The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-03-30
VIRGINIA The LOSER
A Preacher Discourses on the Sena-
torial Situation.

and wicked. Another was sharp,
shrewd-unworthy of the trust and
the honor. l question If there is
another OF the thirteen original
states that has made so few mis-
takes. The men now asking for the
office are worthy and capable. Ana,
vet. il is 10 be regretted, that, at
this juncture, we should have the
contest. Not that these men have
not the right to ask for or
TO strive for the position. II is a
goal worthy of any mans ambition.
Mr.. Martin, Mr.. Swanson, MIR. Jones
and MIR. Glass are all gentlemen OF
ability. How then can there be any
cause for regret?
Il is quite likely that the Senate
and the House OF Representa-
tives will both be Democratic within
the next two years When you are
in a hopeless minority, and can do
little or nothing to affect the legis-
lation of the country, then 1t may
make but little difference as to
the capacity and experience of your
But when you
have a working majority, or even
an influential minority, it is neces-
sary TO have the best. both in brains
and in influence. There is where
the regret comes in. Whoever Is
elected in this contest, as IL Is now
waging, Virginia must BE- the loser
Every man that knows anything
II the work ME has done. knows Mr..
Martin has made remarkably ell
lent Senator. He may not nave
nade as many glowing and flashy
,oeeches as some have made; but
a never ceasing worker for Nlr-
mia and ,for Democracy, | question
this StAte, or any other state
as ever had anything comparable
him. His nearest approach that
can recall was that wonderful
rylander, A. p Gosman. Mr.. Mar
IN and Mr.. Tillman are the Demo-
ratio ranking Senators. II Martin
mains there aad the Senate be-
,omcs Dcmocra ic. he will have and
an WELD an influence as great as a
,alf dozea new men, whatever their
capacity. Then Virginia needs him
there. and it would be ineXcusable
FOLLY to fail to keep him there. Snail
we reward his fidelity with ingrau-
,ude?
The same is true OF Mr.. Jones
His twenty years or more IN the
House makes him the ranking Dem
ocrat in that body and gives him
there the same influence that Mr.
Martin has in the Senate. Trans
fer him to the other place and ne
becomes a new man there, and the
man that takes his place will be
new man in the House. To DO tha'
Won would at once materially lessen
vour influence in both houses ana
could not possibly gain anything
rherebv This is no day for preJu-
dice. Why think for moment OF
doing a thing that would mus
iniure the State? To put Jones IN
the Senate. strong man that he IS
would mt him where II would take
manv years for him TO gain the IN
Thence that he has in the hoSse.
To take Martin from Washington at
this time would be a calamity "
the State.
As TO Mr.. Swanson and MIR. Glass,
they have both had experience IN
the House. Mr.. Swanson's expert
ence has been greater and more va
ried and he has had some expert
enee in the Senate. The pity is, as
in the case of Mr.. Jones, that
Mr.. Glass does not remain in the
House. where he can be OF great
good to the State. Mr.. Swanson mas
not only had some experience in the
Senate. but l know of no other man
in the State so gifted ana So
worthy OF filling the position so
long and so honorably filed by the
immortal John w. Daniel. The poor
boy that can work his way up 10
the House of Representatives, TO
the GubernatOrial chair OF virginia
and 20 the Senate of this great
country, at this day, must be some
thing more than a man Of fayoritlsm
energy and adaptability Every VIZ
pinian that honors manhood ana
merit should be only too glad 10
stand bv Claude Swanson. There
nav be others his equals IN the
State. but they have not been heS'u
from.
Mr.. Glass has not had as much
experience in the lower House as
Mr. Jones has had. But Mr.. Glass
has made a fine record there, and IL
will be a great loss TO Virginia II ne
does not return TO the House OF
Representatives
1t is to be hoped that no one will
ever again intimate that any one of
these gentlemen would be guilty of
or a party to anything dishonorable,
or even unworth. They are gentle
men. They all believe in clean
ballot-box and a square and honest
election. To accuse any one OF
them of being a 'ringster," "polit-
lcal triekster," a machine man" is
to be untrue and unjust. The men
that know them will not believe any
such accusations. No one Of these
men had any more to do with the
disgraceful corruption at Norfolk
than had the others. There was
corruption. both in favor OF Mr..
MAYNARD and Mr.. Young. Certainly
no one of these gentlemen could
have been running a machine" In
the interest of both factions. II you
say that Mr.. Young represented the
Martin machine" you can with
Just the same propriety say that MIR.
Maynard represented the Jones ina
chine" Or, to put it more appro-
priately, If one of these men was
backed by and endorsed by the
wing of the Democratic party that
at present Is in power the other
must have represented those that
are out and want to get in. That pri-
mary election was a disgrace to any
State. But you have just as much
right to, and can with equal propri-
ETY.. hold any other man anywhere
in the State responsible for that
stencil and curse as you can hold
any one of these gentlemen.
II any machine, If any unjust and
improper methods have had any
thing to do with the putting In and
keeping in of any one of these gen
tlemen, what was It that elected and
kept in the others? Remember,
these men have ali been more than
onoo ron,fnatod and elected be- the