Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1899-09-21
A SORRY STATE OF AFFAIRS.

In certain parts of the State where
the senatorial contest appears to be the
warmest, the people have been asked
by the friends of the two candidates
not to support their preference, and
not to send to the Legislature men
committed to either Senator Martin or
Governor Tyler, claiming that they
will be without influence. The Vir-
ginia Citizen, published in Lancaster
county, makes the point that it is use
less for the people to send men to the
Legislature for Mr.. Tyler, because they
will have no influence after they get
there. This is mere moonsbine argu-
ment, and by way of parenthesis we
will state that its weakness was fully
Illustrated when the people of the Ian
caster senatorial district turned down
the editor of the Citizen, who has made
this his chief claim for senatorial hon
ors, and nominated another gentleman
in his stead. Although Senator Mar
tins friends will be in the majority in
the next Legislature and will elect
him to succeed himself in the Federal
Senate, we do not for a moment be-
lieve that they, because of having a
majority, will defeat any single meas
ure of merit that is offered by Dem
ocrat, whose people saw fit to instruct
him to support the governor. In the
first place the friends of Senator Mar
tin cannot afford to pursue such a
policy and in the second, we do not
believe the Senator himself would
countenance such proceedings. 1t |
must also be remembered that Mr.. |
Tyler is Governor, and if his friends |
were embarrassed in such manner as
the Citizen would have US believe, he,
the governor, could retaliate by Veto |
ing every measure that the other side
enacted. In this respect honors would |
be even. But Virginians are not made
Of this kind of stuff. /
There will be men in the next Gen.
eral Assembly for both the senator and
governor and they will do their level
best to carry their favorite to victory,
but when the votes of the caucus are
counted and the successful candidate
is named they will all be Democrats
and will vote in joint meeting for the
nominee Of said caucus. Here the
fight will end and here is where it
should end. AS Democrats We cannot
afford to fight one another. Senator
Martin has already shown, since he
has been in the senate, that he is not
narrow minded and On several occa-
sions has aided Virginians, who six
years ago fought him bitterly in his
contest with General Lee, and who are
still his enemies. Governor Tyler on
two occasions was defeated for the
governorship and his Democracy in
defeat was as true as in victory and
we entertain no thought that he will
not acquiesce in the will of the majority
on this occasion. We beg in conclu-
sion to say that this senatorial contest
has been family affair and that at
its end we will all join hands for the
great contest of 1900 We must not,
and we cannot carry the fight where
it will work injury, not only to Messrs.
Martin and Tyler, but to the whole
State, for if Tyler men fight Martin
men and vice versa, after the close of
the nominating caucus, laws for the
good of all will be defeated and the
people made to suffer. Again we
plead with Virginia Democrats to
"behold how good and how pleasant it
ia for brethren to dwell together in
unity"