Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1899-08-16
WEDNESDAY EVENING, AUG. IS, 1899
covrpNoR TYLER is a handsome

GOVERNOR TYLER is q handsome
man but is not usually considered a
wise one. That the people have judged
him rightly may be seen by reading bis
recent speech at Wytheville, urging his
own claims for the q. S. Senate. he
argues that while Governor OF Virginia
he has g right run for another ONCE,
namely. that of U. S. Senator. Yes,
legally. he has right to run for that
office and half dozen more. like the
celebrated Mr.. Pooh. Bah in the famous
comic opera of Mikado. Pooh-Bah
argued that it was his degrading duty"
TO serve as First Lord of the Treasury,
Lord Chief Justice, COMMANDMENTS
chief, Lord High Admiral and many
more-all at salary, of course. This
was perhaps legal in Japan. The
Governor also has legal right to be a
candidate for Senator, member OF the
House of Representatives, Commander
in Chief, and many more places beside,
and to transfer himself from one office
to another twice year if the people OF
the Commonwealth should happen to
take the same view as himself of his
own ability and of the great import
ance of electing him to the Senate.
But there is more in this matter than
the question of mere legal impeci-
ment. How does it comport with the
dignity of the high Office of Governor
for the occupant to be running around
the State, begging the people to give
him another Office Is it a seemly spec
tacle? Is it not his duty to give his
time, for which he is very literally paid,
to perform faithfully his duties at Rich
mond? Is he not subject to the tempta-
ton of using his power and patronage to
further his own ambitions, than to pre-
mote the public interests? Were not the
people of Virginia right in their
uniform refusal TO allow the
incumbent of the executive chair to
use it as a mere stepping stone to
another office? How is Governor Tyler
so much better and abler than sll his
predecessors in Office, that wise re-
striction which applied to them is to he
relaxed in his case? Is there any req!
necessity for sending him to Washing
Ton? What public interest of the State
or the country would suffer, if he did
not set up his royal state at Washing
ton &? The comparison he makes of his
case with that OF Mr.. Martin betrays a
poverty of logic, that, if he were madf
federal Senator, would make him az
easy prey for republican Senators if he
happened to open his mouth, as he un
doubtedly would. Senator Martin
holds the office of U. S. Senator and j.
q candidate for reelection. The peo-
pie have right to re-elect him. Is there
anything improper in this either for
him to do, or for the people of Virginia
to do? Governor Tyler has much to
learn. He complains of the failure Of
certain Northern legislatures to elect
Senators lately-in other words, he is
sorry that the republican legislatures in
Delaware, California and Pennsylvania
are so divided and split up that they
failed to elect republican U. S. Senators.
II he were good democrat, and had
only half sense, he would be glad of this
result, as it may be the means OF elect
ing democratic Senators and thus re-
gaining democratic control in the Ser
ate. Governor Tyler thinks that this
difficulty in electing could be obviated
by popular election. If there were
three or four candidates, does not our
wise Governor see that candidate in g
minority of the total vote might be the
man? Would that be an improvement
on the. dead lock" which seems to ap-
pail his unsophisticated soul? Gov
ernor Tyler undertakes to discuss
the proceedings of these State legisla
lures that failed to elect Senators. He
is not the first man who has talked
glibly and confidently of a subject or
which he knew nothing. We do not
com plain of him for his lack of informa.
tion, or even for his transformation,
but he would be far better employed if
he would devote himself to his proper
home duties in Virginia. A governor
who could favor the organization of ne
gro regiments, the appointment of ne
gro officers, and the putting of arms in
sheir hands, with the constant specta-
Gle in our midst OF increasing negro
crime and violence, and the growing in
security OF domestic life from negroes,
especially for the poor mans family,
ought not to set up for political re-
former. The armed negro, paid and
armed and uniformed by the United
States, has already become dangerous
factor in the north and is the ready in
strumept of capital to coerce and op-
press the white laborer. If Governor
Tyler be- right in his example on this
head, this negro organization may be
expanded indefinitely until negro bri-