Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1911-08-10


which was in substance that we had
arrived at period in Virginia poll
tics when men of honor and of hon.
esty, aspirants to the judicial
benches of This Commonwealth.
found it necessary to pocket their
pride, If not their sense of propri-
ETY., and bow down before Thomas
s. Martin at Washington before
they could don the judicial ermine
in Virginia.
How long these conditions have
obtained may be a matter of some
speculation, it is sufficient to know
that they obtain today to demon
strate that the State is disgraced.
1t is probable that majority of the
judiciary Of Virginia would not sub
NIT to such conditions if it were in
the power of these men to remove
them"
In his speech delivered at FarmviIl,
on May 18th, Congressman Jones sal,
on this subject:
In announcing my candidacy for
the Senate, as long ago as January
last, l affirmed that there was an
office brokerage trust in Virginia.
In most, If not in all, of the public
addresses which 1 have delivered
since that time have charged that
the machine, of which Senator
Martin Is the acknowledged head.
arrogantly and impudently under
took to control and dispense the
public offices of our State, the emol-
uments of which were sufficient to
make them desirable. l have de-
clared that this machine had even
laid its polluting hands upon the iu
dietary and had attempted to drag
Judgeships into the mire of sordid
and filthy politics.
In a speech which delivered in
our capital city on the 5th of this
month said in substance that so
universal had this belief become
that those desiring positions, either
appointive by the Governor or cleo
tive by the legislature, felt it nee
essary to apply, either in person or
through their friends, for Senator
Martins endorsement. I expressed
In the strongest terms l could en-
ploy my condemnation of the pohti-
cal system which had brought about
this deplorable condition of affairs.
l have asserted upon more than one
occasion and at more than one place
and now repeat, that this office
brokerage business has so long ex-
isted that the belief is widespread
that no man can now successfully
aspire to any position, even to a
judgeship, who has not the endorse
ment Of Senator Martin. l have
charged, and it is true, that so
strong is this conviction that gen
tlemen whose qualifications for the
bench were conceded on all sides.
men of irreproachable character
and high legal attainments, had felt
that 1t was necessary, either in per-
son or through their friends, to Sc
cure Senator Martins endorsement
before asking for an appointment or
an election to a judgeship. This, 1
have asserted, was even true in
cases where the aspirants for the
Judgeships were Endorsed by their
local bars and had the support of
the members of the legislature from
their districts.''
On the same subject the News-Lead
er, a Democratic paper published i
Richmond, said:
"And it may be admitted, for
there can be no doubt of the fact.
that Senator Martin, Ex-Governor
Swanson, Speaker of the House r.
E. Byrd. Congressman H. D. Flood
and their intimate friends and sup
porters practically control the of
fees and patronage of this State"
There has been an effort to minimiz
the effect of these charges of the deal
of the Democratic delegation in tn
House of Representatives. The INA
chine" papers ignore them and tn
'anti-machine" papers have handle
the subject with gloves while Congress
man Jones has apparently droppe
them for some reason.
1t is not subject that can thus b
lightly dropped. If true, Martin mus
be driven from power and the judiciar
reformed, and, if not true, then Jone
is unfit to represent the First distric
let alone this grand old Commonwealth
The other charges of Jones, that Sen
ator Martin handled the yellow dog
fund to bride Democratic members O
the legislature; that strike" bills wer
introduced to hold up the interests; tina
the Governor squsndered the funds O
the State; that offices were created t
take care of the henchmen of the "rns