The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1906-05-17

VA, THURSDAY, MAY IT, 1906.

the resolution introduced, and steadily
INSISTED upon 10y Mr. Jones, in the Nor
| folk Convention, plcdgiug the party
against any dIslrau,hisemeut Of white
voters. Can any OLc believe that the
white voters oi the First district will iail
To use the votes which he did so
much 10 secure fOr them in iayOr Oi their
consistent aud resuute champion? Of
his opponent q public record | have no
criticism To make, but surely tits in order
to ask what hc has To show against the
long list oi Mr.. Jones services, cOmmenc-
ilg when, as n mere school boy, he took
his place IN the ranks oi Virginia defend
ers against invasion aud lasting until
now.
There remains the question of locality,
a subordinate question AT best, anl only
To BE- considered after the primary one
Of capacity To serve the people has been
fully determined lt il obvious enough
that If public office Is really IA "public
trust, and not "a private perquisite, if
the reason Tor its existence lS the benefit,
not of the Oilice-hOldrr but OF the people.
not Oi Il part but OF the whole, then il
would be- absurd L. put the claims Of
individuals or localities in competition
with the general welfare But il all
this should Tor moment be waived and
the matter uf locality taken into consi-
deratiOn, how stand the facts? Cover
nor " lse, and Judge Bayley both from
the Eastern Shore, and, indeed, from the
same county, were in the House of
Representatives, continuously for nearly
IA quarter of "a century. Yet ths long
term Of office was not made a ground fOr
the dismissal oi either. IL was not then
considered that service acc, ptably
rendered demonstrated imcapacty for
further service. Ga the contrary, both
retained the place until one voluntarily
resigned 10 accept diplomatic appoint
mcnt. aud tie other died. During the
war. and Tor nearly five y,ars after,
Virginia bad no Representative IN Wash
ingtUn. but since 1870 two Eastern
Shore men hayese v,d IN the House of
Representatives. each i0r four years.
whllr still. another received the Demo
cratic nomination, and, il he had been
successful. would have given it certain
IL two and almost "a certainly
many more years 81 office. IL appears,
then. that, counting from 1872, and
omlttiug about ten years during which
Virginia was without presentation in
the I : Congress, the counties on the
Eastern Shore have had Member in the
House of Representatives Tor b years
out of 81, or Just hall the time, while the
counties on the Western Shore, including
those added u the First district 10y act
oi the last Legislature, have had one for
only 3 years, an individual from Maine
having occupied a seat from that district
from January, 1870, To March, 1871. II
the population of the counties on the
Eastern Shore and OF those on the
Western Shore is compared. it will be
manifest that the Eastern Shore has had
far more than her prOpJrtiOnate share
of representation.
As regards principles and policies. SO
lar as ! know To the contrary, there can
be- no controversy between the com.
prtitOrs for the nomination. both be-
longing to the same party aud presuma-
bly standing on the same platform. The
only question il rs To which Is likely to
be the best equipped, most efficient and
most influential Representative. An
impartial examination of this question
from every standpoint, with no dis
paragement whatever Of his opponent,
would apper To leave no doubt Of the
decided prepOnderance of the present
Member : claims, and such. | feel conf
deut. will ba the verdict Ot the people.
William Baird.