Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1905-06-01
THURSDAY, JUNE l, 1905.
a POLITICAL MAS0UERADER.

utilize the tragic death OF fltznugn
Lee as a means for advancing his, the
formers, interests as candidate for
the United States Senate. The very
first speech the Governor made after
his recovery from his recent illness, and
since the death of General Fitz Lee,
was delivered at Bedford City on Mon
day, the 22nd of May.
The Lee influence continues to be a
mighty one in Virginia; and the Gov
ernor has artfully determined to appro-
pirate that influence for his own pOlit-
ical advancement. He knows that the
Lee men have not forgotten or for
given the defeat of Fitz Lee for the
United States Senate by Thomas S.
Martin. The blow was unexpected and
staggering, and was resented as an i'm
pertinence by those who worship at
the Lee shrine. The sudden and sad
death of Fitz Lee at this time furnishes
to the crafty red fox" an opportunity
as fortunate as that which came to
Mark Antony through the assassina-
ton of julius Caesar. The speech of
Mr.. Montague at Bedford was as art
fully spoken as was that delivered by
Antony over the dead body of his
"sweet Caesar" No doubt Mr.. Monta-
que was thinking of Mark Antony's re-
marks while he was speaking. No
doubt he could hear Mark saying:
eff you have tears, prepare to shed
them now.
You all do know this mantle: remem-
Der
The first time ever Caesar put it on.
Look, in this place ran Cassius' dagger
through:
See what rent the envious Casca
made:
Through this the well-beloved Brutus
stabb'd;
And as he pluck d his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Caesar fOllow'd
it."
Good friends, sweet friends, let me
not stir you up
To such sudden flood of mutiny.
come not, friends, to steal away your
hearts:
1 tell you that which you yourselves do
know;
Show your sweet Caesars wounds, poor
poor dumb mouths,
And bid them speak for me; but were
Brutus,
And Brutus Antony, there were an
Antony
Would ruffie your spirits, and put a
tongue
In every wound of Caesar, that should
move
The stones of Rome to rise in mutiny. "
Though not as brilliant and wonderful
writer as the immortal Shakespeare,
who wrote the above quoted lines in the
tragedy of Julius Caesar, Mr.. Montague
had his words adroitly prepared for the
stirring peroration wherein he referred
to Fitzhugh Lee in his speech at Bed
ford. He spoke of him as:
IA man who was known in every
nook and corner of the hemisphere,
whose white plume had waved in the
mouth of belching cannon in every war
of his age, who kept the name of Lee
unspotted and unblemished as a rich
heritage for his children, and who was
recently laid to rest in the soil of his
fathers; he, too, fellow citizens, had
his hopes and ambitions crushed for an
inexperienced and unknown man,"
That man was Thomas Staples Martin.
If Montague could have held up the
political mantle of Fitz Lee before the
excited throng he was addressing, and,
pointing with his finger at place, said,
Gin this place ran Tom Martins dagger
through his masquerading would have
been complete, and the people Of Bed
ford, like the citizens of Rome, would
have cried out: "We'll mutiny. Well
burn the house of Tom Martin"
Was it sincere love for Fitz Lee,
awakened while he was living, or rever-
ence for his memory, now that ne is
dead. that caused Mr.. Montague to pay
such a glowing tribute to him; or was
it occasioned by desire to win the sup
port of the Lee following that continues
to hate Tom Martin because he defeated
their hero for the Senate? The future
will disclose. Immediately after C@-
sar's assassination Mark Antony de-
clared:
'sThat l did love the, Caesar, o, tits
true:
If then thy spirit look upon US now,
Shall it not grieve the dearer than thy
death,
To see thy Antony making his peace, |
Shaking the bloody fingers of thy
foes?"
After the coming Democratic prima-
nv is over, If Andrew Jackson Montague
=. .,.v.,;,,ofod fo,. TT g Senator he will