Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1905-07-20
WASHING THEIR DIRTY LINEN.

the unbroken and unbreakable power of
their party in the State or they are be-
coming desperately angry with each
other. AS the campaign progresses they
seem more inclined to wash their dirty
linen before the public, and the wash is
constantly increasing in bulk. Hereto
fore, Democratic candidates and lead
ers in the State have not been disposed
to act in this way. Even where they
were not friendly, personally, or had
personal grievances to resent, they
kept the soiled linen of each other con-
cealed from the public gaze and did not
pollute the political stream by washing
their dirty clothes in its waters. This
concealment was practiced in the inter-
est of the party; and all hands used the
whitewash brush when it became neces-
sary to protect the Democracy from
censure.
In the US. Senatorial contest, where
in Hon. Thomas S. Martin and Cover
nor A. j. Montague are the rival can
didates, the first charges and expo
sures were made. Governor Monta-
que and his friends conceived the idea
that his candidacy could be strengthen
ed by assaulting the record of Senator
Martin, and especially by calling atten-
ton to the manner in which they claim
ed he had defeated Fitzhugh Lee and
other Democratic candidates for United
States Senator. They began to charge
that Martin and his friends had de-
bauched the Democratic legislature of
1898, and by frauds upon the ballot box
secured enough supporters in that legis-
lature to gain the Senatorship. Cover
nor Montague has taken up and is US
ing that charge against Martin, and,
we are informed, in his speech at Taze-
well on the 18th inst, reiterated it.
w. L. Royal, who has at times fig
ured very conspicuously as a Demo
crat in the politics of Virginia, gave an
interview bearing upon this matter
which was published in the Richmond
News Leader of the 18th inst. In that
interview Mr.. Royal expressed his
hearty approval of Mr.. Montague's
statement made in a recent speech at
Martinsville, when he said that May
tin did not overcome General Lee, but
cut under him." Mr.. Royal said;
'To us the case is this: In 1893 the
railroads raised corruption fund with
which they debauched the legislature
by sending it into the negro counties to
have the ballot boxes stuffed and have
men sent to the legislature who would
vote to send Martin to the Senate to
represent the railroads instead of rep
resenting the people of the State of
Virginia"
This is a pretty serious accusation
and one which Martins Democratic
foes are using freely to injure him. Re-
publicans as we'll as Democrats know
that the corruption fund referred to
was raised and used in the negro coun7
ties just as Mr.. Royal says. 1t was
also used in some of the white counties,
even in the Ninth Congressional Dis
trict. General Fitzhugh Lee was
witness before the legislative commit
tee that investigated this charge in
1893, and his testimony disclosed the
fact that he knew of the existence of
the corruption fund; that he helped to
raise it by soliciting subscriptions aasng1
with the State chairman of his party,
J. Taylor Ellyson, who will be the Dem
ocratic candidate for Lieutenant-Gover-
nor; and that he Nee) had endeavored
to manage the placing and using of said
corruption fund.
While attempting to besmirch Sen
ator Martin by charging that he de-
bauched a Democratic legislature, his
accusers besmirch themselves and their
party. The corruption fund was a
Joint one, but Martin was a '1eetle"
sharper than the other fellows and got
most of the benefit from the fund. The
moral turpitude of one faction is as
great as that of the other. Besides, as
Senator Martin claims, the Democrats
who were hostile to him in the legisla-
ture of 1898 condoned the offense of
which they now complain, because
they were afraid it would injure their
party to have the vicious methods they
used at general elections exposed. The
man who compounds felony is as
guilty as the one who commits it, es-
pecially so when the compounder acts
from selfish, immoral principle. The
same kind of methods that were used
in the negro counties in 1893 were en-
ployed in 1901, when Andrew Jackson
Montague secured the counting of large
vnaiorities from the negro counties and