Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-01-26


Triumph of the Democratic People
over the Machine.
MI. Editor:
The result of the Democratic sSena-
torial Caucus on the 23d inst, in the
Stands case furnishes an instructive,
though humjliating lesson to the
machine politicians of Virginia. 1t
teaches that the Democratic people, the
voters. are not to be habitually and
successfully cajoled, wheedled or bull
lied out of their rights and their
manhood by %ould-be bosses, and that
powerful as the machine is, 1t is not
omnlpotent. 1t demonstrates to the
world that Intelligent freemen, how
ever devoted to their party organiza-
ton, are unwilling to surrender their
self-respect at the bidding of a mere
political machine, outside OF their pro-
per jurisdiction.
The DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE Of Vir-
ginih have administered crushing
blow TO machine politics; but let it al
ways be horne in mind that the blow
was administered in self-defence. The
machine started this business. They
made an organized assault upon the
Democratic people of the 32d Senatorial
tative.. They made superhuman efforts
to crush the will Of the people in the
election; and the people have but
turned and stung their aggressors.
What Is the result? The Democrats
of the Senate. in spite of the lash ap-
piled by the machine. have. by n ma
jority OF 10 to 15 vindicated the action
of the Democracy of the 32d District
by recognizing the Democracy of their
Senator.
1t Is significant, too. of the over
reaching zeal of the machine, that
they have been openly charged with
manipulating and mutilatlng the or
ganc law of the party in order to COM
pass the destruction of Stands, if we
may credit the report of the proceed
ings of the caucus as published the
next day In the Richmond Dispatch, in
which he said shat
Mr.. Glass then read from the PAM
phlet that portion of the plan under
which the State Committee acted when
1T sought to settle the contest between
Mr.. Stands and Colonel Boykin. 1t was
as follows:
THE State Committee thus constl-
{, tuted is charged with the affairs of the
marty, and shall have power to perfect
its organization and direct It's conduct
In obedience to the declarations and
y,
be set forth by this convention.
1T may decide all questions at issue
which may arise in election districts
calculated to effect the harmony and
interests of the party"
The foregoing had been quoted in full
or In part in the majority report of the
committee, facts which Mr. Glass COM
mented upon,
THAT extract Is garbled," said Mr..
ia 60 -
but 1t does not quote the full para
graph. This final clause is omitted:
But the respective districts shall
manage their own district affairs
That matter needs ventilating. So
FAR, nobody has denied its truth, and 1t
IS blasting imputatlon upon some
pody's honesty. Turn on the light!
Can such things be,
And overcome us like summer cloud,
Without our special wonder?"
AgI1H, the lesson Is Instructive be
cause 1t logically administers 81 sting
ing rebuke TO the machine. Whether
so intended or not, this is the inexorable
logic Of the frozen facts" The machine
said Mr.. Stands was not a good Demo-
crat-not fit TO associate with them
tand. logically, If he was not a good
Democrat, the people who elected him
We're not good Democrpts). Well. the
caucus said he was q good Democrat
and lit to associate with 'them-and
there he sits in full party communion
What follows? Why, logically. liz the
machine claim that according to their
standard of Democracy Stands
was not q good Democrat
and if the Democratic caucus
affirmed that he was a good Demo-
crat. according to the true standard OF
democracy, they necessarily impeach
the Democracy of the machine, whose
standard of Democracy has been so
cffectually cast down.
The machine erected one standard OF
Democracy. and the Senatorial caucus
erected a. standard of Democracy the
exact opposite-crgo, the machine
standard was II false standard. The
Two standards cannot stand together.
One or the other is false and the eau
Gus have proclaimed the machine
standard to be the false standard Can
we not fairly commend the poisoned
chalice to their lips" and ask them If
they can presume to call themselves
good Democrats, since their renudiation
by the caucus?
The engineer has been "host
with his own petard"-he has
been playing with a. gun that
''kicked It's owners over" And
some of these clamorous machine men
may still have some new and awkward
experiences In store for them, when
they came down to this section Of the
country, especially in the 32d Senatorial
district. electioneering for Democratic
votes to help them into Office. The
GovernOrshin, for example. Possibly