The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-05-04
VIEWS OF A VETERAN
Soldiers Home. Richmond. Va, Apri
18th, 1911.

Soldiers Home. Richmond. Va. Apr ]
18th, 1911.
To The Free Lance:
Springtime has come, gentle Anna.
She was rather late owing TO winter :
lingering too long in her lap, but she Is
here now. The birds are singing, the
frogs CT aking, the shad are running
the flowers blooming and Richmond IS
fairly booming. All nature seems TO be
putting on her new dress. The old men
are feeling younger and the young men
are growing older every day, but they
don't seem 10 realize II.
| read The Free Lance with great
pleasure and satisfaction. It's editorials
are sound. conservative and TO the
point. Then. there are its many inter-
esting letters from the surrounding
country where | have spent so much OF
my past and eventful life. Some Of them
are amusing and some are interesting
and instructive, others are rather tart
and spicy. but variety is the spice Of life.
| am sJrry TO see that an ulcer had
broken out on that grand and veneer
able old lady. the Democratic party.
She is d Jolly good old lady. ! like her
very much. but she is so strong, hear ty
and healthy that she is liable 10 have a
little ulcer break out about once in
every twenty five or thirty years. J re-
member about fifty years ago she had
an ulcer that came very near proving
fatal. 1t was called know-nothingism
by the doctors. IL swelled up all over
the North and when it got down to Viz
ginia IL assumed the form Of a car
buncle. IL never came 10 d head, but
had to be lanced, so Henry A. Wise got
out his lancets and gave II a good lane
ing and let out all the bad blood. The
old lady soon got well and as hearty as
she ever was. She survived the shock
Of war. came out unscathed. rallied,
became hale. healthy and strong and
had splendid health for about twenty
five years when another little pimple
broke out that was called Mahoneism
and II came TO a head IN Virginia. But
II was a mighty puny little head. Ii did
not last long The old lady got up and
busted her balmoral and buried 1t so
deep under an avalanche Of ballots that
il has never been heard from since and
don think GabriePs trumpet will ever
resurrect it. After that she has enjoyed
good health and strength for the last
twenty-five or thirty years and IS feel
ing as we'll and hearty with bright
prospects. and now just as she IS about
10 enter the national halls Of legisla-
ton with strength and power 10 make
herself heard 10 the land for good,
another little abscess has appeared on
the body polite.
This time don know what you would
call il, but the doctors call II a case OF
Democratic leagueism. ] think the doc.
tors have mistaken their diagnosis. /
have examined the thing closely with a
microscope and applied the Arays and /
would pronounce II mild case OF rule
or ruinlsm. don't think It IS anything
contagious or dangerous. am sure II
will never rule though il may help some
what TO ruin. We have two very good
senators from Virginia now in Wesh-
ington standing at their posts attending
10 their business as they ought TO. and
il Mr.. Jones and Mr.. Glass could stay
in Washington and attend to their peo-
ple's business as Martin and Swanson
are doing II would become them far
more than travelling around the coun-
try haranguing the people with vague
and general charges and singing mud.
They don't want TO hear anything.about
mud singing Montague tried that six
years ago and it proved a waterloo for
him. The voters in Virginia are too
intelligent. too well informed, too well
posted, too well acquainted with the
record of their public men to be led
astray by such charges and abuse. l
believe a great majority of the true and
loyal Decocrats will cheerfully vote for
Martin and Swanson.
/ w Schooler.