Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1911-09-28
the Democratic people With these

false notions controlling, they have Civ
en- consistent, constant support to every
thing. candidates and policies, that has
been labeled Democratic-many times
doing this when their inner conscience
told them the men and measures were
unworthy and dishonest. Harmony in
the party ranks and perpetual rule for
the party were made superior to princi-
pie and the public welfare.
In recent issue of the Commoner,
Mr.. Bryan, when discussing harmony
in the Democratic party, declared that
they had enjoyed harmony in the party
for the past fifteen years, but that this
very harmony had been used for tn
benefit of Wall Street interests. And
he said:
What we need is not harmony,
but straightforward fight for prin-
ciple IN behalf of the public" Mr..
Bryan said further: wall Street
is bribing the corruptible, fooling
the gullible and frightening the
timid.''
This is precisely what the machine
Democrats have been doing in Virginia
for the past twenty-five years. They
have bribed the corruptible with office
and patronage; and created an office
holders trust, embracing State, county
and municipal officers and employees.
There are probably ten thousand of
these who wear the badge of the tribe
and the machine collar,
They have fooled the gullible by
pretended patriotism and assumed de-
votion to Virginia.
They have frightened the timid with
the cry of threatened negro supremacy,
and thus won the support of many who
were shocked at the crimes that were
committed to preserve and perpetuate
machine rule. Thousands of good men
In Virginia have been made familiar
with crime and associated with political
vice until they have been inoculated
with the leprosy of dishonest machine
rule. And while this was going on a
solid Democratic press was either
quiescent or shouting approval.
The Democratic press knew at the
time it was done that the railroads in
Virginia had bought a seat in the Sen
ate of the United States for one of
their attorneys, but they made no pro-
test, except that which they offered
because of the defeat of their pet can
didate. The method was not the vice
but the defeat of their candidate was
the offense.
The Democratic press knew all the
time the State organization was win
ming elections by training and develop
ing for each election "a new stock of
perjurers and bulldozers." They &C
cepted the emergency cry of the ma
chine as a truth; and did not object
when seats in Congress and the Guber-
material chair were secured for Demo-
Gratis through stolen ballots, forged poll
lists and altered returns.
The Democratic press knew that an
act of perfidy had been. committed by
the party when the constitution was
proclaimed and not submitted to the
people,
The Democratic press has never de-
nounced the dishonest election laws that
their party has given the people, be-
ginning with the Anderson Nc Cormick
election law in 1884 and extending on
down to those written in the new consti-
tuition.
The Democratic papers that have re-
Gently revolted against machine rule
and degrading politics in Virginia, for
more than twenty years had tolerated
all the election crimes and the dishonest
management of the States affairs by
the machine, They had by their tolera-
ton and support won the confidence of
the people for those INSCRIPTIONS politi-
: clans whom they now seek to discredit
and condemn. For these reasons. and
many others that can be given, the
heretofore influential newspapers of
Democratic persuasion in Virginia were
made impotent in their commendable
effort to restore clean politics and hon.
est government within our borders.
The Virginia Democracy, through its
many years of evil training, had be-