Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-11-12
Friday, Nov. IL. 1909.
THE OUTLOOK.

LIE w 4AOONs
Now that the smoke of battle has
cleared and things are gravitating to-
ward their natural or normal positions
let us see if the political game was
worth the candle from the standpoint
of the Organization. Did that little
corterie of would be great men win
anything worth striving for? Yes,
they won at least temporary success
with severe loss of prestige. In New
York Charlie Murphy on account of
his defeat will, we are told, lose the
leadership of Tammany. Will the
leaders in Virginia lose position be-
cause their leadership has failed? Will
Virginians be less exacting than New
Workers? We will see,
That they lost goes without saying.
That they drove Virginia into
the doubtful column, and caused many
of the staunchest Democrats to scratch
their tickets or vote the Republican
ticket, is history. This has injected so
much of independence into the voters
that it will loosen party hold, and
make many portions of the State here
tofore Loyalty Democratic, uncertain
and possibly wholly ungovernable.
We know and can say with conf
dence that there must be no more pri-
maries for those Democrats. A prima-
ry election held by persons entirely
selected by one faction, the returns of
which election so held did not reach
their proper destination in many cases
for nearly month after the voting
day, and which returns when in ''head-
quarters" were not, for some unex-
planned reason, counted openly and
above board at those headquarters, !"
has too many unsavory orders attend
ing it to be popular with the masses,
and they will have no more of it. 1t
can safely be said that had not the OBJ
legation felt by many of those who
went into the primary hereabouts held
them to the ticket, Judge Mann would
have gone down in ignominious de-
feat in Staunton. We are not prepared
to say that Mr.. Kent would have got
ten all of the disaffected votes, but
Judge Mann would have been scratch
ed until his majority of 16 votes would
not only have disappeared, but his op-
ponent would have had large major
,ity over him. There was not the same
feeling of course against the rest of the
ticket, indeed the rest of the ticket was
largely disassociated from the organi-
ton and only incidentally bore the
brunt of the shafts aimed at it's head.
This lesson of disaffection has been
taught by these very leaders, and is
beginning to bear fruit. They practi-
cally bolted the National Democratic
ticket in every race but one in sixteen
years. They bolted in effect in the last
campaign, and having practiced such
politics should feel no qualms when
their own teaching and example have
returned to plague them.
But what strikes us now and has all
along struck us as most remarkable is
the "pledge" which was made to the
liquor dealers by the reorganization"
and emphasized just few days before
the election in published interview
with Senator Martin, in which those
liquor dealers were promised immunity
for two years, provided they took their
medicine, that is came to the scratch
with their votes and their money. The
character of that promise is most re-
markable also, since it was made be-
fore the legislature to carry it into
effect had been elected. Possibly the
'shold-overs" in the Senate had given
their sanction to it. But if so the
thing not only becomes more and more
remarkable, but almost inexplicable
The exact method of promising this
immunity was also remarkable, because
the promise was made under such adj
vantage of position, and accepted under
such duress by the poor liquor dealer,
as is used between a highwayman and
victim when the highwayman orders
him to throw up his hands, telling
him to be good, and nothing but his
yaluables will be taken. otherwise his
life may pay the penalty of rashness.
Now let us look into the future:
After two years, what then +? After
two years these same liquor dealers
will be utterly abandoned to their fate
Really and metaphorically speaking
they must then seek their destiny at |
the Cannon's mouth. The organiza-
ton having thus traded two years i'm
munity to the liquor dealers, for four
years of office holding, sheets will be
balanced, accounts squared, and if they
can continue in control all right, if not
as per contract, they Will loosen their
hold and surrender their allies the liq-
uOr dealers to the Rev. Jim Cannon
and the tender mercies of the Anti
Saloon League, step down and out,
saying: "After us the deluge." This is
the outlook for Virginians under the
present regime, and it is lovely to be-
hold. Are good Democrats, in order to
be considered loyal, bound to applaud
such politics, such results, and such
double dealing? We hope not.
A man of whom the world at large
has heard nothing, has just died in
New York, and bequeathed Is millions
to charity, after reserving IS millions
for his family The gentleman was