Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-07-05

ou' aatei 'he uIst season It's young
is not seen here again until grown
THE DITCH BEFORE THEM
When the storm of battle has
passed and sober men begin to looS
at things that have transpired they
will see much to discourage them in
the future of Virginia's politics. In
the event that Mr.. Montague receives
the nomination they will wonder
how the people could have labored
SO blindly in building up machine
that promises to be the most danger
Gus of any in late years. In exchang-
ing bosses-as the term goes-they
VIII find, judging from the samples
Oh favoritism exhibited within the
past few weeks, that they have given
unlimited machine power to one
whose head they have turned in their
restlessness. Already the forces that
seem to be in the ascendancy are
picking out running-mates for the
head of the ticket; already they have
announced that Mr.. Montague will
have the naming Of the State Com
mittee, and with this it can be pretty
safely guessed that they are counting
upon having the next Legislature as
vest-pocket charm. Should the
element that counts on parcelling
the State out succeed it will be but
a short time before the people of
Virginia will wish that they were
back in the old-line Democracy's
keeping.
The man who has been charged
with being the "machine". candidate
the people will learn was the more
generous in all his acts of this can
vass; that while his maligners en-.
gagged the attention of the crowd
with cry of machine, snap-iudgment
and the fike-unable to put their
fingers upon single instance in
ubstantiation-they were covering
up their own tracks, or, like the
cuttle-fsh, beclouded the water to
hide their own schemes.
But . very short time since we
see where Mr.. Swanson, controlling
the committee, could have held mass.
meetings and swept Danvil,e; in
Pulaski, Governor Tyler's home,
where the Congressman won a ma
Jority of the delegates, all could have
been captured if the committee had
desired to depart from the usual
course. These are recent instances.
and they had predecessors.
The unfair attack upon Mr.. Swan
sons confidential" letter, which
opened the campaign of abuse. could
have been Offset by a similar letter
from Mr.. Montague to Mr.. Toney, of
Manchester, a friend of Mr.. Swanson.
and which was indited in November
last. While it employed practically
the same expression as did Mr.. Swan
sons it was not taken advantage of
and would not today be in print but
for personal attack by Mr.. Monta-
gue's friends upon Mr.. Toney. The
letter of the Attorney-General reads:
''MY DEAR SIR-I cannot tell how
keenly l indulge the hope of having
your inhuential support in behalf of my
candidacy for the governorship And !,
therefore, now presume thus frankly 10
bring my hopes 10 your consideration.
and TO say that if consistent with your
sense OF public duty, will be abidingly
grateful for your help"
"Will be abidingly grateful" for
his influential support is no whit
better than Mr.. Swanson's promising
to remember friends. Neither letter
is to be condemned, but all sense of
justice, in condemning one and con-
doning the other, seems to have been
obliterated from many minds during
a campaign of misrepresentation that
cloaks over ones hypocrisy aud mag
mites another's misdoings.-Eee
Lance.