The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-03-04
The Ways OF the Politician.

Editor of The Virginian;
Sir,--l am about to recover from
the shock of the Meyers STROBE bill
being so roughly handled in the face
OF the numerous petitions for them
when know of none against them.
Sizing the situation up from the
standpoint of one who believes that
kind begets kind; that bad or evil
laws come from men like their pro-
duct; that incorporate laws will more
than likely result from men of at
least incorporate ideals. Yes, kind
begets kind.
But let us look at 1t from the stand
point of citizen who knows that Pc
titions with perhaps thousands of
names of legalized voters on them
haze been disregaFded- b-eattse a few
men who were willing to sell their
souls for few paltry dollars appeared
before the committee and argued, not
for the moral uplift of the people.
not for the thousands of children beg
CARED by strong drink, not for the
souls that are forever damned. not
for the suicides. not for the starving
thousands of women and children who
are innocent of any crime other than
being related to drunken husband
or father.
These men who turned this bill
down, last fall never missed the OPP
portunity of appealing to the good
sense and sound judgment of the very
men whose will they have disregarded
in their action on this bill. | have
lately been studying this question
from an almost entirely different
standpoint from any / have heard or
seen discussed--that Is, that the aver
age politician Is a queer combination.
He wishes to lead In church. or any
where he may happen, but. like a
blind fish, he has feelers instead of
eyes, and when he wants an office
seldom regards his qualifications to
fill the office, but regards the skill ~
which 1t requires to get the votes az
all that is required. To do this he
"bushwhacks." telling nlan@ons
thing and avoiding that point when
he meet a man of a contrary opinion,
but striking a chord on some other
point. only a few will get Sn the
stump and tell about what they do
and do not advocate. because there
might be men of both and perhaps
opposite opinions In thG crowd. The
few who do speak talk on themes of
national and known merits and de-
merits. avoiding all the time compli-
cations which might possibly lose
them a vote or two.
The "bushwhacker" is like the cum
ming fox--he will only tackle one al
a time; others who may be present
are henchmen. They rely on fooling
the voter, and often do a good job
our temperance petition did not ask
them for prohibition because we did
not know If we wanted it or not. We
only begged our servants CD for the
privilege of trying to find out. to make
a law for ourselves. Their answer
cannot be interpreted in any other
way than to put II into words). You
are such a set of idiots that we cannot
trust you with your own affairs and
YOU fail to have enough gumption to
make a law" It's wonderful what a
set of fools these fellows left at home
and how quickly they found 1t out
But then, when / take a second think
they have known it good and hard
ever since the Sd of November They
Judged us justly by our job then, and
the outfit which has so judged us Is
a sample of our work and perhaps
of MS.
Kind bcgets kind.
We need more men and fewer poll
ticians in our Legislature and more
thinkers at home.
DAN A. KELLER
Cumberland, Va, Marcn 3.