings and their claqucrs,
who have been promised little of
fees, have brought all the trouble
upon MS.
The selection of member of the
Legislature is of little importance
compared with the question:: Shall
our own people control the party or
ganization, or shall it be controlled
by few interested individuals by
means of the State Committee?
How does this question now stand {?
From what | see, and read, the
last County Convention of the party
THAT OF April LIST, ls99) determined
who should compose the County
Committee.
A few politicians WHO consented TO
this arrangement, for they were men,
bers of the convention that made it,
found that 1t did not answer their
purpose, and they determined that
they would show the democrats of
Shenandoah that they had more pow
er than the whole party represented
in convention. Now what did they
do? / learn from the papers that
Messrs. Brenaman, Bauserman, Eel
Ter and Miley went to Richmond and
got the State Committee to recog-
nize one half of the committee as
made up by the County Convention
OF last Spring as the regular democa-
fic committee of Shenandoah. and