The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-01-01
A RETROSPECT.

AS the old yea goes out and the new year
comes in, most men are disposed to look back
ward and take account of their acts 1t is
season of reuospecdcn And so in that frame
of mind we have been thinking over the course
and conduct OF Tie Richmond Times, not only
during the past year, but during the past
several years of its eXistenlE. There have
been stormy periods in the career of The
Times and its conduct has been severely crit
z cised upon occasions when all were laboring
under stress OF mind. The Times has made
mistakes, because it is human institution,
and il is human to err. None realizes this
more th-1 those who have directed its policies
and WHO are responsible for its course of ac-
tim, but they have at least the comfort of
knowing that they were actuated by honest
motives, and under the same circumstances
and with the same lights before them, they
would act again in the same way. More than
that, they have the comfort of knowing that
the principles for which The Times has stood
were good an6 true principles, and that the
public policies which The Times has advocated
were, in most cases certainly, the right poll
cieS, as events have proven.
The Times has never failed to proclaim the
principles of Democracy as they were delivered
TO the saints, audit refused to depart from
those principles when the "New Democracy"
with strange principles and policies was Or
gained at Chicago in 1896. Those who have
done us thr honor to read the editorial COL
unrls of The Times from that day to this know
thatT Times has not changed one whit,
vet il is to-day in accord with the dominant
:: Democratic sentiment in this State and the
nation. 1t was only a few days ago that the
Charlottesville Progress, which was a strict
party paper in 1896 and thereafter and ably
and earnestly and honestly advocated the
Chicago platform and supported the Chicago
nominee, came out in a frank and courageous
: article and said that the party had been led
into error and disoredit by the men who were
responsible for the 'New Democracy" and it
was time for the party to repudiate tier lead
ership and their policies and return to the
house of its fathers.
We do not say this in any spirit of vain
glory or self-laudation. 1t was sad and
sorrow.ui day in the household of The Times
when it was compelled to cut away from the
party utilization Of a lifetime. We have no
feeling of boast or brag; but we are gratided
beyond expression that The Times is once
more in hearty accord with the party which II
sincerely loves and honors, yet without hav-
ing changed.
The Times was also censured for raising its
voice against palpable election frauds in Viz
giiiia, and no less for publicly exposing the
fraudulent system. But The Times has no
regrets on that score. 1t believes that il per-
formed a valuable public service when it in
augurated a campaign against a system
which was demoralizng the people, and The
Times is gratifed that public sentiment in this
State to-day demands that the system be
abolished. The Constitutional Convention
was called in response to that demand. The
evershadowing question in the convention is
s.sha suffrage question, the object being to re-
move from the politics of this State every pre-
4texf for fraud and tIicsery at the polls. We
make no boast On this score for anything The
Tines has done to bring about this change
but rather we thank heaven that We were able
to crystaiize public sentiment, which was
long silent, but never dead. More than all,
we rejoice that the day of virginia's deliver
nnce from the body OF this death is at hand.
Ii we know our own heart and mind. We