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


THE discourteous treatment accorded
Senator Mastn at a public meeting il
Norfolk on Monday night is being con
demned by many democrats and news
papers Throughout the state. The sena-
tor was not present at the meeting OF
his own volition but by request OF
number of his friends who believed the
criticisms he was being subjected "a
were unfair and niust. At the meet
ing. when he was given an opportunity
TO speak. he made a straightforward
statement repudiating any intImatlou
that he took part in or was IN anyway
responsible for the condition Of affairs
that exists i'm the two wings OF the
democratic party in the Second district
and urged full and fair mvcstlga-
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 far
minded men who were present at the
meeting. During the meeting one OF the
speakers stated that there were at least
two members of Congress from Vir-
einia. Jones and Glass, who were lnde
peudent of the boss, meaning Senator
Martin. and the ring, or words tC
that effect. The Lynchburg News,
owned and edited by Mr.. Glass, hastens
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 ITS
belief that Congressman Maynard had
been vulgarly swindled out Of a renom-
nation bv crooked methods, there wa,
absolutely no excuse 10 Justify an eN-
hibition Of Grass rudeneSs to the senior
senator Of this state. Mr.. Martin sue
ceeded to be sure in converting a
Mostly hostile demonstration into a
wildly cheering assembly, just as 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 accentuat'
the thoughtlessneSs and injustice OF the
Norfolk crowd, in proceeding to con
denim him before hearing him. i
showed that these people had ms
Judged the man; misunderstood hr
motives; misinterpreted his viewpoint
and thus it operated to discredit then
far more than their conduct was likely
10 injure Senator Martin.
The Petersburg Index-Appeal, one o.
the ablest and most conservative news
papers in the state, has the following tC
say OF the incident:
The democracy Of Norfolk should be
thoroughly ashamed of the discourtcou'
and disgraceful treatment which UnltcC
States Senator Thomas s Martin re
ceiyed at a democratic meeting IN tina
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 i
true. he was enthusiastically applaude'
when the hoodlums realized that he wa
not "agin EN-" but favored thor
ough and careful investigation OF the
returns in the late primary, and the
methods and practices by which the,
were procured. But the outrage ha'
been perpetrated, without provoca
ton or justification, TO the eXtcn
even OF jeering the Senator's perso
nal yeracity in matter about which
there was no occasion for him TO pre-
yaricate or equivocate, even if it wcr
possible TO believe that he would d
so under any circumstances. Tn
demonstration was more than an al
front TO Senator Martin; it was al
insult to the Democrats OF the who'll
State, who for eighteen years haV
testified, both in primary and caucus
their confidence in Mr.. Martins IN
tegrity and ability, and have tme
times made him their representative 81
the highest Federal office in the gift O
the State. Ii is impossible TO believ
that it was the act of the better class @
the people of Norfolk, though we dc
not question the statement that man
of Norfolk's best people were IN tn
audience, shocked and Inundated b
the disgraceiul scene enacted. The an
cident, so far from iniuring Senate
Martin, has immensely strengthenc
him in the estimation of thoughtful an
fairminded people He met the Situa
ton, which was thrust upon him wit
sudden and rude indecency. with tina
caho and determined courage and re
sourcaful intelligence characteristic G
him throughout his entire public caree
and le mastered it,
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