Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-08-04
OLD FASHIONED PATRIOTISM.
An Imaginary Grafton by Governor
MONTAGUE.
(From Frederioksburg Journai.)

no WluCuesteE EVenibS QUAR- puO
fishes q clever satire entitled
Montague Oration," which we re
print below. 1t is the best produc
ton of the campaign up to thi
time judged from an impartia
standpoint and purely upon it
merits.
Now if one of Governor Monta
gue's friends has written anything
as amusing on Senator Martin. jus
pass it along. The Journal will be
glad to give the other side hearing
A MONTAGUE GRAFTON.
Staff Correspondent of The Star
Lickskillet, June ID. = GovernoI
Montague arose early and having
according to custom consulted
his dictionary and carefully connet
the latest edition of "Phrase nuC
Fable" announced himself ready fo,
the days work.
The Governor was booked to max,
the annual address at the commence
ment exercises of the public schoo
at Lickskillet. The pupils, of whom
there were seventeen, of both sexes
listened to the orator with open
mouthed attention. The Governor
was in splendid trim and his effort
was entirely worthy of the occasion
and the audience. The Governor
said in part:
81 desire to say, fellow citizens
that | am the only living protagonisI
of the Revival of Old Fashioned
Patriotism. l do not believe in new
fashioned patriotism. New fashioned
patriotism is not ideal, it is not
consecrated, nor is it consistent
with the finer and higher attitudes
of civic righteousness. 1t ia the
patriotism of the grubworm, with
none of the inspiring beauty of the
butterfly; the patriotism of a plain,
common man, who believes it his
duty to work for his constituents
aud to obtain practical results.
''The State of Virginia is cursed
today by the presence in the United
States Senate of a represen tatiye of
this new fashioned patriotism. This
man, Martin, who selfishly refuses
to give me his seat in the Senate, is
one of the worst exponents of this
new fashioned patriotism. He even
goes to the extent of securing appro-
priations for his constituents. he
busies himself with such sordid
matters as making great seaport of
Norfolk, with improving the com
mercial facilities Of the city of Rich
mond, aud with securing for Vir-
ginia churches financial recompense
for war spoiiiation. And, worse than
all this, he so far forgets the true
dignity of the statesman as to an
swer promptly all letters written to
him by his constituents.
"He also runs to the department ts
In Washington and trausacts busi-
meas in their behalf; and, to crown
all, he admits that he is loyal to his
friends.
"Fellow citizens, ] demand that
you rebuke thia man, Martin, by
electing Me in his place. promise
you here and now that l will do
none of these things. You have all
heard how the youthful Hannibal,
standing at the altar of his gods,
swore eternal enmity to Rome, so /,
at very early age, swoie that the
State of Virginia owed me a living
and am going TO get it.
''To this end continually devote
my Old Fashioned Patriotism, as to
which | am now personally conduct.
ing revival; my CIVIC righteous
ness; my Christian citizenship and to
this great end / also consecrate nv
social service.
''lt is for this that / have con-
stantly demanded the Democratiza-
tion of the public schools. and it is
for this that | am here today, that
| was elsew here yesterday, and will
be some other place tomorrow.
"Do not misunderstand me, good
friends. | do not intend to do any
work save to exercise my heaven born
gift of beauteous speech. | never
worked and never will, but | will
make such lovely orations in the
Senate that the Senators will gather
around me as the bewitched animals
did about the divine Orpheus. and
l will tell them in words of sweet
ness and light of the beauties of civic
righteousness, of Christian citizen
ship, of social conservation, and of
Old Fashioned Patriotism. Then
will these hoary sinners, one and all,
leave their evil ways and dwell with
me in the sweet contemplation of
virtue.
"And now, fellow citizens and chill
dren, wish to call your attention to
a few profound and original thoughts.
If you will always keep all of the ten
commandments, you uwill never at any
time break one Of them. If you want
good roads you can have them, pro-
vided you build them. Another pro-
found and interesting thought! You
can have good schools if the taxpay-
ers contribute enough money and
the teachers are good teachers and
the scholars are diligent students.
"Remember that / am in favor of
opening the door of the White House
to every male boy, and the door of
hope to every female girl. But,
ABOVE all things, remember that am
the only living statesman who is
worthy to wear the shoes of Rives and
the hat Of Hunter"
The Governors grafton was fire.
quently punctuated with applause,
aud at its close he received an oya-
ton. The children fairly fell over
each other in their Efforts to grasp
his hand. A little incident occurred