Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1911-10-27
Bust the offce-tIolders' Trust

Editor the News 1T is gratifying
indeed to the writer, as well as othel
friends of Mr.. S. M. Graham, tha
you and your paper, so strongly en-
dorse his candidacy for clerk. Il
is hard to understand how some dem
ocrats in the county. mainly about
Tazewell courthouse, could have ever
opposed his making this race, and ev.
en- now that he is out, asserting doubts
and criticisms of his action, simply
because they do not want to vote for
him, and at the same time do not
want to admit they intend to vote for
MIR. Greever and MIR. Barnes. but
there are not as many of these as the
sounds would Indicate, we have ascer-
tanned, and we hope they will grow
less aas the time cf election draws
nearer. Be that as it may, if they
want to vote for MIR. Greever and Mr..
Barnes, they have the right to do so.
and should have the manhood to saw
so, but THEY should not oppose Mr..
Graham because his candidacy is not
for the best interests of the Demo-
cratic party. We believe his candida
cy S for the best interests of the
party, and this position is easier to
maintain than theirs that the interest
of the party are best subserved by
voting for Barnes and Greever. We
want to vote for Mr.. Graham and not
for Mr.. Barnes nor Mr.. Greever, and
we are just as much entitled to that
privilege as our opponents are to vote
tor MIR. Barnes or Mr.. Greever, and
want to say that just as many, or
more, republicans will vote for MIR.
Graham than will democrats vote for
Messrs. Barnes or Greever, and thus
show their disgust of the "oiiice mold
ing trust,'' of this county. A trust
which goes so far as to accuse Mr..
Graham of the act of "Butting In"
because, forsooth, he aspires to con-
tinue to hold the office which he has
filled with so much ability and satis-
faction for the past three or four
years, when one of the favored few.
who alone can bear the stamp of the
approval of said "ofIice trust" wants
the position for himself, and said
office "trust" wants it for its fav-
orite. 1t is high time that the people
of this county were showing their in
dependence, and their disapprobration
of such conditions, condition that
is such that gentleman and citizen
dares not aspire to hold an office with
in the gift of the people of his native
county, unless he bears the stamp of
of this self constituted
"office trust" and if he should fail
to win their approval to know that he
would win, not only theic condemna-
tion, which would follow him to the
last minute of the day of election, but
would also be termed and advertised
as "a Butter In." This is a deplor-
able condition-as deplorable as it is
true, and | am sorry to say, that it
now looks like this "oflice trust"
which has heretofore been confined to
the Republican party, is finding en-
couragement by 80 called "Indepen-
dent Democrat" who want to vote
for Messrs. Barnes or Greever, and
are trying to excuse themselves for
so doing. They even go so far as to
accuse Mr.. Graham of coming out in
the interest of Mr.. Barnes-Mr.
Geever's supporters-and we suppose
Mr.. Barnes supporters are saying he
came out in the interest of Mr.. Greev-
er. Now he came out in his own in
terests, and every man who knows S.
M. Graham knows this to be a fact,
and he also came out in order to give
to, many of people of Tazewell county
who would not vote for either Mr. Il.
Barnes or Mr.. Greever, an opportuni
ty to vote for candidate for clerk of
their county. Voters of Tazewell
county, stamp your disapproval of
such unfounded and ungenerous chaig-
es, of such local conditions in Your
county that few people at Tazewell
court house can say to you and your
son, you shall not have an Office in
this county, it matters not what rights
you may have to seek it, because you
are not of the faith and bear not the
stamp of our approval, and will also
say to you, if you disobey you are
blasphemer and "Butter In"
A VOTER.
Graham, Va, Oct. 26.