Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1905-06-23

4
of another situation as | am of thi
situation, l would go to Atlantic Git
this summer and to Europe next fall
A little poem which once wrote, if
could here repeat, would express my
views of the situation, but one of th,
10 verses will give an idea of thu
motif. The entitle is Envy, it run.
thus;
Shall he who earns crown by honest
toll,
Be shorn thereof. by enviOusness or greed
Snail labor well performed, be held q
spoil,
On which thief may spring, or worth
| less gluttOn feed
Alb no, the gods forbid. Upon that
brow,
The crown so sat" shall sit as now,
And Envy with her cohorts Greed and
| Lust
Shall be dethroned, and trampled in
the dust.
l am one of the best friends Tom
Martin ever had. l have stood by
him through thick and thin. | know
they said there was a secret influence
at work when he was first elected, but
it could never be traced to him or
proven that be knew anything Of it. l
know he got into the silver band wagon
in curious way, when the State con-
vention met here in Staunton in 1896.
l was ashamed of the way he rolled in
and left us all standing by the road
side with our mouths open. He had
been chairman of our gold bug meet
| ing the night before, and be left us
high and dry next day. Still l Can It
go back on Tom Martin. I've got my
money up on him. l often thought
would write poem about how
Tom Martin went to silver, in the
maWnin,"
and | may do it yet because it has
been told in prose in many funny ways,
but never in poetry that | know Of"
At this our reporter fled lest the other
eighteen verses on Envy might be
forth Gaming, with q few additional
ones on the changes made by Martin
In the maWnln."
CHANGING by this time to be in the
banking quarters of the town and see
ing persons go in and out with huge
wallets, he sought to drive the vision
of the sad poet from his mind by in
teryiewing some one who carried a
wallet and one of those large pass
books. so goodly to behold, and which
ought to make the owner wear happy
smiles. Stepping up to one OF the gen-
tlemen inside a bank wherein were
tiled floors, marble wainscoting and
mahogany counters, he asked, Can
you spare few minutes ~ ''Yes, !"
said the gentleman. "Will you kind
ly," said our reporter, tell us what
you think is the senatorial situation
at this time 3'' ''Well, "said he, there
is some difference of opinion" with
this he drew the reporter into one OF
the small rooms of the bank set apart
for the officers. Take seat" said
he. Now what is it you want TO
know 7" II want to know" said The
reporter, what you think of the sen
atOrial situation ?" do you mean
State Senator" said the gentleman
gravelY and in a sort of stage whisper.
"Oh, no." said the reporter, Il have
just heard all about that from Capt.
-, that is easy. | want to get
some light OF the U. s. Senatorial sit
uation." ''Oh, yes" said the gentle
men. well there are many reasons
which lead me to believe there is doubt
as to the result. l don It say doubt ex-
actly because there ought not to be
any doubt since the people of Augusta
and Staunton are well informed on
most questions, but you know some
times they get wrong on vital ques-
tions, and inasmuch as there is now a
sort of prohibition sentiment being
injected into the campaign as there
was some years ago, there are, or
might be, causes tending TO dis0rgan-
difficult to hold them exactly together
on some of the vital issues. Since the
campaign of prohibition some years
ago, rather needlessly waged, but
from which the people have, l think,
recovered, if the opposing candidates
have not, our leading men are more
skeptical as to results than formerly
and wisely take nothing for granted.
There is strong Martin feeling in this
State senatorial district and there is
also much Montague strength, The
consensus of opinion being that one or
the other will have decided majority
on the evening of the I'D of August.
just how this opinion has been arrived
at l am unable to say. though | share
it myself to some extent"
wv ere you In Richmond at the meet
ing of the State Committee last week ?''
asked our reporter. "Well now that
needs explanation. Some say l was,
others assert as positively that | was
not, but inasmuch as it is question
of small Importance you need not say
anything about that for publication,
or in any wise quote me on the subject,
though | was in Richmond last week,
that much you may put down.
''Was any one from Staunton men
tione as chairman of the committee
after the committee met, if you
know ?"
THAT is another question which
needs some explanation. Mr.. EllysOn
at first thought he would not serve,
then he changed his mind and thought
he would serve. After his mind got
through with The changes the chair
manship was not discussed. 1t be-
came apparent that for certain pur-
poses the committee could not be in :
proved on, certainly rs to chairman
and secretary. Two thirds at least of