Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-07-21
entered at the Postoffice at Staunton
Va, as second class mail matter.
friday. July Fl 1911
the THOMPSON LETTERS

THE THOMPSON LETTERS
The authenticity of the letters read
by Mr.. w. A. Jones at Woooddstock
has not vet been challenged. That
granted, no judgment on their slgnl-
ficance should be given respect when
10 not based on a careful study OF
their statements, suggestions and
dates. and full consideration of the
political conditions existing in Vlr-
g;n;a at the time they were written'
taking due note of the facts that they
were addressed, without exception,
to persons either officials or attor-
news of railroad corporations and
that some of them bear dates several
weeks after an election had deter
mined the complexion of the General
Assembly. The issue is, How sue
cessfully do the averments and eX-
plantations offered by Messrs. Mar
tin and Ellyson overcome or sub
stantially weaken the presumption
founded by Mr.. Jones on this do
cumentary evidence that the money,
which was the leading topic OF the
Thompson missives. was solicited and
used for no other purpose than to
reinforce the campaign fund OF the
State Democratic Committee?
In 1891 the November election was
solely to fill the seats in the State
Senate vacant by Limitation and to
choose the full membership of the
House of Delegates. Since 1888
both branches of the General Assem-
bly, had been safely Democratic. Did
the Republicans seriously contest the
control of that body in 1891, so as
to render necessary the expenditure
of large sums to maintain Democratic
ascendancy? Or did they make
merely perfunctory show of fight
and even fail to nominate candidates
in large number of districts?
Another pertinent line of enquiry
is, Why Mr. Thompson should have
been so vague, when addressing con-
fidential correspondents, as to the
destined uses of the money asked
for, if those uses were to be only the
supplying the Democratic managers
with the sinews of war? For many
years it had been known of all men
that the railroads were large contri-
butors to the campaign chests of that
party. The practice was not then
under the ban of law, and was con-
demned only by Republicans. Why,
then, should Mr.. Thompson, when
RENTING eight hundred dollars to
Mr.. Martin, have SO cautiously au-
thorized it's application ITO the pur-
pose stated?" Why, in a second let
ter enclosing a second check, should
he report having interviewed four
legislative candidates in Albemarle
"And stated the matter as best he
could?" Why should he, in asking
a high official of the C. & O. road to
duplicate to Mr. Martin donation
already made, speak of Matters in
which you are all Interested" To
whom did you" refer? Why, some
time after the election, did he send
considerable sum to Mr. Bogart, an
agent of the Seaboard road at Frank
lin, begging him to certainly go to
Richmond on Monday next and
spend Monday and Tuesday there for
the purpose of rendering any assis-
lance you can to Mr.. Cardwell and
our other friends" and, suggesting
that he Hunt up Mr.. Thomas S.
Martini or, in event of his absence,
to Confer freely with General Hill
(then Railroad Commissioner, and
with Mr.. Cardwell, then an aspirant
for the Speakership of the House of
Delegates? Why did he write to
General Logan in New York that Gin
everything which went on in Rich
mond Mr.. Ellyson acted in the most
thorough good faith to US and l
know he can be depended on to help
US this winter?" When did Mr. Ell
lyson's good faith to the Democratic
party need such endorsemnt? Did
the US in the Logan and Marbury
letters as to Help this winter refer
to the Democratic party, or the inter-
ests seeking the election of Mr.. Card
well and the prevention of legisla-
ton adverse to the railroads? Is
Mr.. Ellyson's defense of railroad con-
tributions to the party treasury rele-
want to the charge that portions of
the Thompson letters create the i'm
preston that in 1891 funds furnish
ed by those corporations were en-
ployed for ends not so legitimate?
We are not prepared to enter a
conclusive verdict on the case as now
presented; but it seems to us incum-
bent on Messrs. Martin, Ellyson and
thompson to supply more consis-
tent key to the Interpretation of the
letters given to the public by Mr..
Jones than is furnished by the re-
Jolnders so far made. We stand
ready to give our columns to alEfhat
they may wish to sayvin clearancSE0f
the apparently bad KghtSin which the
lace of the letters presents them;
also we shall honestly endeavor to
allow just weight to whatever testi-
mony they may adduce or argument
advance to vindicate their records
and characters. Whatever may be
the extent of our objections to some
OF Senator Martins political opinions
and methods, we should experience