Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-05-26
For And Against

The Saturday Evening Post of May
20, under the caption, "Who's Whc,a and
Why" has in part the following to
say of Senator T. SMartin of Virginia:
He is short round man, who moves
about silently. When .he came into
the senate the late Senator John w.
Daniel was there from Virginia. I'm
til Senator Daniel died not long ago,
Daniel took the oratorial end of the
Virginia representation and Martin
the political. Martin is essentially 3
politician. He was powerful in Viz
ginia affairs for years-long before ne
came to the senate, in fact-and ne
still maintains his supremacy which
although often contested has not yet
been taken from him. He is quiet,
adroit, industrious, capable; and ne
generally gets what he goes after. He
is set in his views, old-fashioned in
his democracy, plays the game as he
sees fit, makes no secret of whatever
affiliations he may have andsgoes about
his business methodically and intelll-
gently. He has been charged Of be-
ing a railroad senator, charged with
being Thomas F. Ryan senator
Ryan comes from Virginia, charged
with representing the interests, with
being hand-in-glove with Aldrich---
and with various other things. He
may be all this or he may not. The
point is that he does not resort to the
hypocrisy, the cant, the humbugger y
and the demagogism that lot OF his
!, associates in the senate resort to,either
, to cover up what they really are to
! force themselves in where they do not
belong. He is exactly the kind of a
senator he is.
He was born in Virginia, was cadet
at the Virginia Military Institute in
! 1865, and served in the Confederate
8 army with the battalion of cadets from
f that school. He was licensed to prac-
e tice law in 1869 and, although he was
l. very active in politics, never held an
9 office or sought one until he was first
l. elected to the United States senate in
:. 1895. He was reelected to the senate
= in 1899 and again in 1905, and, if he
r cares to come back he will undoubted'
g ly be reelected when his term expires.
l. His long service in the senate has
l. placed him on various important com
III mittees. He is chairman Of the Com.
!, mittee on Public Health and mem
- Der of the Committees on Appropria
lions, Commerce, District of Column
bia, Claims, and Naval Affairs, b einl
the rank ing Democrat of Commerce
re- District of Columbia and Claims.
70 He voted with the Republicans OF
tn several items in the Payne-Aldric
t. tariff bill, which fact was made t
e. stand out when they were trying t
y. beat Linn for leader. When aske
Nv about these votes he told all inquirer
It's his responsibility lay with the stat
nd of Virginia, not with these inquisitol
and that was about all there was
ks that. Indeed, he has direct way o
lu- talking. Once they framed up an In
- vestigation in Virginia to try to sho
~ his election as Senator was improperl
vo secured. They had "a committee s.
BIZ ting at Richmond, but apparently d
I'D not intend to call Martin to testif
ed He walked into the room, demandt
to be sworn, said he was ready to
questioned and remarked: 81 war
:, first to say that any statement mao
Ine by any man that either directly {
~ Indirectly used, sanctioned or hf
ow knowledge of any corrupt, illegal
improper methods or means in ele
ton, or in the campaign preceding,
an unmitigated, unqualified and ma
TAR cious falsehood." He was not swor
~ the Investigation collapsed, and Il
IN affair is mentioned merely to she
~, that when the Senator desires to ia
he seems to know how to clothe
thoughts.