Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1910-11-24
TWO KINDS OF C0WARDIce,

find them everywhere. in every elias
and in all occupations. Cowardice is
fearful affiiction-the offspring of self
protection or selfish interest. Physica
cowardice is pitiable infrmity; mora
cowardice is a contemplate weakness
The one is afraid to do a wrong &C
through fear that it will bring physica
injury and suffering; the other is afrai,
to do either right or wrong when j
threatens to interfere with personal in
terests.
These reflections have been occasion
ed by reading an editorial that appear
ed in The Roanoke Times of the III
instant 1t Was speaking of the Con
gr ssionsl redistricting which will b
necessary under the new census. Th
Times thus remarks:
with 4 somewhat bitter wall the
Bristol Herald Courier enters SOL
emn protest against the proposed
redistricting plan by which the
Ninth would be made hopelessly Re-
publican. The Hersld-Couriern need
rot distress itself. The redistrict
ing scheme of which it speaks never
will be undertaken seriously. The
The idea of making Democratic dis
tricts by taking out of them Repub-
hcan counties and grouping the Re-
publican counties together is the re-
sort of the coward and the weak
ling.
The Ninth district looms very
large now with more than seven
teen thousand Democratic votes.
Its voice and its POI er will be re-
spected as never before. 1t has
fought and won a battle for the
whole State. The Democrats stop
ped Mr.. Slemp's ambitious scheme
to invade other districts and forced
him to fight desperately for his own
political life, which he has saved. if
he saved it, by the very skin of his
teeth. 1t is easy to see that if the
Republicans had been free to add
the party resources to the Fifth
district that also would have been
lost. We assume that the party
managers have the sense to learn
by experience and realize that when
Republican district is created it
becomes a center and source of Re-
publican influence and aggression.
Some changing and shifting of
counties will be made necessary bv
the new census. 1t is safe to say,
however, that the policy OF making
a new Republican district or of
abandoning the Ninth district will
not prevail
The Times has been posing as tn,
champion of honest and righteous poll
tics; but the above utterances SHOW
how abortive have been its efforts an,
professions. 1t is afraid to do wron,
and is afraid to do right.
The Times states a truth when it de
clares: THE idea of making Demo
cratic districts by taking out of then
Republican counties and grouping then
together is the resort of the coward
and weakling." But that is what the
Democratic party in Virginia has al.
ready done in the redistricting of the
Fifth Congressional district. And the
Times has not only accepted and con-
doned this criminal outrage, but it has
been shouting Justify over the claimed
election of Saunders in the Fifth. over
victory which was secured by "the
resort of the coward and the weak
ling"
The Times admits that there must be
reapportionment of the Congressional
districts in the State, but insists that
1.-THE resort of the coward and the weak
ling" shall be applied in the reforming
of the Ninth district. And it offers a
most unrighteous suggestion therefor
when it says:
eve assume that the party man.
ayers have the sense to learn by ex-
perience that when a Republican
district is created it becomes a
source of Republican influence and
aggression"
So, the Times would have the partv
managers to be governed by policy and
might rather than by law and right
when the Congressional districts are re-
apportioned in Virginia. If it would
not employ 1.-THE resort of the coward
md the weakling," why does not the
Times advocate the redistricting of the
state according to law and and moral
ty? The Constitution of Virginia, made
y the Democrats and forced upon the