Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1910-09-15
ALEXANDRIA,, VA.
THURSDAY EVENING, SEPT. j;

THURSDAY EVENING, SEPT. j.
THE discourteous treatment accorded
Senator Mastin at a public meeting in
Norfolk on Monday night is being con
demned by many democrats and news
papers Throughout the state. The sena-
tor was not present ut the meeting OF
his own voliton but by request OF a
number OF his friends who believed the
criticisms he was being subjected to
were unfair and unjust. At the meet
ing, when he was given an opportunity
to speak. he made Il straightforward
statement repudiating amy lntiinatlon
that he took part in or was III anyway
responsible for the condition of affairs
that exists in the two wings OF the
democratic party in the Second distrIc'
and urged full and fair invcstlga
ton into the charges that the defeat Oh
Congressman Maynard WAS brought
about by fraud in the recent demo
cratic primary, which statement won
for him the applause OF the fair
minded men who were present at the
meeting. During the meeting one OF the
sneakers stated that there were at least
two members of Congress from Nir-
ginia. Jones and Glass, who were indie
pendent of the boss, ''meaning Senator
Martin, and the ring, or words to
that effect. The Lynchburg News.
owned and edited by Mr.. Glass, hastcns
to say:
Fair-minded Virginians will doubt
less regard with keen resentment the
very discourteous treatment accorded
Senator Martin by a Norfolk audience
Monday night. Making all due allow
ance for the excitement OF the OCCASION,
and the acute feeling of Indignation
which thrilled the crowd rs result OF lis
belief that Congressman Maynard had
been vulgarly swinded out OF a renom-
nation by crooked methods, there was
absolutely no excuse TO Justify IN cN-
hibition Of Grass rudencSs to the senior
senator OF this state. Mr.. Martin sue
ceeded to be sure in converting a
Mostly hostile demonstration into y
wildly cheering assembly, just us soon
as he was enabled to state his position
in the forceful, candid, manly fashion,
thoroughly characteristic of the man.
But this fact only tends to acccntuatc
the thoughtlessneSs and injustice of the
Norfolk crowd, i'll proceeding to con
denim him before hearing him. II
showed that these people had mis-
Judged the man; misunderstood his
motives; misinterprcted his viewpoint,
and thus it operated to discrcdlt them
far more than their conduct was likely
to injure Senator Martin.
The Petersburg Indcx-Appcal, one oi
the abest and most conservative news
papers in the state, has the following to
say OF the incident:
The democracy of Norfolk should be
thoroughly ashamed OF the disconrtcou>
and disgraceful treatment which United
States Senator Thomas S Martin re-
ceiyed at a democratic meeting III that
city last Monday evening, even before
he had been heard of the chief matter
under consideration and lis position
had been defined and understood. 1t l.
true, he was enthusiastically applaudcd
when the hoodlumS realized that he was
not "agin 'cm," but favored thor
ough and careful investigation of the
returns in tho late primary. and th,
methods and practices by which they
were procured. But the outrage hat
been perpetrated, without provoca
ton or justification, TO the extent
even of jeering the Senator's pcrSo
nal veracity in y matter about whlcI
there was no occasion for him to pre-
yaricate or equivocatc, even If II were
possible to believe that he would dt
so under any circumstances. I'll,
demonstration was more than an at
front to Senator Martin; it was n
insult to the Democrats of the whol'
State, who for eighteen years hav'
testified, both in primary and caucus
their confidence in Mr.. Martins in
tegrity and ability, and have three
times made him their representative II
the highest Federal office in the gift o
the State. 1t is impossible to believe
that it was the act of the better class o
the people Of Norfolk, though We d,
not question the statement that man.
OF Norfolk's best people were IN tll'
audience, shocked and Inundated b,
the disgraceful scene enacted. The IN
cident, so far from injuring Senat"
Martin, has immensely strengthened
him in the estimation of thoughtful ant
fairminded people. He met the Situa
ton, which was thrust upon him will
sudden and rude indecency. with tina
calm and determined courage and re
sourceful intelligence characteristic o
him throughout his entire public caree
and he mastered it,
= -