The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-06-08


acts, they will gain the confidence of the
business world and will be treated with
more consideration.
SUPPORTING THE CONSTITUTION
Several days ago in commenting ON the
fact that the convention had determined
to proclaim the Constitution. we address
ed few nftectionate words to our broth
err Democrats throughout the State.
This is our convention said The
Times, "and the conventions work is our
work. Let us not find fault with the
work Of our convention Let US stand
by it and instead Of crittcising defend 1t
and Its work against all the assaults OF
the enemy
Our esteemed contemporary, the Spirit
of the Valley, reproduces these remarks
ct ours and adds this comment:
Here we have The Times advising the
Democrats of Virginia to give up their
independence Of thought and to discard
their manhood and their own judgments
and actually to defend measures and
methods which they may be convinced
In their own minds are wrong and detrl-
mental to the general welfare Ihey
are asked to DO this simply on the ground
that the Democratic party is responsible
for the convention and its work.
When before in the whole history OF
Virginia was such doctrine taught by an
honest journal. such as we are bound to
acknowledge The Times to be? But In
these revolutionary times we suppose
we must rot be surprised to hear strange
morals preached.
We have often said that the Spirit of
the Valley is one of the fairest and ablest
of all the Republican newspapers in the
country. and we are somewhat surprised
that SO fair and so able a paper should
take this extreme view. There are some
features of the Constitution to which The
Times was opposed. and we urged the
convention not to incorporate them But
taken as a whole the Constitution. is
one of the best that the State of Vir-
cinia has ever had and we are prepared
to support and defend it. We have sim.
ply asked other Democrats in the State
to do what we are willing to do we
have certainly not asked any Democrat
10 do violence to his conscience. Every
man should be the guardian of his own
conscience andw hme should stand by
his principles in spite of the dictum OF
his party We have preached that doc
trine time and again, and we believe ID
il to-day, as much as ever. The Times
believes in the principles of Democracy
and in the Democratic party. But The
Times advises no man to follow that par
ty blindly, or to follow any party blind
ly, and to support it in course That
he knows to be wrong
But a man who thinks for himself can
not reasonably hope to find a party with
which he is in entire accord on all
questions, and a Democrat may consist
entity support a Democratic platform
which he approves in the main, although
there may be plank here and there
which IS not altogether to his liking
Let us bring this matter home to the
Spirit of the Valley, which is an honest
Republican newspaper and has proven
itself so to be. So far as cur recol-
lection goes, the Spirit of the Valley has
invariably supported the National Re
publican party and the platforms which
it has promulgated, although our contenl-
porary has had the courage and indie
pendence TO take issue with the party IN
Virginia upon occasion. We cannot think,
however, that the Spirit of the Valley
has always been in entire accord with
the platforms of the National Republican
party. Our contemporary has accepted
such platforms as a whole and has adj
vised Republicans to give these platforms
and the ticket nominated by the Nation
AZ Republican Convention their earnest
and cordial support.
We have done no more than this in
urging the Democrats oE Virginia to
stand by the Constitution, for which the
Democratic party is in the main re-
sponsible We can see no reason why
Democrats who approve the Constitution
as a whole should so out Of their way
10 pick flaws in it and to puncture it
with captious criticisms. We go farther
than that The Constitution is now the
law OF the land and it behoovcs all good
citizens to stand by it and uphold it.
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SCHOOL CONTAMINATION.
Our Chester correspondent reports that
Gu -