Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-07-07
POLITICAL SNAPSHOTS.

POLITICAL SNAPSHOTS.
Poor old Virginia. She ie so pow
erty-stricken in brain that she has
only one man who is capable of fill
ing seat in the U. S. Senate! Oh.
Montaguel Thy name is Egotisml
Orange Observer.
1t is all u matter of taste and per-
sonal liberty. If Mr.. Swanson does
not want to drink whiskey or give
wine suppers he need not do so, and
Col. Willard shouldn't get into a
huff about it, either.-Petersburg
lndex-Appeal.
The Chattanooga News seems to
think that, after all, the democrats
may have won decisive victory IN
the presidential election last fall. 1t
looks upon Mr.. Roosevelt as fair
exponent of democratic principles,
at least of two of the leading declar-
ations of that party's national plat
form.
In the good old way which pre-
vailed in Virginia for one hundred
years, governors and congressman
were nominated by conventions.
Then men from all over the State
met, Interchanged views and usually
selected the best men for office, while
therepresentative men from the whole
State in the Legislature assembly,
elected the senator's. Then a man of
sense, even if he was not rich, had a
chance of being elected to office
but it is not so now. Times have
changed-and for the worse.-Alex-
andris Gazette.
Congressman Jones, Of the First
Virginia congressional district, takes
a very sentimental view of politics
and of politicians in assuming that
men-the right kind of men-will
act as judges and clerks of primary
elections for no compensation, or that
they will tumble over each other in
a scramble to get the places at 81 a
day merely for the love Of party and
country. Men can be had on both
conditions, but in exceptional in
stances only will they be men of abil-
ity aud character in whom the voters
and the public generally will have
confidence. The primary system
should not be jeopardized by skin
flint policy in the payment of elec-
tion officlals.-Index-Appeal.
There is a speck of war about the
size of mans hand-or shall we say
three fingers of it-on the horizon of
the gubernatorial campaign, but it
blazes fiery red and threatens to
destroy the peace and good will which
has heretofore so happily illum-
mated that part of the campaigns
armament this year. Mr.. Swanson
has been quoted as saying; eff you
want q drinking Governor, if you
want Governor that will give wine
suppers and devote his time to social
functions, don't vote for me-" Mr..
Willard infers that the affirmative
of this applies to him, and hotly
says he means to maintain the old
| time hospitality of the White House
of Virginia if elected. AS for Judge
Mann, he just simply smiles and
says nothing.-Petersburg Appeal.
An ardent partisan wrote the
Times Dispatch that Senator and
Mrs. Martin had spent Sunday a,
their home at Scottsville driving
out and calling upon President
Roosevelt. who had lately purchased
a home in the vicinity. The Sena.
tor, as usual, ignored the mean in.
sinuation, but Rev. Thomas r
Baker, pastor of Mr.. Martins
church, wrote an indignant letter tc
the Times Dispatch, saying Senator
aud Mrs. Martin called at the par
sonage, then went to church and
later visited the Senator's aged
mother, and did not call or see tht
President. The bitterness with
(which the Senator's enemies have
waged this campaign will after
while be recalled with much sham,
and regret by Virginians. And tt
think, too, that it is the first of tn,
primary elections and the Apostle
of purity and primaries is the mar
to put it under such ban.