Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1901-11-21
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 81, 1901.
WRelNIA'S POLITICAL FUTURE.

of our State you will see very little to en-
courage hope for clean and honest poll
tics here in the near future. The machine
which has been dominating the State has
so corrupted political ethics that honesty
is no longer considered virtue and fraud
is not looked upon as vice. Artful and
conscienceless demagogues have wrought
UPON the fears of the white voters in VIZ
ginia and secured their consent to, or &C.
ouiescence in, methods that if applied to
anything else than politics would shock
the sensibihties of the average honest citl'
zen. Even as it is, there has been great
schock to the honest voters of the State
by the open confessions of fraud, though
those confessions have been coupled with
the excuse or pretense that existing con-
ditions made the frauds necessary.
With the fraudulent methods OF Inc
machine Democracy exposed, there arose
q great clamor for reform. In response to
the demand, so .called reform movements
were started. The first was that which
was known as the "May Conference"
that ultimately engineered the Martin
Daniel machine out and put the Montague
Willard machine in. And it has come to
pass that, whereas in former days the rule
was that ''none but Martin men need sp'
ply" it now is that "none but Montague
men need apply" This Montague reform
movement resolved itself into change of
leaders but not of methods. At
the recent gubernatorial election the
same methods prevailed, and frauds
upon the ballot box and disgust
we're ali that saved Montague from defeat.
lie is not today the honest choice of the
people of Virginia. An analysis of the
vote cast in the State on the 9th will prove
this. Mr.. Montague owes bis election to
the possibilities of the Walton election
law. and his reform movement has become
the controlling power in Virginia with the
assistance of the machine methods it pre-
tended to abhor. The other reform
movement is the Constitutional ConVen'
ton. This convention was demanded as
the only remedy which could be found or
suggested for the destruction of the cor
rupt election methods that we're admitted
to be destroying the moral tone of Virgin:
ia. For this reason the people were called
upon to order the convention, but it was
dered by vote obtained corruptly and
thus became tainted thing at the inc ep-
ton.
VIII IN the Convention assembled it was
proclaimed to be body representing the
intelligence, Integrity and virtue of the
State. The people were led TO believe that
it was composed of such brainy and patri-
otto men that its work would be n-parti'
san IN directed to furthering the welfare
of all citizens. Five months have passed
since the Convention first assembled, and
there has been nothing accomplished
which is in keeping with the character OF
its asserted ability or of its nor. partisanry.
The Convention is nearly soidly Demo-
cratic in its membership; and at every
step of its proceedings has shown an eager
spirit to strengthen the hold OF the Demo-
cratic PARTY. rather than advance the in
terests of all the people. The suffrage
question has been treated i'll such a way
as to show conclusively that the object of
the constitutional reform was not to get
rid of dishonest elections, out merely to
change The manner of practicing fraud.
When the majority report of the Suffrage
Committee was given to the Convention 1t
was discovered to contain provisions that
were more obnoxious than any in the
Walton law, but that report was the handi'
work of those who have been proclaimed
the brainiest and purest men in the body.
The understanding clause" of the major
ty report is now being denounced by most
of the leading Democratic papers, and
even Major VIM. A. Anderson, attorney
general elect, and author Of the Anderson
Mccormick election law, has been loud in
his denunciation of the measure. This
shows the drift, the tone and disposition
of the Constitutional Convention in the
way of reform and honesty in politics.
There is not much in sight, from these
two reform movements of the Democracy,
to encourage conservative citizens to hope
for cleaner politics or honest elections in
the near future.
ALREADY TAINTED. /