Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1905-06-17

In the last issue of this paper the
offer was made by us to open our
columns for information as to the
methods by which Senator Martln'
unknown as he was to the people OF
Virginia, could win over a man ike
General Fitzhugh Lee, the favorite OF
the people of Virginia and deservedly
80 because of the services he had rem
dered her in peace and in war.
A member of the Drummondtown
Martin Club, as was expected, has ac-
cepted that task and the information
is given by him in another column to
wit: Senator Martins statement here
on last court day-and this was the
only explanation offered by him. No
other, of course, was necessary to
those who follow blindly Mr.. Martin
as some do, but others want more light
and the query, therefore, is pertinent
did that statement unfold the
methods by which he won in the
contest with General Lee. If it did
not, and we submit that no ref
erence was made to them by Mr.. Martin
in his speech, except that he had beer
"exonerated" and "vindicated" by
the Legislature, then the writer of the
article in question had no explanation
to offer and could give none. No one,
perhaps, was more surprised than MI
Martin at his victory over Genera
Lee and if he could not explain it NJ
one of his admirers, of course, coulC
be expected to do so. Mr.. Royal
however, one of the most brilliant
and widely known lawyers in Virgins
has views in the matter, which it ii
fair to give for what they are worth
because of the savage attack made
upon him, as well as for the enlight-
ment of our readers. Those views
appeared in late issue of the Times
Dispatch, in reply to letter of Mr..
Martin and are as follows:
1. Mr.. Martin says it has always
been supposed that l started the
charges in respect to his election to
the Senate in 1853 Nothing could be
further from the fact. was very &C
tive in trying to have those charges
investigated, but / had no connection,
direct or indirect, in originating the
charges.
2. He says a committee of the Leg
islature investigated the charges and
reported that there was nothing IN
them. He is simply utterly mistaken
when he states this. All the testimo-
nv before the committee was taken
down by stenographer, and any one
can read it who wishes to do so. The
committee, as soon as it organized,
adopted resolution providing that
no evidence should be heard unless 1t
bore upon the question whether a
candidate for the United States Sen
ate had done some improper thing.
This resolution was strictly adhered
to. Whenever a witness was about to
say something that the people wanted
to hear. one of Mr.. Martins friends
objected, the objection was sustained,
and the mouth of the witness was
closed. Every one who lived at the
time knows the investigation was a
farce, and that no testimony at all
was allowed upon the charge, which
was that the railroads had raised a
large corruption fund to send into the
negro counties to have men sent to
the Legislature to vote for one of
their tools for the United States Sen
ate. When Mr. Martin says this
charge was investigated, he simply
ignores the facts of the case, and that
is all to be said about it.
8. Mr.. Martin says he was exonerat'
ed by committee composed of men
who were opposed to him. The facts
are as follows:
The committee was composed OF
three Martin men, three Lee men and
one Mckinney man. The real reason
the committee did not investigate the
charges was this. Asevery one knows,
Virginia politics in 1898 were as rotten
as punk. There were no elections in
the negro counties except what the
ballot-box suffers chose to certify.
This was the politics of the State, and
all the politicians upheld it. All the
members of the committee, Lee men
as well as Martin men, agreed that il
would never do to uncover this state
of affairs before the world. So they
determined to let the senatorial mat
ter "go to the demnition bow-wows''
before they would make an exhibit to
the world of what was going on here,
This is why there was no investiga-
ton, and the case is just as l stated
it, that there has never yet been any
investigation of the charges made at
the time.
4. The case is beautifully illustrated
by picture in recent number of the
Literary Digest Uncle Sam shocking
around for reports from the heads Of
his departments. Corporation Com
missioner Garfield steps up to report
on the beef trust He comes as q
natty, nicely dressed little boy, lead
ing an old bull dressed up like man
walking on his hind feet, with brok
en- down old hat on head and ragged
clothes on his limbs. This natty little
boy says:
Eyes, uncle, investigated him,
asked him if he was poor and honest
and he said that he was"
That is the investigation Mr.. Martil
got