Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-05-27
OUR NEXTU.S. SENATOR.

The Senator selected by the Legisla-
lure next winter will be the man whom
the constituents of the legislators de-
sire. II he is not, it will be because the
people have not taken sufficient inter
est in the preliminary struggle over
legislative candidates to secure repre-
sentatives pledged to the execution of
their wishes. If there is an ovcrwhelm-
ing desire in Virginia to elevate Mr..
Jones, for instance. and retire Senator
Martin, 1t can and Will he expressed
through established methods and with
out the expensive and illegal State
convention. The test is not only impair
tial, but Imperative. Senator Martin
cannot shrink from it or avoid it even
if he would.-Washington Post.
We fear our esteemed Washington
contemporary knows too much? Will it
be SO good as to tell us how Senator
Martin got into this Senatorial reform
question, anyhow? We confess entire
ignorance. for our part. on this point,
and we should rejoice for somebody or
journal TO enlghten us and the people
To be sure, the question itself arose
upon the sudden appariton of Mr.. Mar
tin in the Senatorial arena. unknown,
but conquering. like the Disinherited
Knight on the field of the grand tour
nament of AShby- de la -Zouche; but
how he got there was n great surprise,
as it is still n mystery to the press and
people. The Senatorial Reform is but n
consequence of the coming of Mr.. Mar
tin and his unexplained success, for the
people of Virginia, if sold, or juggled,
like to know how it was done, who did
it, and to have no more of it, If it can
be prevented. All that is as plain as
the nose on q mans face; but how Mr..
Martin achieved his triumph over the
people and their champion is still
thing which nobody can find out; al
though 1t is n subject OF much conjec-
ture and acute inference.
Ordinarily, when a strange gentleman
thus comes to the front, without even
an introduction, and carries off a great
prize, he quietly retires at the next
trial of skill and strength-cspecially
if, as in this case, he is really the same
unknown and mysterious gentleman to
the people-the vulgar rabble-,hat he
was six years ago. Senator Daniel APP
pears to know him. but If anybody else
in Virginia does, he is keeping it Sc
cret. Certainly, the Post is badly mis-
taken in saying that it is imperative on
Senator Martin to make the fight; not
a whit more than it was when he came
on the field ready made, cut-and-
dried L. S. Senator, with n sufficient
number of Senators and n4-H4Aars of
the House of Delegates at his heels 20
make him anything Emperor of the
World. had that been at their disposal
through all Virginia stood open mouth
cd in surprise and protest.
As THE VIRGINIAN-PILO has al
ways said 1t has nothing 10 say per-
sonally against Mr.. Martin, except that
he was Il party to the scheme of 1898
that made him U. S. Senator and de-
feated the well-known choice of the
people of Virginia. We know nothing
else against Mr.. Martin: we know
nothing at all for him. 1t may be that
the majority of the people OF Virginia
have gone into a secret league in be-
half of the reelection of the Senator;
and there Is bare possibility. perhaps,
that this popular secret league backed
the gentleman six years ago: but, IL So
the people have kept strangely reiicent
about 1t; and in all their recent out
g!vlngs. in private and public. ever
since the Senator's election. indeed. the
people have expressed wish to select
their own u. S. Senator this time, II
they can.