The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-12

600 officials and employees. State, city.
county, and those in and connected
| with the national government from
Virginia. This number is an effective
electioneering force for securing about
10000 additional votes. With the pres
ent small electorate is not this con-
| dition portentous and menacing?
Why should not these officials and
employees divide and differ among
themselves as much so as farmers,
merchants, mechanics, labor men, law
yers, and doctors? Has there been
any such division or difference In tho
past ten or twelve years?
Named by "AInchinc."
THE machine Indirectly. but sure
ly names many OF these officials and
employees. Washington is looked TO
more than Richmond for the influences
requisite to secure Office and place
Occasionally one or two of the leaders
of the machine personally come TO
Richmond to see after the larger
places, and to see that the machine
revolves with promised regularity.
Then this factional union must be
steadily increased in pay and in num-
bers. Witness the growing list OF Of
fees. and an increased payroll of
about 100000 in the past five years.
and this too. despite the unsatisfac-
ury.
Not in the Open.
"A systematic end malignant depre-
citation OF all who inquire into. criti-
cize or oppose the action of any otIi
cial or department of government. The
directors of the machine do not 60
this often In q direct or open man
ner. but they are the efficient cause
which sets in motion the forces and
instruments of detraction. The work
is done by a few journals, but mainly
In secret and sinister ways by the
fuglemen of the machine
Systematic and fulsome praise Of
the directors of the machine and the
next in line. Hear the latest direct
testimony. Congressman Flood is re.
ported to have used these words in
his Fourth of July grafton at West
Point:
II believe the best day in her tvir-
ginia's) history has been to-day. I
believe that never were her public
morals on a higher plane, nor her
business morality better. I believe
that she never had an ADLER or more
efficient set OF public officials filling
her county and State offices and rep
resenting her in the national capital
than a { preoent. I believe that never
were her electors more honest or
more representative OF public senti.
ment than at present.
Mr.. Floods optimism or credulity
may be admired by some. but there is
still historic Washington. Jefferson
Henry. Madison. Monroe. Tyler, Leigh
and Hunter, Marshall and others who
| should not be thus summarily effaced
even to help the Virginia machine
BESIDES. Mr.. Flood does not even en-
clude himself from his category OF
present surprising excellencies. and
therefore rather immodestly places
himself as the full equal of Thomas S.
Bocock and John Randolph Tucker,
who were his predecessors in Con-
gress,.
Ar TO Elections.
And as to elections Does not the
voice OF the viva vooe ballot still lin
ger TO drown the fraudulent Babel in
! the primaries in several places In vir-
ginia? He makes no charge of fraud
ulent elections but he does assert that
very large number of the best peo-
| pie in Virginia believe that our pri-
maries were not honestly or fairly
conducted In many places; and he de-