Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1909-07-15
THE MACHINE TRICESTERS."


rough when he speaks of what he calls
the Virginia political machine as "a
gang of political tricksters" with head
quarters in Washington? Gang and
"tricksters" are pretty hard words and
have significance distinctly criminal and
offensive. Certainly the great majority
Of the men prominently identified with
what is called the machine appear to
US to be very respectable citizens. We
cannot recall that any of them have
tricked anybody or stolen anything.
Those of them who are in Office went
before the people in primary election,
submitted their claims and their re-
cords and were chosen by the free and
direct vote of the people. If they hang
together and help each other and play
into each others hands, it IS no more
than their opponents do and il leglti-
mate political policy. Richmond News
Leader.
According to recent Democratic testi-
mony, Nv. C. j." has not gone too far
nor been too rough when he speaks of
the Democratic machine in Virginia as
"a gang of political tricksters.'
In 1900 when Carter Glass was urg-
ing the making of new constitution he
offered as one of his chief pleas the get
ting rid of what he called the political
brigands" or ''office-holder' trust"
Is not the machine that is now run
ming things in Virginia the very same
machine that was running them then?
If it is too rough to call these men "a
gang of political tricksters now, wasn't
1t too rough to speak of them as "po-
htical brigands'' then?
And the Danville Register two years
ago, when defending the frauds that
were committed in the Ninth District
to elect W. F. Rhea to Congress, said:
why was the Walton ballot devised
and adopted? To secure Democratic
control, not alone in the black belt but
all over the State. Yet now the benefi-
Charles of all these articles and tricks
IN the past are denouncing the means of
their salvation from Republican misrule
IN local affairs. They burn their bridges
behind them after they have safely
crossed. We must realize the condi-
tons in the Ninth District and ask our
selves whether we would do the very
same thing they are accused of doing,
If necessary to secure Democratic
rule"
The Register was defending or con-
doning the effort made by Rhea's man.
ayers to steal the election from Colonel
Slemp in 1902. And the Register was
sneering at those Democrats and Demo-
cratic newspapers, that were criticising
the frauds committed in that election.
And the Register said in the same
newspaper controversy:
How long has it been-to bring the
matter home-since reputable Demo-
Gratis of Danville who condemn Mr..
Rhea; laughed and boosted over the ar
tifices and dishonesty resorted to by
them or their associates with their
knowledge and consent to carry Stokes
land precinct? Oh, but they will tell
us, that was a question of white domi-
nation. But this is not the fact. The
result in the Fifth District was not de-
pendent upon Stokesland, and every
negro vote stolen there was equivalent
to white vote in Floyd or Grayson. 1t
was the determination to elect Demo
cratic representative in Congress, lust
as was the case in the Ninth District
when some of Rhea's followers sought
to take technical advantage of every
opportunity"
Here is an assertion that the Demo
Gratis had stolen in the Fifth District to
elect Claude A. Swanson to Congress,
and the claim that no criticism should
be made against W. F. Rhea and his
friends for trying to do the same thing
in the Ninth. Now Claude A. Swanson
and VIM. F. Rhea are two of the most
conspicuous and popular members of
the Democratic machine in Virginia.
Is it going little too far and becoming
rather too rough to speak of a political
machine composed of such men as these
as "a gang of political tricksters?"
The Richmond News Leader, respond
ing to the Danville Register, in the
newspaper controversy above referred
to, admitted that the very conditions
set forth by the DanviIle Register had
existed and said:
Perjury was the basis of all this