Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1907-05-22
New York and Virginia.

Thomas &. Marvin and printed IN
The World, Mr.. Thomas +. Ryan
makes this authoritative statement:
''Thc published report that /
ever promised Mr.. Bryan. directly
or indirectly, TO make a contri-
button To the Democratic campaign
fund in return for a pledge from
him to help TO elect me Senator
from Virginia is not only utterly
false, but reflects SO much discredit
upon all concerned that | cannot,
in justice to Mr.. Bryan. Senator
Daniel or myself, permit il to pass
unnoticed.'
That MIR. Ryan is ambitious to
succeed John Warwick Dau;cl i'm
the United States Senate has been
q matter of common report ia Vir-
ginia politics for months. Mr..
Ryan's friends have done much tn
stimulate this gossip by timely
suggestions for the promotion"
Of Senator Daniel to the vice pres
idency. Senator Daniel does not
belong to the Ryan wing OF the
Virginia Democracy. He has left
tn his colleague, Thomas Staples
Martin, whatever honor is to be
derived from close political affilia-
ton with the choicest spirit of the
Tobacco Trust and the head of the
Seaboard Air Line.
Senatorial ambition in Mr.. Ryan
would not be unnatural. Other
millionaires with only fraction of
his wealth, his power, his ability
and his genius for intrigue have
been elected to the Senate. The
State in which Mr.. Ryan spends
most of his time and exercises most
of his talents is represented at the
national capital by the president of
the United States Express Company
and the chairman of the New York
Central board. Mr.. Ryan is we'll
acquainted with both of these
statesman. He cannot be accused
of egotism If he thinks he would
be an abler Senator than either of
them.
But Mr.. Ryan is not profound
student of American history. He
has probably never examined so
closely as he might the funda-
mental differences between New
York and Virginia politics-differ-
ences which have been clearly de-
fined for more than a century.
New York politics was corrupt
from the adoption of the Constitu-
ton. Originally the State was
ruled by three families of great
wealth and distinction, who looked
upon the government as a means
of safeguarding or promoting their
wasted interests. In order to play
off the mob against the aristocracy,
which Hamilton so ably and pro-
fitably represented, Burr fashioned
Tammany into the first effective
political machine the country knew
and whetted its appetite for loot.
Politics in New York was business
which either yeild rich returns on
the investment or ended in bank
ruptcy. 1t has remained more or
less of business ever since. The
low political standards of Hamil-
tons and Burr's day have been
maintained for successive genera
tions.
In Virginia no man went into
public life to make money for him
self. Washington, Jefferson, Mad
ison, Monroe, Randolph and their
associates were the poorer for their
public service. They never looked
upon government as means of
fattening their pocketbooks. They
would have scorned to capitalize
their political fame. The stand
ards they established are still more
than memories. In spite of the
Civil War, in spite of the iniquities
of reconstruction. in spite of the
brood of damage-suit lawyers and
corporation attorneys hacthed out
in the last two decades, the people
of Virginia have ciung instinctiyely
to these old ideals of service and
sacrifice.
They have not been altogether
successful, On account of the po-
litical activities of Mr.. Ryan's
and Mr.. Morgan's railroads, but
they still have one Senator in
the Congress of the United States