Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1909-06-17
THURSDAY. JUNE IT, 1909.
MOT ERRATIC. &"

Our much esteemed contemporary.
the Richmond News Leader, disputes
the charge that it is cratic in it's po-
itical course; and it claims that: ut
is the steadiest, soberest, most consist
ent newspaper in Virginia" If being
steadily consistent in its political incon-
sistencies constitute steadiness, So
briefly and consistency, then, our Rich
mond contemporary has about attained
perfection on these lines.
How long has it been since the News
Leader declared to its readers that it
would never be caught in a Dem
ocratic primary trap like the one it fell
in that forced it to support Mr.. Bryan?
How long has it been since the News
Leader declared with emphasis that it
would have nothing to do with the ap-
preaching Democratic primary in this
State, but would hold itself ready to
bolt the nominees of that primary? Now
it announces its purpose to participate
in the primary and advises all Demo-
Gratis to do likewise, though Judge
Mann, the possible nominee for Govern
or, is as Objectionable to the News
Leader in State politics as Mr.. Bryan,
was in National politics. But our Rich
mond contemporary objects to our say
ing that the excuse it offers for its sud
den change of spirit is absurd and ride
ulous, that is that the election of a Re
publican Governor would be calamity
to Virginia. The News Leader says:
Surely it would be more absurd and
ridiculous for the people of Virginia to
swap horses crossing a stream. They
have prospered and made wonderful
progress under a Democratic admins
tration- The State government has
been conducted honestly, economically
and efficiently. A Republican governor
with Democratic legislature would be
absurdly helpless and useless, merely a
cause of disturbance and obstruction. A
Republican governor and legislature
would mean four years of petty political
excitements, changes and annoyances to
the people, turning the public mind
away from the great developments and
material advancements on which it has
been concentrated. In these opinions
find pOthinor avroc%io T.
seems to us the simple common sense
that the average man uses in the man
ageTnc n of his own daily affairs and in
his judgment of public matters. The
suggestion of a Republican governor for
Virginia, coming from a source amply
capable of brilliancy, seems to US about
as wildly erractic as any proclamation
ever issued from the violent ward of a
hospital for the insane
How long has it been since the News
Leader suggested in its editorial col
umns that the shaking up of things in
Virginia by Republican victory would
be the best thing that could happen for
the State? And our Richmond contem-
porary, In the last two Presidential
elections, struggled for the election of
a Democrat for President with full
knowledge of the fact that Congress
was and would be Republican. If: "a
Republican Governor with q Demo-
ocratic legislature would be absurdly
HELPLESS and useless, merely cause of
disturbance and obstruction" would not
a Democratic President with Republi-
can Congress ''be absurdly helpless and
useless, merely cause of disturbance
and obstruction"
Our Richmond contemporary may not
talk brilliantly and erratically, but, like
the parrot, it talks too darn much.