Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1906-09-13
MR.. sRuce's POLITICAL RECORD.

Just as soon as the Democrats of the
Ninth Congressional District had gulled
Robert S. Bruce into accepting the
nomination for Congress they began to
proclaim him to the world as newly
discovered, brilliant star of the first
magnitude, without one blot on the
face of his political record. The news
papers gushed with praises of the
newly-acquired gem; and Republicans
were astonished that the Democrats
had been content with such little fell
lows as Rhea and Wysor when they
possessed in their midst star of such
brilliancy and purity, one with whom
they expect so easily to dazzle the eyes
and win the votes of Republicans.
1t was announced as most marvellous
that he was few years ago nothing
more than a poor, obscure lad, living
amid the stony hills Of Wise county;
and that by his wonderful gifts and
traits of character he had suddenly
come to the front as an invincible lead
er of men. This gushing continues to
90 on in the columns of the Democratic
press and from the mouths of Demo
cratic "tooters" throughout the dis
trict; but the subject of these gushing
effusions declines to make public avowal
of what he has done and what ne will
do in the political field if the people
should elect him to Congress. As Mr..
Bruce and his friends refrain from say
ing anything about his past political
record, it will be we'll for that record to
be brought to public notice. 1t is linn
tied in extent but unholy in character.
The only time Mr.. Bruce has ever
been known in public life was when he
was in the Virginia State Senate, as
Senator from the district composed of
the counties of Lee, Scott and Wise.
Then those. counties were Republican,
as they are now; but they were made
Democratic by use of the Infamous
Anderson-McCo rmick election law, and
when cheating in the booth and at the
ballot box was in full blast in those
counties Mr.. Bruce as the Democratic
candidate was elected without Opposi-
ton, simply because the Republicans
knew that it would be useless to make
a contest with such dishonest election
laws in operation and with the election
machinery in the hands of such men as
w. D. Smith, of Scott county. Thus
was Mr.. Bruce first brought into politi-
cal notice-not by his own merit, not by
the virtue and strength of his party,
but by the power of dishonest election
laws, operated by a corrupt party ma
chine. If Mr.. Bruce is only half as in
telligent as his present admirers assert
him to be, he knows that this is true.
Having shown how he gained access
to the field of politics, let US now make
some investigation of his political record
as a State Senator. When Mr.. Bruce
was in the State Senate the most i'm
portant political question that has been
known in Virginia for more than fifty
years was under consideration. That
was the question Of calling convention
to make a new constitution for the
State. 1t was during Mr.. Bruce's term
of service that an Act was passed by
the Legislature submitting to the peo-
nile the question of holding such con-
vention: and also an Act ordering an
election of members to the Constitution
al Convention. Upon this question Mr..
Bruce made record which should damn
him politically in the esteem of every
true man in the Ninth District. He
voted for the bill to submit to the peo-
pie the question of holding the conven-
ton, well knowing that the Act was un-
fairly drawn, and that the purpose for
making new constitution was to per-
manently reduce the electorate, both
white and colored, in the interest of the
Democratic party. Then, at the extra
session of the General Assembly in 1901,
when bill was introduced which direct
ed that an election should be held to
elect members of the Constitutional
Convention. Mr.. Bruce opposed and vot-