Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-04-10
NOW WE SEE THROUGH A GLASS
DARKlY,

NOW WE SEE THROUGH A GLASS
DARKLY.
Mr.. Carter Glass of Lynchburg, who
has been elected to fill the unexpired
term of the late Major Peter j. Otey
in Congress, has been in Washington
and like many other fresh statesmen
saw a newspaper reporter while there.
Fond indeed are members of Congress
of airing their views. When Congress
is not in session it makes little differ
ence, they talk any way and Away.
Some people think it is to hear them
selves talk, but a deeper and graver
reason may be assigned. The reason
is, because many at these M. G. think
wisdom will die with them. Mr.. Glass
does not seem to be an exception to
this rule. Below will be found some
sentiments which have caused
the county to hold its breath in awe.
After airing himself voluably on the
subject of the senatorial problem in
Virginia, he is quoted as saying:
''No, Mr.. Bryan has no political
friends in Virginia nowadays. My
paper was the only one in Virginia that
gave him cordial support in 1896. but
/ did not believe then that he was the
man who really ought to have been
nominated. The Democratic party
has suffered three great reverses. which
have come near anpihilating 1t as a
national organization. One of these
was the civil war, another Mr.. Cleve-
land, and the third Mr. Bryan. Mr..
Cleveland wrecked the party by going
to one extreme and Mr.. Bryan by going
to the other extreme, although between
the two Mr.. Cleveland is far prefer.
able
This was said 10 reporter of the
Washington Post, which hates Bryan
with an implacable hated, and is al
ways trying to make rent in Demo
cratic ranks. There was no necessity
for this fling on the part of Mr.. Glass,
it was very gratuitous and wholly at
variance with the real conditions.
The party was wrecked THREE times
says Mr.. Glass. Once by the War ,once
by Cleveland and once by Bryan. Two
of these occasions seem to be correct,
the War and Cleveland. But as Mr..
Bryan took up the party where Mr..
Cleveland laid it down, and as Mr..
Cleveland had wrecked it, Mr.. Bryan
must have found a wreck when be got
hold of it, so as wreck is a wreck. just
as rotten egg is rotten egg, we
fail to see how Mr.. Bryan could have
done much wrecking. The logic of Mr..
Glass, therefore, is faulty, if the as
sertion was not in itself direct con-
tradiction and Unsupported by fact.
Cleveland, whom he prefers to Bryan.
helped demolish the wreck after it fell
into Bryan g hands, and we doubt very
seriously if Mr.. Glass and his news
paper, which he says was ''only one in
the State which supported Bryan"
did not support Bryan largely after
the Cleveland plan. We do know that
Mr.. Glass's paper, the Lynchburg
News. seemed very hard to get into
line for silver, and got out of line as
soon after the election was over as
possible.
No Democrat thoroughly identified
with the cause of silver will ever put
Grover Cleveland ahead of Bryan for
any purpose, no Democrat who be-
lieves in party fealty will ever mention
them in the same class, and no sensi-
BILE man in Virginia who wants to see
Democrat elected president will ever
talk Cleveland to the masses at all.
Mr.. Glass ought to go outside of
Lynchburg and talk to the people, he
may change his mind about Bryan's
friends. He may, however, think
himself the only politician in Virginia
and as he Is no friend of Bryan IS, then
Bryan has no friends. This may be
the size of it. Ii he will wait till the
next national convention meets, he
will see whether Bryan has any friends.
We assert now and here that in that
convention the name of Cleveland will
be hissed and the name of Bryan cheer
ed-Mr. Glass to the contrary notwith-
standing. 1t Is poor policy for Demo-
Gratis to fling at Bryan and expect sue
cess. After the wreck made by Cleve-
land OF the party. after all of his
treachery. after all the money and
corruption which money could bring,
after the disloyal support of many |
Democratic leaders. and many news
papers, in which number MI. Glass
places bis own, when he says, 81 did
not believe Bryan ought to have been
nominated" the peerless and wonder.
full leadership of Bryan carried the
party within a stones throw of victo,
ry, and he assembled more voters about
him by million than Grover CIeve-
land ever got. Talk then of Bryan
wrecking the party. When the wreck
Oh a party that Cleveland and his dis
loyal followers had made was turned
over to Bryan be could not wreck such
.. heap OF scrap. He led It's disorgan.
zed ranks in the greatest battle of
modern times and but for traitors in
'amp would have won glorious vic
;ory.
We cannot close this NEST interest
ng account of the peregrinations of
his new Congressman about Wash h
ngton without adding bit of lost
history which but for Mr., Glass and
he Post. would have remained forever +,
ost. but which by their superb uman g
'ffOrts has been snatched as a brand >
rom the burning. They tell further !
N in that interview how, in the con- r
ention of 1896, be, Glass, dealt a solar !,
lexus to Tillman, and how Tillman I