Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1910-01-20
THEIR SGURVY TRICKS,

y
ocratic politicians who have been in
charge of the sffairs of Virginia have
been playing all manner of tricks
against the Republicans. At last de-
cent public sentiment is being aroused
against the arrogance Of these small pol
iticians who now rule where statesmen
and patriots in the days that are gone
sat and worked in the Legislative halls
Of the Commonwealth.
In the caucus of the Democratic State
Senators, held on Tuesday night of last
week in the capitol of Virginia, the lit
tie fellows determined, as they had
done before, that no Republican mem
Der Of the Senate should be placed upon
the Finance Committee of that body.
Senator Gravatt, OF Hanover county,
made motion in the caucus that a Re
publican be placsd on the Finance Com
mittee. The motion was defeated, and
chiefly at the instance Of Senator Bar
ney Keezell, the Kangaroo statesman
from Rockingham county. In his op-
position to the motion the Richmond
Times Dispatch reported Keezell as
saying:
That the Republicans had in the past
abused the courtesies extended to them
by the Democrats, and that they had
violated the confidence reposed in them.
giving out facts which were considered
secrets. This they did, he said, to fur
nish the Republican party with CAM
paign material"
Keezell declared, 81 have no patience
with sentiment which would put spy
in the camp"
Is representation on legislative COM
mlttees a gratuity, G courtesy which
the Democratic members have author
ity to bestow or withhold as they may
see fit? Is ours a representative gov
ernment, and are the duly chosen rem
resentatives of large constituencies and
the richest sections of the State to be
excluded from the committees that
have charge of the financial interests
of the Commonwealth? Mr.. KeezeIl
thinks SO, as did q majority of the DEM
ocratic Senators who participated in the
caucus.
The Lynchburg News promptly pro-
tested against the outrage, and recited
the fact that the great Ninth Congress
ional District was represented in the
State Senate entirely by Republicans,
and that the action of the Democratic
caucus was equivalent to denying the
Ninth District any voice in the financial
affairs of the State. 1t might have
added that two-thirds of the Fifth Dis
trict was in q similar situation.
We are glad to note that the Demo
cratic press is at last sufficiently arous-
ed to condemn what the Norfolk Virgin
ian-Pilot calls Exaggerated Partisan
ry." For nearly twenty-five years the
Democratic newspapers of the State
have been either defending or condor
ing wrongs similar to the one which
Keezell and his partisan associates have
so recently tried to continue.
Two years ago the Democrats refused
to put Republican on the Senate FL
nance Committee, and the Republicans
had the same representation in the Sem
ate then as they have now. Protest
was made, but no words of ccrdemna-
ton were given by the newspapers. The
State treasury was loaded with q big
surplus and the capitol was turned into
regular political Monte Carlo. The
Democratic members played a contin-
nous game of roulette, the State fur
nishing the stake for every player. The
result Of the game was that none of the
players Loot anything, but that the rev.
enues Of the Commonwealth were dis
tributed by the game. No Republican
spy was permitted to witness or psrtic-
pate In the game.
For years this same outrageous parti- |
'anry has been visited upon the Repub- |
leans. Not only have they been ex-
:luded from the Finance Committees. !
'ut from all committees that have been
appointed to investigate the State De-
'artments and State institutions. The
'sylums have been investigated; the
n