Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1911-11-16
COERCION?

the people of Montgomery county saw
fit to elect Republican member of the
House of Delegates, and the people of
Rockingham county to elect a RepubI-
can treasurer over George b. Keezell. a
former member of the State Senate.
The answer of the machine leaders of
the Democratic party to these triumphs
OF the Republicans was prompt and to
the point. In the Lynchburg News Of
the 9th the following appeared in news
item in their Richmond letter:
Three defeats of members of the
General Assembly who had landed
normal schools for their homes is
one of the things which is pulling
the politicians. c. O'Connor Cool
rick was defeated two years ago in
Spottsylvania; yesterday George B.
keezell, of Rockingham, was de-
teated for county treasurer, and
Charles A. Johnston, of Montgom-
cry, was also defeated. Keezell and
Johnston at previous sessions of the
Legislature had done exactly what
Goodrich had done, and they were
denied Office at the hands of the
people. The defeat of Mr.. John
ston means that the Radford school
will not receive the attention it
would have gotten had Mr.. John
ston been returned, and the belief
Is chat that section will have to
wait for some time before the school
is under way. The sections which
have returned Republicans will be
without legislation of any conse-
quence for the next two years, for
the Democrats have such a meior-
ity that the minority will simply
have to take what it can get and be
content. Mr.. Johnston was a valu-
able man in the General Assembly"
In the Richmond Times-Dispatch OF
the same date the following appeared:
"Radford and Harrissonburg are
not likely to receive great generos-
ity at the hands of the new Legisla-
ture IN the matter of appropriations
for their normal schools, if the dis
cussion to be heard in political cir
cles yesterday is an indication. Rad
ford especially is an object of a
great deal of criticism, some of the
political leaders saying openly that
they would prefer an abandonment
of the site purchased there and a
loss of the money already PIT in by
the State, to the establishment of
the school.
''This ire against the little city on
New River is the result of Tues
days election, when the Democrats
of the westward unhesitatingly cut
the name of Charles A. Johnston,
the Democratic nominee for the
House of Delegates, from the tick
ct and voted for Ulysses Grant
Flanagan, the Republican candi-
date, and therefore contributed
largely to Mr.. Flanagan's election.
This fact is plainly shown by the
returns which gave John NJ. Hart,
the Democratic candidate for the
Senate, 1873 votes in West Radford,
while Mr.. Johnston received only
81. This is believed to be directly
due to the recent fight between the
two wards as to which should get
the location of the new normal
school.
cit was the intention of the Leg
islature to establish this school for
the benefit of the people of the
Southwest, and not of Radford.
. Chances are good for some
other enterprising town in the
Southwest to get this normal.
''While the school at HARRISON
burg is going institution, it is be-
lieved that the people of the county
do not care much for it, since they
did not elect Democrats, who would
alone have a chance to get into the
committees and the Democratic
caucus, and participate in the affairs
of the Legislature. The school
must, of course, be kept in opera
ton, but the outlook for new build
ings is not especially bright"
The leading papers of the Democratic
party in the State condemn in more or
less vigorous language this injection of
politics into our public schools. The
irst to speak out was the Richmond
as follows:
IF the normal school proposed
for Radford and constructed at Har-
rissonburg were designed solely to
subserve petty, party and local poll
tics and without reference to their
public need for educational purpos-
cs. then It is quite in order to con-
si<]er <belr removal or the withdraw
Z, Of adequate support, as q punish
r. f..