Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1912-09-26
CAMPAIGN In NINTH
OPENED ON TUESDAY
Senator Harman StirS Great Gathering Of
Scott County Citizens With An Eloquent
Appeal And 6Tes Them Seven Rea-
sons For Supporting Mr.. Slemp


Ninth district, Senator J. N. Hsrman,
the Roosevelt elector for the district,
opened the campaign at Gate City, in
Scott county, on Tuesday. In his OPEN
ing he said:
Fellow Citizens:-
"In the ripeness of an experience
gathered from forty years of active par
ticipation in politics in this congression-
al district, and in the mellowness of
spirit wrought by the work of these
years, l come to speak to you, not SO
much of the transItory issues projected
into this campaign, but in larger part Of
the great eternal principles of human
government that have existed in all
civilizations of the past and which
reach out into all the future as we'll
Il come to you as progressive of
the progressives, as the elector Of the
Ninth district in this campaign, and ask
you to consider with me today the per-
manent issues upon which this cam
paign is to be fought, and on the tri-
umph or defeat of which the veal or
woe of our children and children's child
rem depend"
Continuing Senator Harman called at
tention to how universal the progress
sive sentiment had been, and to the fact
that platform almost identical with
that of the progressive party had been
contributed to the columns of this paper
something like year ago.
He reviewed the history of the repub-
ican and democratic parties, with a
brief sketch of the growth of human
government down to the birth of the
present progressive party. With re-
gard to the democratic party he demon
strated with cold critical logic its utter
inability to manage the affairs of the
National Government, and showed what
mess democrats had made of state
government wherever intrusted with
the power.
He awoke the unbounded enthusiasm
of his audience, however, when he gave
the following seven reasons why pro-
gressives should support Congressman
c. B. Slemp in his fight for reelection.
1neSe reasons hollow:
How can a progressive be consistent
and vote for Mr.. Slemp?"
This question is continually being
propounded to the progressives by our
democratic friends. We might answer
them by saying that we can do this and
be as consistent as Ryan and Murphy
and Belmont can be consistent and vote
for Wilson. We can do this and be a
great deal more consistent than William
Randolph Hearst, who so mercilessly
attacks Mr.. Wilson's tariff views or free
trade policies. We are at least as con-
sistent as La Toilette is who claims to
be the father of progressives and yet
because of his personal objections to
Roosevelt will support Mr.. Taft or Mr..
Wilson.
However, care very little whether
appear consistent or inconsistent to
my democratic friends. The demand for
consistency is the demagogue's whip to
scare towards into line. Being neither
demagogue or coward neither use this
whip on others nor am l frightened by
its use in the hands of others.
''From my standpoint, however, we
are not inconsistent in our support of
Mr.. Slemp's candidacy. Our paramount
purpose in this campaign is to prevent
this district from falling into the hands
of the democrats, and to poll the full
progressive vote for Col. Roosevelt
The early success of the progressive
movement in the Ninth district Is as
sured by holding the anti-democratic
forces together in this fight.
lone good reason for not doing or not
doing anything is sufficient; but l will
give you seven good reasons why the
progressives should support Mr.. Slemp.
First: He was nominated by pro-
gressive delegates, over his own protest
whom we sent to the Bristol convention.
We are therefore honorably bound to
abide by the act of our delegates. In
fact, in order that we might succeed in
our paramount purpose / strongly ad-
vocated in all our progressive caucusses
held in Tazewell previous to the mass
meeting which sent delegates to the
Bristol convention, that convention
ought to nominate a man who was a
supporter of MIR. Taft in this campaign.
Second: Mr.. Slemp is progressive
Before Col Roosevelt's hat was in the
ring Mr.. Slemp had espoused the cause
of President Taft. Mr.. Slemp's support
of Mr.. Taft for President does not make
him a standpatter any more than Mr..
LaFollett's support Of Mr.. Taft or Mr..
Wilson makes him a standpatter. Why
Mr.. Roosevelt said himself in his speech
at Bristol that 'Slemp is as straight az
a string, he supported me in all my pro-
gressive policies
"Third: Mr.. Slemp's high, mora
character and his unimpeachable integ.
rity both in private and public life makes