The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-01-17
absorption $3.50 Per Year in Advance.
THURSDAY...JANUARY II, 1901.
BREW YOUR BROTH.

In the news columns of the Rich
mond Times of late have been vari
Gus references to machine" csndi.
date, machine" rule, and so forth,
snent the gubernatorisl contest
which is now fast waxing hot. TIE
cry has been taken up strenuOusly by
some OF the local papers who begin to
sQuesl before their pet candidate
shows much sign of being squeezed.
We we're surprised to see the usually
conservative Manassas Journal, in
the Eighth District, lose its head as
it did, and more than surprised that a
First District paper, the Middlesex
Sentinel, should talk about the
machine" The Eighth District has
been pretty free of sO-called "ofice"
rule and We do not see that she
stands in any danger of being
squeezed out of Office by the Crust"
The First District has been crying
Office trust and ring rule every time
that Senator Martins name is heard,
forgetting that if there is any Dis
triet in the State hide. bound and
ring-ridden it is our own District. 1t
is no uncommon thing to hear the
one-msn power talked Of in this
District. So if this state of things
be true here-and we are not assert
ing it, but simply giving current
events here in comparison with them
elsewhere - wherefore have our
friends in the Firstan right to throw
stonesf
OF course all this hubbub has
started up because Senator Martin,
it is claimed, is supporting Mr..
Swanson in his laudable ambition to
be Governor of the State. The same
claim is made for Senator Daniel,
and Representatives Hay, Otey. Rhes
and Lsssiter and Representative
elect Maynard. There seems to be
quite large number of other promi.
nent Virginians also who favor Mr..
Swsnson's candidacy and any one of
these might be singled out with equal
propriety as is Senator Martin, and
because Of it Mr.. Swanson might be
styled the machine candidate.
Mr.. Swanson is a young Virgiuian
who has made a good record in the
House, q self-made, self-edueated
man Of talents. His ambition is a
worthy one. he has as good right
as any man TO ask position of trust
at the hands Of the whole State
which, be it remembered, has never
conferred gifts upon him IS it has
done his chief opponent. There is
nothing derogatory to his character
or personal or political reputation
and it is to be commended in some of
Our exchanges who are chewing upon
the machine" business that they are
honest enough to admit this much
saying that they are against him sim.
ply because Senator Martin is for him
The junior Senator is q citizen of
the State, has right to personally
support for Office whom he chooses
and should be commended rather than
condemned if he puts his heart into
that support. He is an ogre in the
eyes of some; in the opinion of the
majority Of V;rginians and the Con-
gress of tne United States he is one
CO the ablest and most cseful men in
that body. But it so happens that
he is never so censurable as when he
casts his lot with some one WHO has
committed the crime of opposing q
pet Of the disgruntled element. Had
he favored the aforesaid pet he would
undoubtedly have been styled the
Savior of the Commonwealth, the
defender of the peoples rights-in
their opinions.
To THE FREE which is
called o Republican paper by some
tender.eyed Democrats and q Demo
cratic one by dyspeptic Republicans,
but withal, as these conflicting
opinions demonstrate, a politically
independent paper-to us all this
ranting seems ludicrous and puerile
in the extreme. Should Republi.
can or Independent charge machine
, rule, Office trust, dishonest elections
and SO on there would bs great
hawl-in time of fraternal peace-go
up from these little fellows but now
they are doing and saying things in
their impetuosity which they swear
by all the gods that sroost on high
Olympus never did occur and never
was true Of the brave and stalwart
Democracy Of old Virginia. A pref
ty tempest in the caldron they some
times brew, isn'titi
"Fair is foul, and foul is fair;
Hover through the fog and filthy air"