Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1907-04-10

The following is the full text of
statement issued by State Sena-
tor A +. Thcmas, of Lynchburg,
last week, in regard to the rail
road control of the Democratic
party in Virginia. The statement
of facts deserves the serious con-
sideration of every voter in the
State. We publish the statement
in full:
| L wish TO enter a protest against
the existing political conditions in
Virginia.
Sound party policy demands
that the voters who compose the
rank and file of democratic party
should wrest the control of their
party machinery from the hands
of the railroads of the State.
The railroads, so long as they
confine their activities to their legit-
innate sphere of public service,
should be accorded every right to
which they can lay just claim and
should receive every consideration
that could be given under equal
and Just laws; but when they un-
drrtakc to- become masters of the
people instead of servants and ns-
sumo to exercise organized control
over the l.eople and dictate their
governmental policies. they should
bc driven from the temple of
Democracy.
1h; Democratic Executive Com
mittee of the State is appointed by
the State chairman. 1t consists "f
ten members, chief of whom is
Thomas +. Ryan, who with four
railroad attorneys. two of whom
are chief counsel for two of the
trunk lines traversing the States.
forms half of this committee. 1t
is patent that they, with the aid of
the chairman, can dominate the
Organization and WELD a subtle.
though powerful ,and influence upon
party politics. The power of this
committee to make or mar political
fortunes is none the less DANCE rous.
because it is not always APPARENT To
all. Its approval of man or pol
icy would greatly facilitate matters.
while Its dlsapproval would render
douIby difficult the task of getting
a cause before the people.
The primary makes their task
doubly difficult. and if it is to be
destroyed, we naturally expect the
railroads and their allies to consti-
tute the main forces in this crusade
against the right of the people to
govern themselves. There is no
doubt of the existence of strong
oppositiontoretaining the primary,
and it is probable that open war on
it would already have been made
but for the fear that it would arouse
the people-a risk they do not wish
to incur, because they do not feel
sure of the point at which the peo-
pie would stop.
SO long as the people are indif-
ferent, organized control of the
party is easy. This accounts for
the large number of unworthy men
who have been installed i'm both
State and Federal offices, but once
become alive to your interest and
discharge the duty of citizens and
corporate control of either party
or government becomes impossible.
The people have been quietly
sleeping and the railroads have
been as quietly governing with the
result that your tax laws, in many
cases, have been changed to sys-
tenn of arbitrary exactions and sell
ing of privileges to the business
interests, professions and individ-
uals of the State, thus getting all
the revenue possible in this way.
The railroads, in the meantime,
have been steadily putting in their
strong boxes millions of dollars
that justly belonged to the people.
There are in this State thirty
thousand children between the ages
cf ten and fourteen years who can
neither read nor write!
| We have only one school for
educating women for teachers, and,
if its total enrolment were turned