Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-10-01
AN INQUIRY.
To to editor of the Spectator.

To to editor of the Spectator.
Why is it the nominees of the Dem
ocratic party are not heading your col
umns We are always fond of read
ing your editorials, and as general
rule you strike the nail plumb on the
head. Recently, from our view point,
you are missing the mark Pardon US
for this gentle criticism.
Yours very truly,
Mt. Scion, Va. III. B. MCCALL.
We are glad to have the opportunity
to answer our friends enquiry, we are
glad he asked the question.
We feel under no Obligation, moral
or political, to advertise the undertake
ings of any man or set of men without
compensation. The Democratic party
as a party, out of its campaign fund
for election purposes, or any other for
that matter-National, State, County
or municipalities never been the
means of adding ten dollars to the
treasury of the SPECTATOR or towards
its support in any campaign in Is
years. Kissing sometimes goes by
favors. This might be one cause, but
it is the most infntessimal one, there
areso many greater ones that it feels no
obligation to publish either the can
didates or the literature of the present
Democratic party in Virginia gratui-
tously. The SPECTATOR is not a party
organ, it is simply an individual en-
terprise, owing no allegiance beyond
the allegiance Of its owner, and whilst
it has always, in the interest of good
government, supported the Democrat
ic nominees in National elections when
many party leaders in the State either
sulked or bolted outright, as well
as in all other elections, and may
do so in this election, it forfeits no
principle by not placing at its head a
list of names of gentlemen who happen
to be candidates for office, some OF
whom, or at least one of whom, has
been placed there by a body of gentle
men in Virginia who are at the head
of an Office holding trust, which has
seized upon the reins of government,
and handles them in many respects in
a manner most distasteful to a large
number of people, if not wholly sub
versive of good government.
1t is opposition to this "Trust" we
are advocating, not opposition to the
Democratic party. A bomb thrown at
the Gar of all the Russias might put
in peril that nation. But a denial of
the right of about dozen men in Vir-
ginia to dictate the policy of the DEM
ocratic party, to name its officers, to
scatter as they choose the five millions
of dollars every year squeezed out OF
the taxpayers, and do thousand things,
distasteful, autocratic things, is not
treason, or if it be treason let them
make the most of it. We have sat as
long as we intend to and seen the leg
islation of this State, and the vast
wealth drawn into it's treasury, manip'
ulated at will by less than a dozen
men. In addition, this oligarchy has
booted men from office because they
dared oppose it. 1t has installed Others
by reason of their worship. Oppose
ton to them is political death.
This cannot continue, we believe
We know there is an uprising
and a public enlightenment goinl
on. We know if we are traito
for calling these things by thei
right names, there are many
other traitors, and amongst them many
men with whom we are proud to asso
ciate. If anyone had stood on ou
streets last Monday, or sat in the lob
bies of our hotels and listened to thu
outspoken sentiments of our people, h
would see that we are in good company
and lots of it. This may to some ex
tent answer our friends enquiry. TIL
SPECTATOR swings to no coat tails, i
courts no favors, and has no apologize
to make to any man or set of men.
| >---