The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-04-01

any man In any forum to say that
ever cast q vote that was not In strict
accord with this door rine.
believe in govern mental control
OF interstate commerce and judi
cious regulation OF Int erstate railroad
traffic. / am opposed to combinations
in restraint of trade n I'D to the meth
DDS which they employ. In brief.
am a Democrat, and ave mused ana
marveled that anybody in Virginia
should effect ignorsnc. OF my attitude
ON public questions aad demand to
know where | stand.
Temperance Record.
Some objection has been raised to
my candidacy for the United States
Senate upon the ground that ! would.
II l could, utterly extirpate the IL
quor saloon. Singularly enough TINS
was not urged as a disqualification as
Democrat OF the Virginia Senate,
although my attitude was perfectly
well known. 1t was not urged as
disqualification when ! Was selected
by the people Of LynchburG as a mem
Der of the constitutional convention
OF Virginia; and at no time within
the nine years that | have been
member OF Congress has the issue
been raised in my district,
1t literally has no place In the SEN
atorfal contest. and 1t will not have
unless those who are hostile to me
seek to prejudice my cause by pro-
jecting an irrelevant issue.
1t IN pertinent to say that ] arm n
State rights Democrat, and / be ieve
Congress should enact a law permit
ting the police powers OF the states
To deal with interstate shipments OF
liquor from wet to dry territory. and
IL i am elected 20 the United States
Senate, or must he content with re-
tanning my seat I'm the House of Rep
rese,ntattvcs. / shall vote for such
bill and actively aid In its passage.
| But the question of prohibition II not
properly involved in this senatorial
contest. ! have my individual coll
I Stct1oOs upon that question, but !
never have desired and never viii
desire. to convert them into a political
! aase&- / venture to say here to -night.
however, that / would not yield or
compromise my settled view ON this
at.ssstien for any political distinction
On earth III Tive people OF Virginia
are searching for snator who has
no convictions they should not turn
/ TO me. lf they are looking for n
/ senator who would, In my extgency,
be willing 10 abandon his convictions,
they need not look TO rue. II they
are looking for a senator who Mt any
/ time or in any place viii be afraid to
aesert his convictions they should not
voeo for me. II would not only be
dfsxastefui, but II would be a source
! OF pain and humiliation to me 10 have
| preacher and barkeeyer men OF OPP
! posing views, ut the election booths in
| u Democratic primary working for
my nomination. each dde hoping and
neither side knowing that Ii would
profit by my success. ttbcers.1
Would Criticise to His Face.
h~G ted nd ff.ly~
ed that I would tonight a-saii the
| record Of my competitor AS n rncni-
| Der OF Congress, and "a Governor
| of Virginia. | regard his public re-
/ cord ~ properly subject to public
criticism, and / shall not during the
! Senatorial campaign. hesitate to iden-
tify him with the political machine
whoec exercises and dciinquences
have described, nor to hold him 10
| strtc2 accountability for anything he
/ has done which ne should not have
| done. and for everything which he
has left updope, and which he should
| have done; but when | make this
criticism Of my competitor. / want TO
do II I'm his presence and not In his
absence. want TO do IL face To face
before tie people OF Virginia. with
full opportunity to give aud take. and
10 let the people decide. For this
StA&Ou L nave 1Hd bp tps k1as1AIFtatt
and considerable In siI that / have
said tonight.
There Is enc aspect Of the ssi jeci,
/ however. 70 which / feel justified in
/ slluding, because It has been widely
discussed In the newspapers IF the
! state and because | have been. IN
! way. myself. involved In criticism.
| refer 10 the fact that the adEatutstra
ton Of my competitor, as Governor
OF tho Commonwealth, was character
ICED by extravaganza and terminated
In utter depletion OF the treasury.
make reference TO this incident be-
Sz.se .6y competitor has mad ample
opportunity to consider and make an
! swer to this charge projected by rep
utahle public Journals and 1uhstan-
'ttateG Try ararsts gsroaf~- tTss.s ,fisetss-
sion In pertinent because at the Very
outset OF this Senatorial contest the
pnrtisans Of the Governors appotntee
have sought to make II appear that
he should not he ufolested ia HIS IN
| bition 70 be Senator because the PEG
pie Of the State owe him debt Of
gratitude for his brilliant aud bust
ness-like administration The real
facts seem to be that Governor Mon
tRgae turned over To his successor In
| once n genuine surplus OF more than
half e. million dollars inappropriate
/ ed and urexpended: that during his
/ administration my competitor hai the
advantage OF an additional revenue
raised under the operation OF tax re-
! form provided by The Constitutional
/ Convention. amounting TO four mil
/ lion six hundred and fifty Thousand
/ dollars, which gave him n total
amount OF available money Of s5.-
! 0o0,D0o, more than WAS available for
| public purposes under the admi .s-
I tration OF Governor Montague. ct.
/ with this tremendous excess tho State
i under his administration had to ask
/ favors C.f the railroad corporations
1 and had to borrow "a quarter OF "a mil.
! lion dollars from tho banks and. AT
| the end Of the four years was left In
a state Of financial prostratioa
! Facts Not Made Known
! The parusans OF my competitor
| have attempted In two ways to an
i swer this charge, They have said in
! effect that. Il does not matter about
+ the figures because Democratic
newspapers Of the State had praised
] the administration Of this distinguish
| ed gentleman, and the Lynchhurg
! News, owned by me. Is given as
conspicuous example OF this misplace
/ ed confidence. The answer TO that is
that the newspapers did not know, and
the newspapers did not know because
the Governor did not tell them, and,
| although he went out OF Office on the
/ first day OF February, 1910, the real
! condition OF the State treasury was
not revealed to the people OF Virginia,