Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-06-01
NORTHERN NECK
PRESS FOR MEARS,
Two of the Three Newspapers in
Four Counties Of the Northern
Neck Oppose Jones. His own
Paper the only one Supporting
Him here.


ported last year Senator Martin and
are found this year supporting Mr..
Mears, the opponent of Mr.. Jones. |
Each of the two gives distinct and diff
ferent reasons for opposing Mr.. Jones'
denomination, and their support of Sem
ator Martin does not figure in these
reasons at all. The Northern Neck
News, at Warsaw, Richmond county,
Mr.. Jones' home, is the only one sup
porting him. The Colonial Beach Prog
ress, Westmoreland county, and the
Virginia Citizen, Lancaster county, are
out for Mr.. Mears Here are some ex-
tracts from two column editorial re-
Gently in the Progress:
PERPETUITY IN PUBLIC OFFICE.
We urge upon the voters of this dis
trict in exercising their choice of men
that neither Indifference nor personal
favor De allowed to carry their vote in
the wrong direction. That Mr.. Jones
and Mr.. Mears are men of the highest
standing no one properly informed will
presume to question. All considered.
all then said and done, the query OBJ
trudes itself: ''how about leaving well
enough alone?" For answer, it is well
TO rise above the level of nearby things
that our memory may be stimulated
and our eyes directed, first. towards
the wellchosen things of the past;
second, to the ascertained things of the
present; third, to the untried issues of
che future. Through this means we
discover the accuracy or inaccuracy of
| the position of men and things, and
| from the first two positions we find
that the tenure of public service is to a
greater extent than ever before held by
the citizen in the hollow of his hand:
while the next, and POSSIBLY the strong
est, feature to attract our attention is
the wisdom of the current law of our
land that opposes perpetuity in public
office. That it was menace General
washington had no doubt, and for
higher authority think we need look
no further. His opposition to it was
taught as well by his precept as by his
exalted practice. l do not presume to
| say that Mr.. Jones will rise with forty
mortal murders on his crown and push
us from our Stools but do saw that
he is mortal, and being so, he is in the
dangerous position of ''the eagle tower
ing in his pride of place" Even this
bold bird came to his end through the
mouse OWL" But not so with the
Il PdOhS cCANdilL WIN has Tile CONVICTION OF
| the absolute security in office. The men
who put him there he is prone to regard
as mice, to gambol about in his pretty-
| cage and turn his wheel of fortune;
and that this security, be il public or
private, is rather bane than stimulus
| TO highest zeal, is demonstrated i'm
every walk in life, and, being as nature
| fortunately made US, most favorably
disposed towards our individual virtues.
we quickly learn to think that the lob
has no wright to exist, or could indeed
not exist, should we cease to hold it up,
rather than to ''hold it down." and
when once job falls into this predica-
ment the crepe is on the door and the
coffin nearby. Is Mr.. Jones immune
from this characteristic of the human
tamilyY Is there no record of the new
broom" in his life's history? Has he
always, and at times ''swept" as clean
In the last stage as in the first?
Long experience in office, we are
told, breeds the highest efficiency. Is
this always so? Is not the contrary
often the case? The written and unwrit-
ten historyo of men abundantly disproves
1t. Does MIR. Jones prove the rule by
his exception thereto? His supporters al
lege that ne has done much for his con-
stituents and his district This is not
denied. During the Civil War bold
and turbulent spirit suggested that a
new general had better take charge of
the Union army else there would soon
be no army to care for. General Grant.
st. Louis wood monger, was expert
mented with-we know what happened.
Here is lesson for a sort of trial trim
exchange, and it worked to perfection.
Does the fact that Mr.. Jones has done
well forever preclude the idea that
some other man can be found who
might, by stretching the possible, do
little better! Because our crop did
well last year in one field, must this
held go IN corn again? Not SO. We
rotate; life is a series of rotations. 1t
may be suggested that a corn field and
man are not the same thing, Just so:
but field put in corn sixteen years
hand-running is likely to give us nub-
bins. So the man sixteen years in
| office may, and they often do, fail to
respond to the inoculating bacterium of
public opinion. The long term man is
often pregnant with the idea that what
| they have done in the past is the fixed
criterion by which we must Judge of
their future and more abundant service.
ms often fails us. Mr.. Jones' past is
mgniy creditable. Among his good
deeds Is the procurement for his dis
trict of some $500, 200. Who cares to
guess that his successor may not EXCEL
this amount. 1t is conceivable that
Mr.. Jones may never do as well again.
1t rs possible, If not probable. that he
and his fellow members NAV agree.
that the member from the First Dis,
trict has sufficient record along the
line of appropriations. But in a meas
ure this is not altogether germane, for
what. Mr.. Jones may or may not do
might be multiplied indefinitely. This
fact remains, that so long as he has no
successful competitor, for just that
length OF time we grope in ignorance
this competitor may render us. Many |
of our men of marked ability have lived
and died during Mr.. Jones' long in |
cumbency, and there are today in the
'Old First" men who for the want of |
opportunity can neither show the metal |
That is IN them, nor can this metal be |
pohshed to give us the best results. |
The blade long in use is subject to rust |
spots; 1T may be more efficient along
certain lines of defense and attack. but |
the wielder of it is more apt than other
wise to grow selfishly cunning in its
use, while the recruit polishes his blade |
dozen times day, and does it loving
" IN the service of others-this is be-
fore he has had time to season to his
opportunities. Up to this time, it is,
fellow citizens" opportunity after
this, 1t is, 'how far is it necessary for
me to consider my countrymen, and be
saved?"
One of the newspapers favorable to
Mr.. Jones, IN fine frenzy scorns the re-
ference of Mr.. Mears to the fact that
Jones has drawn a large sum from the
public purse. We agree that desire
for the accumulation of money is one