Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-09-21
HANDICAPPED BY
CORPORATE INFLUENCE.
Senator Martin Says He Has Never
Lived il Down.


o. railway prior to my election to
the Senate" said Senator Martin,
sometime ago. 81 have never lived
it down. I never was railroad at
torney enough to hurt" and he
smiled genially at distinguished
gentleman from neighboring State
who has done good deal of corpora
tion work, and who is finding the
fact handicap in his race for u seat
ia the United States Senate.
Notional Committeeman Walsh, of
Iowa, in his open letter published
yesterday, in which he announces
his determination to resign from
the Democratic National Committee,
mentions Senator Martin as having
been member of the Executive
Committee in charge of the Parker
campaign in 1904, coupling his
name with the assertion that prior
to election to the Senate Senator
Martin was the attorney for the rail
road named.
AS matter of fact, Senator
Martin was never more than a local
attorney for the @. & O., at a very
meagre salary. He resigned that
position few days after his election
to the Senate, and has never had a
case for the railroad or any corpora
tion since. He has taken cases
against railroads, including the G.
& o., and year or two ago spent
nine days trying case down in Flu
wanna county, in which he repre-
sented man who had been hurt by
the railroads, and was suing for
damages. Senator Martain recov-
cred several thousand dollars for his
client.
But, as the Senator has remarked
more than once, he cannot escape
the odium attaching, in the minds
of some people, to the positions of
attorney for railroad company.
Senator Daniel was for years coun-
sci for the old Richmond & ALE.
ghany Railroad Company, and has
represented the Southern Bell Tele-
phone, or the American Long Dis
tance Telephone Company, in sew
eral big suits. Only recently Sena-
tor Daniel represented the c. & O..
Railroad Company in suit of
greatest Importance against the New
York, New Haven & Hartford, in
the Supreme Court of the United
States. Yet, Senator Daniel never
receives castigation from anybody
because of his having appeared in
court as the representative of cor
poration.
There are other instances of the
readiness of the people to overlook
the corporate connections of public
men. Hon. Henry Il. Wickham,
general counsel for the q. 81 o. Rail-
way Company, has represented Han
over county in the State Senate for
over twenty years. SO long he has
become the "father of the Senate"
Es-Gov. Montague, at the time of
his election to the attorney-general-
ship, was local counsel for the South
ern Railway, at Danville, the same
l,relative position as that occupied by
Senator Martin with the @. &. o. at
the time of his election to the Senate.
Hon. Eppa Hunton, now of Rich
| mond, was counsel for the Southern
Railway at Warrenton when elected
to the Constitutional Conyen tion,
aud nobody ever thought of question
ing the honor and honesty of this
able and gallant son of Virginia.
This list could be extended to men
who have served the people of the
State with honor to themselves and
to their constituents, and have at
the same time served corporations as
counsel. Senator Martin seems to
be the one chosen to receive all the
criticism.