Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-05-05
Friday. May 5 1911
GOVERNOR WILSON'S SPEECH

On Saturday last, Governor Wilson
of New Jersey was the guest OF honor
ut dinner given by the Pewter Plat
ter Club of Norfolk and as such he de-
hvered speech in the presence of over
q hundred prominent men of the state.
In this address he called attention to
the changes in political methods that
are coming about in accordance with
the changing conditions in which we
live.
He said that so many things appear
ed awry in our national life, that
'There was SO widespread an impress
sion of conditions that were unjust,
Ubiquitous even, based upon selfish
ness and wrong and greed-that few
saw anything but agitation ahead
agitation that was likely to make bus
iness impossible"
He then called attention to the
changes in temper and point of view
by which this state Of mind has been
altered SO that "Programs are taking
the place of philippics, and programs
can be soberly examined and assessed,
Al unqualified criticism and denuncia-
ton cannot be-"
Beyond a doubt the Governor has
correctly seen the present state Of pub
lie opinion. In number OF leading
newspapers articles have appeared
lately that show that our people are
sick and tired of undertaking and of
Safeguarding as applied to our pub
lie men and the leaders of the business
world.
The almost universal success that
has attended our state and municipal
governments; kthe development of our
trade and industries and the growth of
the United States in little more than a
century from a feeble, scattered peo-
pie, fewer in number than the popula-
ton of the present city of New York,
to one of the greatest nations of the
earth, furnish evidence that our lead
ers have not been and are not now
thieves, fools nor scoundels.
Says Governor Wilson:
"We still revere representative
government, but we are forced to ad-
NIT, when we scruitinize it closely,
that by one means or another, the
governments we actually have, have
been deprived of their representative
character" Granting this to be true,
on whom rests the blame if not on
the voters? What proportion of the
registered vote attends an ordinary
primary, or, for that matter, takes
part in a regular election? The most
striking and familiar instance OF
"Ring Rule" is that of the Society of
Tammany in New York, yet very
small part of the voters in that city
belong to that organization and it has
been demonstrated time and again tina
the city can overthrow Tammany rule
whenever it chooses so to do.
The "boss" is ruler only SO long as
the voters permit him to be SO, and if
he continues in power against the
popular will, it is solely the fault Of
the voters. AS the Governor says, the
ring and the boss are anomalies and in
destroying them tive are cuttiny away
anomalies, Tot Institutions.
we are clearing away the jungle and
letting in the pure light and air-not
destroying the wholesome forest or
creating waste places when there was
productive growth" To accomplish
this each individual voter should feel
the responsibility resting on him to
support true, strong men for office, and
it will not be necessary to ''recall" the
officials put into power in moment of
passion or of ignorance.