The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-04-01

crnor's appointee. The machine organs
assume that the senatorship belongs
to their crowd and they implicitly
challenge the right OF any other DEM
ocrat 10 aspire TO the office. They
put UP a plea TOR harmony. They de-
plore any disturbance OF the party
Seaee. The very tone and names, as
we'll as tho substance, Of their plant
confirm the charge that no Democrat
In Virginia outside the official trust
need expect from them either fair
treatment or ordinary tolerance. More
than that, a method of combat Is be-
gun that IL intoierable among peo-
pie who value their independence ana
subversive OF every principle Of free
government 1t amounts to q political
inquisition. Ii reminds me OF Judge
Lindsay's famous description Of The
Beast" Perhaps you will recall that
gentleman's graphic account OF his
fight against the political machine in
Colorado: how it set spies at his heels:
sought TO ruin him In business. IN
voked every conceivable influence,
both good and bad, to defeat his as
pirations, Illustrate his activities and
to thwart his efforts for decent poll
tics.
No species 81 reprfsal practiccd in
Colorado has been neglected. In Fir-
ginia. Failing TO convince me that
should wait and become the organic
zation candidate for governor, n war
has begun to punish my presumption
in ayow1ng myself . candidate for tho
Senate which would rise to the dignity
OF disreputc. II IL did not sink to the
lesel OF contempt. Prom the day OF
lo - Ia rio
friends OF the temporary appointee
have threatened my business enter
prisee in Lynchburg; the menace OF
ian opposition newspaper" Is bruited
about the streets, and my own EN-
plcses have been communicated with.
/ In my congressional district, alone OF
oil the districts OF the United States,
"back-flre' has been lighted; and
In tho midst OF my campaign for the
senate, ! am to be harassed at home
by svowed candidates for Congress
two years before my present term ex.
pires and some weeks before l VIII
have taken the oath OF office.
More than that, and worse by far.
the attempt has been made TO block
the legitimate avenues OF publicity,
and 1t has been measurably successful.
The whole history Of human society
nttests that Thomas Jefferson uttered
an eternal truth when he declared
that newspapers without government
would be preferable to government
without newspapers. But MIR. Jeffer-
sons tribute was to . free press. He
hated and condemned subsidized
newspapers and his detestation ex'
{ tended heartily to those who deprav.
| ed them. But right upon the thrceh-
old of this senatorial campaign In tir-
ginia We have some-I cannot yet say
/ how many-cases Of shameful proeti-
tuition. l am prepared hero with the
proofs. The facts of one case, brief
! ly reCdted, arc that a certain news
paper In this State for years bitterly
hostile to the political machine re-
Gently expressed views entirely favor.
able TO the nnti-machine campaign In
Virginia and characterized the ring
as the ''corruptest and most outrage
| Gus that ever disgraccd Virginia, with
the possible exception OF that which
nourished during the Malone dynas'
ty."
In a few days the columns Of tina
paper were filed with articles de
lending and advocating the very caba
which the paper had previously con
deanned The articles were paid for
but there was no mark to indicatA
the fact sent to the newspapers
in question the formal announcement
OF my candidacy for the Senate which
most OF the Virginia papers hat
printed as current news. 1t not onl.
! rejected the matter as news, but posi-
lively refused to print 1t ~ an adSer
tiscment at full rates. 1t would prin
the cards OF candidates for sheriff o
clerk or county treasurer, but 1t coul'
not print the fact that . Represen
tative in Congress WIS q candidate 10
the United States Senate. Subse
quently the same paper reprinted q
q paid advertisement . mendactou
attack upon me from = machine or
gan which has for months made ltsel
q medium OF falsehOod: and whel
asked the right to reply ut ndycr
listing rates the answer came back
and / have 1t here-that the publish
ers of the paper shamefully confesse'
that their columns have been sol
to the other side and they cannot pu
in anything relative to the Unite'
States Senatorial canvass except
from my competitor.
Subsidy OF The Press.
Talk about subsidy for railroads
talk about Subsidy for ocean mails
talk about subSidizing special inter
|. ests, There ia no form of subsidy a
criminal and harmful or so full o
deceit as subsidy OF the press!
do not know who is doing this shame
J full thingY / state the facts and lie
you draw your own inference. Blu
for myself, I do declare. that ] woul
not be party to such a TRANSACTION
FOR seat in the Senate of the Unite
States from this day till the crack Q
} doom. IN all my experience, ! hav
| never known SO unique case,
was worked UP By a genius. No mer
chant can buy exclusive access I
the advertising columns OF reputa
! BILE public Journal to exploit hi
wares: yet here is gentleman VIII
not only purchases space to preser
the superior qualifications OF singl
Senatorial aSpirant. but actually buy
the right to le1y hts competitor
hearing, Not only purchases tn
privilege of disparaging an anti-ma
, chine candidate for public Office. bu
buys the right to deny the man thu
, maliEned an opportunity to recent tn
aspersionl
Desperate aud Defiant.
Ny fellow-citi4ene, I was born /
the newspaper business. love m
profession. There 10 no political dis
tinction that the earth can affor
which / would prize above the homo
Of the sauctum. Junius styled tn
. press the palladium of our libertie
. and George Mason. in the Wright
Bill OF Rights sEys it Ia one OF tn
buIwarks Of freedom Desperate
, desperate and dehant--must be til
. cause that would .pervert the yer
source OF public information and col
. rupt the fount OF popular opinion.
: hayo not asked havana ner IN VII