The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-03-02
GET TOGETHER.

The following comment by the
Farmer and Fisherman had escaped
our notice until lassoed by our daily
contemporary. We give the several
comments as they occur:
That Montague. LeCato and JeffrieS
are the favorites here is daily much in
evidence. -WestmOreland Corr in \. n.
News
A very good team. but you will never
see them yOked together. The Democrats
of the State will not consent to give both
the first and second places To the First
District You will have To drop either
Montague or LeCatO. Now which Will
it be, friend FREE LANCE.
We cannot see any fairness in The FREE
LANCE's disposition to create sectional
prejudices when there is no more cause
for il than the fact that Mr.. Montague
was born in the First District. While
this much is true he has, ever since his
early boyhOOd, been a resident OF South
west Virginia and there is no reasOnnOw
in identifying him with the First District
for the sake of lessening the chances OF
either him or Senator LeCatO on the
State ticket. MFR. Montague is not a
First District man, and The FREE LANCE
will find it difficult to make the impression
that he is.-Farmer and Fisherman.
We cannot but express surprise at the
utterances Of the Farmer and Fisherman,
because nearly every newspaper that Is
supporting Montague in the First DIS
trict claims to BEDDING SO partly because
of the fact that he was born in Middlesex
and is therefore a First District man.
II he is not First District man, why
does the Northern Neck News and other
papers continue TO ask support for Mon
tague ON such grounds fredericksburg
Star.
With the very pertinent why?
our neighbor heads the above articles
in an issue this week. THE FREE
LANCE could not more cOncisely eX-
press its mystifcation and surprise
at the state OF affairs produced by
the Eastern Shore paper than the
Star has done. Through that sec
ton OF the First District with which
we are thoroughly in touch (between
this city and the BAY we have heard
but two arguments in favor OF Mr..
Montague's candidacy-one, and the
primary one, being that he was born
i'm Middlesex, is related to many peO-
ole down the river and is therefore a
First District man. True, we have
run across some people down there
that think he has no claims upon the
First District, since he left them when
OF tender years and has gone else
where to honor and grow up with
the country. The other reason is the
old cry OF down with the machine.
The sight of this word brings to mind
the reply the other day OF gentle
man prominent in Virginia affairs to
some fellow who blurted out ina
chine" He quietly asked him,
(Which one? The one in, or the one
trying to getin?"
We are DEPRESSING, though. Our
convictions as to Mr.. Montague's
particular locality have never ma
tured, for the simple reason that he
is claimed by his friends there to
be OF the Fifth District, by Rich
Inond ones to be of the Third Dis
trict and by many friends in this
District to be OF the First. We may
be pardoned for past transgresslon
if through our dizziness we failed to
interpret Alright the claims OF friends
and papers in this District. Now the
Farmer and Fisherman comes to up
set us again. Youmust get together,
all you Montague men and papers,
and decide to locate the young At
torney-General 1t sworthy ofnote,
though, that our Eastern Shore con-
temporary, is the first paper in this
District to claim that its champion
does not rlghtfully belong here.