Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1904-03-03
THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 1904.
WHAT GEORGE WOULD THINK.

the Z2nd uU', contained All eu"O''@i'
"Should George Return" The article IN
question is a happy description of what
George Washington would see in the way
of progress and development Of the gov
eminent and country of which he justly
won and is sacredly accorded the title,
"Father." Our contemporary opens its
editorial remarks with tie following par
agraph:
Suppose George Washington was per-
mitted to return here to Virginia on this
his birthday. What would he gee? Would
he find in present conditions cause for Joy
or sorrow, pride or pain, in the work done
by himself, his great contemporaries and
bis patriotic followers"
Our contemporary very iruthtuliy de-
clares: Zone thing he would find un
changed is human nature. He would find
here the same types ard varieties of peo-
b. pie, in about the same proportions, the
optimist and the pessinlist, the hustler
and the sluggard, the rash and the tiuaid,
the constitutionally knavish and the con-
itutionaly honest"
1t cannot be denied thatthe same types
of human nature are now here that we're
in existence in the days of Washington.
But it is a disputed question whether
those with evil tendencies and pessimistic
disposition are now in as large proportion
as then. There is a firm belief among
most men that the world has been grow
ing better. lift has not, what has Chris
tan civilization been doing for US?
The News Leader then proceeds to tell
some of the wonderful things George
Washington would find here if he vas
permitted to return. 1t says:
''He would find the republican form of
government which he lett an experiment
grown into success, proved by more
than a century of growth, prosperity and
liberty. He would find his five millions
of people clinging precsrously to strip
of land stretched along the Atlantic and
- LII oxynapIoA To fhon GpUQnfV.
five millions, occupying the continent
from ocean to ocean, from lakes 10 gulf,
and become the most formidable and re
spected of all the powers on the earth in
commerce, in war and In every depart
ment Of human thought, industry and
achievement. He would find a quantity
of things beyond his knowledge or his
Dreams"
No doubt "the father of his country"
would be greatly astonished and pro-
foundly eratifed to find such happy con-
ditions existing here. He would ask how
they have come about, and what means
have been employed to prevent the fulfill
ment of the dark forebodingg of the pessl-
mists (the strict constructionistsl Of his
day as to the perpetuity of the Union
He would find that great civil conflict
had taken place in which unwise. ambi.
tious politicians had endeavored to destroy
the Union of States. But which attempt |
had been defeated by Lincoln and his as
sociates who had accepted and enforced |
the doctrine proclaimed by Washington,
Marshallss Madison, Hamilton, and others
OF that day, that the Union was to be in
dissoluble and the perpetuity Of the gov
eminent was dependent upon its becom-
ing strongly centralized in form. That
is why Washington, to use the words of
the News Leader, would find that: awe
have changed from loosely banded con-
federation of States to union which we
accept as permanent and not to be dis
solved and the powers of the Federal gov.
eminent have been widened and strength.
ened."
George Washington would also find that
insiAtent, repeated efforts had been made
within'the past half century by certain
men and their political followers to de-
stroy the credit of the government by inn
pairing the obligation of its contracts
and the adoption of an unsound currency.
He would find that there has been per-
si.tent, continued effort on the part OF
reactionists, pessimsts and fanatics to
make radical changes, under the specious
pretext of tariff reform, in the industrial
and commercial systems of the nation.
And be would find that even temporary
triumph of those men and an application
of their methods had produced widespread
industrial and commercial disaster, the
very reverse of that which now exists. !
If General Washington should now drop 1
in TO see US he would find the reactionists {
still actively at work. One class is being c
led by Mr.. Cleyeland, the other by Mr..
Bryan. They hold different views on the g
financial policy of the government, but 4
they entertain similar opinions on lite b
and industrial methods. e
Our Richmond contemporary suggests n
that Washington might find some things q