Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1905-10-27
FOR STATE SENATOR.
EDWARD ECHOLS.
JUDGE LEWIS ON THE DEFENSIVE.

Judge L. l.. Lewis, Republican can
didate for Governor, spoke in Staun.
ton on Monday. The speech was not
a taking one, because much of it was
devoted to defending himself from at
tacks on his previous record, and to
national issues.
Judge Lewis has had nothing to do
with great national questions. If the
government is prosperous. and the
people happy, and the laws good, no
credit can be given Judge Lewis for
this beyond the kumblest citizen black
or white who voted the Republican
ticket. He brought about none of it.
The people of this country will be apt
to render unto Caesar the things that
are Caesars and not reward Judge
Lewis for what others have done, even
admitting all has been done Judge
Lewis claims, which they do not admit.
1t is the policy of the Republican
candidates in Virginia to point to ma
tiOnal affairs almost solely, because
they dare not point to State affairs, as
administered by the Republican party.
Judge Lewis defends himself against
the crimes of Reconstruction by the
plea of infancy. saying that be was
just p years of age then and was at
the University of Va. The Reconstruct
ton period lasted more than one year,
SO if Judge Lewis was q when it be-
gan as he must have been, where was
he during the war, and where was he
during other years of Reconstruction
But leaving out that period there are
enough incidents IN the life and politi-
cal record of Judge Lewis after that to
unfit him to be Governor Of Virginia.
The charge that Judge Lewis was
opposed to any law in Virginia making
it crime for white people and negroes
to ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS as it is
called in the law books-is well verified
by Judge Geo. J. HundleY who heard
him so declare himself. Judge Lewis
is trying hard to explain this away,
and pleads statute of mental limita-
ton with regard to it. He says he had
forgotten that he and Judge Hundley
had the joint debate. II this be so it
is needless to try to recall what he
said in the debate, if he cannot remem-
Der the debate itself. He defends him.
self further by saying that he was af-
forwards chosen Judge of the Supreme
Court of the State, and nothing was
said about his position on the subject
of mescigenation. Afterward he was
elected president of the Va. Bar Asso.
citation and nothing was said. This
argument is not up to the standard.
In the first place Malone selected him
for his ermine on the Supreme bench,
and with his party at that time the
thicker the white man was with the
''nigger" the more acceptable and bet
ter qualified he was for the place.
What was the use of Democrats kick
ing. This was Legislative and not
general election which put. j Judge Lew
is on the bench. There was enough
else to talk about of impending dan
ger affecting the whole body polite
then, to leave out matter which |
could affect personally only a small
portion of the community.
When the election to the presidency
OF the Va. Bar Association came on
the lawyers of the State only were
voting, and they are apt to know before
whom their cases are to go. Judge
Lewis was then president OF the Su-
preme Court and it would have been
suicidal in them to make any charges
against man who might sit in judg-
ment upon their interests. Lawyers
are like everybody else full of human
nature, hence the fact that they did
not cry out against Judge Lewis argues
But it is known of all of us that
when the Black and Tan Malone con-
Vention) was held in Staunton in Sept.
$50, Judge Lewis was here. Report
Jays that the Va. Hotel dining room
vas filled with negroes and whites eat
ng and drinking together, and that
Judge Lewis was in that dining room. (,
NE public was shut out 80 that all
Tas not seen or heard, it was a star Z,
hamber proceeding. But when affairs t
oil "a