The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1906-06-07

tltultug tDNhrl rplll~fnllDU pl AhIllr~.
must go higher, while we persist in elect
iug Lnaycs and idiots 90 make our Con-
Stitutiou- aud laws. for mo- better rea-
son than that the cauddlt cail- him
self Democrat. or some sOcallrd pu-
mary or nominating convention has
fastened him upon u-. or while We
routiuue 90 hnbiuiato iu the .cstmcnis
oi oilicr the unfit and tie unworthy,
merely because oi political complexion.
A- thi-is already Omnibuscommuu-
cation, crave pardon for crowdlng the
vehicle "a Iitilc 90 pay my respects 10
some of the criticisms riicircd hy nay irt-
Ter oi March 2lth The Free Lance
took the liberty to caption nay article
a Characteristic Letter Ii The Fire"
Lane, means tu say hy It's caption that
] have habit of calling IA spade "A
spade that d0 not bend thr supple
hinges OF my knee hat thrift may follow
iaWniug that -corn to indu .gr poppy
cock. inpiOudlc nr political WhitcWaSh
To- cover up official groit. mcompct'ncy
or corruption. even though IL hc some
Judge al the hraiui some high conmls-
sion who comes to nae loaded ddoWn with
whitewa-h. applied thick and heavy hy
his brother chips ui the bar, with AN cN-
TIA coating iug,u.ou-ly laid un 10y "a
timc-~eryiug prt--. the press that should
b., the hulWark of the people. right. and
liberties. the exponent oi that right
cou-n. which eNaitcth "a nation g,
rather than the base mouthpico Tor
Wickeduas- iu high place- An old iogy.
indeed. / can't understand WHY tile lt-
httle iulh mixed in this mess ol rotten
ness should he Vertmptorly ordered
down and uut while the very head aud
front OF TINS offending gn'~ scot free and
uuwiipt of Justice. Yea, morr. "A l"gi~-
laturp OF time servers ncrcnut to the
trust repo~ed boo DO hy q too coniiding
constituency. absolutely stood for Dis
yindicnlluu over the nport oi It, own
committee. ba-,d ou tie ctd-lirr
brought out by thc investigation. aud
further served notice by itS action upon
every rmploye iu the public service That
the legislative branch ui the state gov
ornmrnt regarded a. trtasonan.r any
charge. however true. against the hral
oi any department by summarIly
di-mi--iug from the public serv-
icr those who diyulg,d the So
crrts. This was tautamOunt To say
ing. "Grait On boys. We have locked and
barred the doors aud turned off the light
from all future investigation. Does
The FIRE. Lance remember to have ap-
pli.I if- editorial whit wash brush M
Lclpiug Co cover up the funk ln tins iuml-
nous and spectacular case, hy ms lnd0r-a-
tion oi the chief and of the action Ol the
legislature. declaring 10 the cleVereSt set
that had convened at Richmond since
Pntrickiticury made his famous liberty
or death" speech While these cOndi-
tiou~ flourish and are applaudrd by the
press and hy the Assembly. the man with
The muck rake II hers 10 stay. being even
more indispensable to The body politlc
than tin. great chief of the nation who
gave utterance To the sentiment. Be
cause there j. muck. the rake l. made IN
disp-n-ahle. There T. no business being
any muck 10 rake Men in official posi-
tiGr should he capable and upright, and
IS hen. If ever this idea becomes hNed
principlr i'm hcadmiui-tratlonO Oi govern
ment. then tire muck rake man viii be-
come. Othrllo-iike. without an occupa-
ton
4 voice from the land of Nod came 10y
way oi criticism 90 the rescue oil The
school officials. "l.iiainee. ] sought 10
on the map the world over. from Cochin.
i'm China. 10 the Panhandle oi West Nir-
ginia found II not. \ friend Informs
me that it is "a little place ont oi doors
tied To n stump in tine wild woods ot
upper Essex. ~ here the whangdoodl
mourneth his first love Far from the
busy crowds ignoble stihe, ndeed.
This young knight OF the gart r, " hose
ladle. in one way or the other, has been
in the soup for lO these many years.
emerges from bis hitherto unkn0wnspot,
where he lay in ambush, and makes a
Quixutic pop gdn foray against iortii-
cation bristiug with the Gatling guns
and Mauser rifles Of solid facts Where
sordid int rest makes it Impossible To
stir n nobler impulse. am Pleased to
have given him curious interest ana M
measurable amusement in the dearth
of his solitude He calls il random scor-
ing" Surely. any old lexicon applied to
nv letter will cOny ince my friend that,
whatever it may be. there is nothing ran
dom in the scoring He seems TO live in
wonderland. and there is nothing won
derinl about his wonder True, that IN
nv pantheon | habor no such gods as
grafters, and having none such within
meet none such without; for, at best, they
are but mytholog cal gods OF my friend :
too fertile fancy; great and good while
they dole out the pittance in some way
or kind. but not very god-like, even to so
Jealous a devotee, when they lose or
cease 10 use for him the junction oi dol
ing. My friend strikes the bulls eye,
without aiming his piece, when he as
sumes these school officials have done me
iniustice. Full many time and Oit, my
friend: but willingly would even up the
score and let bygones be bygOnes, could
we shake loose from the enormous IN
cubus Of taxation, rnearly half Il all the
revenue raised fOr every purpos' }, served
up TO Us rs fry, stew, roast aud u
barbecue; State, county, district ana
capitation, with no adequate results,
demonstrating the wisdom OF this costly
top-heavy concern; it's boasted reason
TO be-. "that it lessons our criminal eN-
penses and fits men for the useful avoca-
tions of liie." This bare-faced cheat, with
an appearance OF plausibiity, needs only
to be confronted W tn statistics to be ex-
pused and unmask,d Compare, il you
please. the five years since 1900 OF our
criminal record, after thirty years OF
the civiIizing influences OF the free school
system. with the 'imnal record OF the
ten years from 1850 to 1860, when there
was no free school system, and you find
the account stands ten times more Grim
inal expense in the five years oi this pro-
cressive century of education than in the
ten years OF the last century, when the
smart Alecks now sporting their brass
watch chains and bad manners in at
tendance at the public schools were then
learning the more useful occupation oil
tiling the soil. This computation does
not embrace the many cases now more
expeditiousIy and less costly disposed OF
by his honor, Judge Lynch, OF which
there is no record. Then let my friend
lift himself by bis boot straps and hur-
rah for our free school system, with its
boasted reason to be. II he has the cheek,
or else cease to cry treason, treason,
when this sacred system, as he thinks 1t,
Il examined critised and held up to ridi-