Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1904-03-24
THURSDAY. MARCH "a, 1904.
OPPOSITION 20 SENATOR MARTIN

From some cause lNeFe BeS recently ne
velopsd rong opposition with the Viz
ginia Democracy toward Senator Thomas
S. Martin. This hos.lityjs beng exhib-
e1 by the attitude If tine Democratic daily
presr, uotaoiy bv the Richmond Timee-
Dispatch, The News Leader, The lynch
burg News and tue Eosuoke Times sad
other r%pers tha, We ca0,n n,suncn. The
defest # tne Ma"heu bil by the act of q
friend Of Mr.. M.'liu ri the chasing hours
of the rerent ss-s'. Of the General AZ
sembN is m3dr pre;eXi for bsgiuniog
campsign against him for reelection
rs Senator from Virginia the Machen
bil was intenl ~ to pr3ci IL for general
primary electiols ia Virgins. with The
syoNed pulosa Of having ne peop.e So.
lect at primaries heir United States Sens
tors a. we'll al important State officers.
THIS iischeu bill VS. merely another
move III the facti mai gone that is being
played Ia ne tNo Dem cratic machines,
one LED b. Montague, he other by Mar
in. That it vas exp. Il or intended TO
insure pure polite. Or To secl-e an h'uest
expression Of iAo SD. oi tue people, as to
their representatives and officers, viii not
be believed 10y any one WHO has given IN
biased attention to the f5ctional combat.
Il was supposed hat such plan as that
proposed by tie M&eLen bill would give
advantage to some individuals connected
with the Montague machine. That being
it's spirit, is it stIaLgs that men on the
other side opposed aud defeated the
measures.
Even if we ere mistaken as to the pur'
pose Of the Machen bill, there is another
potential reason Why Senator Martin and
bis friends should not favor primary
election for choosing United States SEN
ator in Virginia If Mr. Martin is half as
anxious as the friends of the primary plan
claim to be to purify elections in the
Commonwealth, ne would certainly hest
tate to advocate the general use Of that
plan. Intelligent observer and thinker as
be is, he would be forced to see that the
employment of general primary for such
elections will bring a saturnalia Of fraud.
AS one of the representatives from Viz
GINA in that digniied and honorable body
the United States Senate, he ought 10 feel
anxious to keep his State from being fur
ther dsgraced by the fraudulent practices
that have made it notorious under Demo
cratic rule.
If Mr.. Martin was really opposed 10 the
Machen bill, he could justly have Lased
his opposition to it upon the idea that it
would furnish more abundant opportuni
ties and inducements for developing the
we'll defined disposition of the Virginia
y Democrats to cheat each other where no
necessity for robhing Republicans was in
volyed. To sustain binIself in that posi-.
ton he could point to the Democratic
primaries that were held in Norfolk city,
Henrco county and other counties last
Fall. Ire Norfolk primary could he Of
fered as indisputable proof of what could
be expected If general Democratic prlma-
ries were used in the future in this State. |
There was a contest at the primary in that
city between what was called the good |
government party" and the ring faction. |
The fret was supposed to be the Monta-
que faction and for honest government |
and pure politics. The latter WIS regard
ed as friendly TO Mr.. Martin and for dis
honest methods What that good gov
eminent" Montague crowd did for the
'ring" or Martin faction in the way ct
cheating il at the primary has become
matter of general public notorlety We
are told that those people down about
Norfolk and al other points in the eastern
part of the State are very much disguised
with the clamor that Mr. Montague and
his friends are making for reform.
They cali attention to the fact that but for
their stealing the negro vote and counting
il for Montague he would not now be &C.
cuuyng the Gubernatoria chair by virtue
NJ a commission stained with fraud That
fact was made SO apparent by the chsrac-
tsr of the returns at the election in 1901
that they believe Mr.. Montsgue cannot be
unconsclous of it. Believing that he and
his friends have such a knowledge they
can we'll question the sincerity Of the mo- :
tive of Mr.. Montague and his friends
when they cry out against the methods OF
which he has been and is the conscious
beneficiary. 1t also makes them suspect
the integrity Of any such measure as the
mscben bill, coming from the supporters G
Of Montague.
MIR. Martin is shrewd machine politi-
cian and does not pose as a reformer. Mr..
Montague is sly red fox, posing as a