Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1912-03-28
THURSDAY. MARCH %, 1912.
WHATS TINE MATTER WITH ViRSINlAP

If it were not for the sombre sadness
OF the terrible tragedy in Hillsville, it
would be amusing to note the attempts
of certain Of our papers to say that the
events there were the logical results Of
the recall Of the judiciary. II there is
any lesson to be learned from the trag-
edy it would be this: II there was a
proper and legal method of recalling
manifestly unfair decisions Of judge
and certainly the appointing Of man
to the position Of a judgeship does not
make him infallible nor free his mind Of
partizan bias-there would be no temp
tstion to anyone to attempt to make it
personal matter, as did the Aliens in
Carroll county. 1t is unlikely, however,
that those grim, gsunt mountaineers,
living close to nature and in an almost
pristine simplicity, have ever thought
of the initiative, referendum or recall
as generally understood, but were
prompted only by. the primitive work
ings of their untutored minds.
What, then, are the lessons to be
learned from the HiIlsville tragedy?
First, education-more education-and
especially primary and intermediate ed
ucation. 1t in truth, may be said, that
some of the Aliens were educated men,
but their companions, and especially
the companions Of their youth, were Of
the uneducsted class, and their environ
ment such as always falls to the lot of q
neighborhood where the means of pri-
mary education are insufficient-an at
mosphere that creates doubt and dis
trust and keeps alive the clannish or
narrow outlook on life.
Second, that too much power is given
in this state to men because of their po-
itical influence. That they are allowed
to believe themselves exempt from pun
ishment for their misdemeanors, other
than in the manner that suits them In
the case at hand, a special correspon-
dent of the Richmond News-Leader,
writing from Hillsville on the 18th, said
ut is said by some people here
that while the democrats had con-
troll of affairs here the Aliens had
nn+hfnrr 70 L. L.
republican by 900 majority. Foster
intimsted during his campaign for
commonwealth attorney he would
break up outlawrY. 1t is thought
he had the Aliens in mind when he
wrote this plank in his platform
In other words, as long as the Aliens
were leaders of the dominant party in
their county they had nothing to fear
from the law; but when the law-abiding
progressive citizens elected officers OF
opposite political faith who were not
afraid to do their duty, then these So
called prominent citizens" must kill,
If necessary, to protect their crude ideas
of their ''rights." There is too much
Of this feeling in Virginia. Education
will help eradicate it in the young, but
sterner methods will have to be invoked
for those who are too old to learn other
wise.
Third, an effective "pistol toatiDg''
act must be enacted and enforced. A
law on the order of the Johnston law in
West Virginia, rigidly and impartiaIly
enforced, would prevent many vir-
ginis homicide.
Some Of the papers of this state have
said they would not have been surprised
at such thing as the HiIlsville affair
happening in Tennessee, Kentucky or
West Virginia. Oh, mote and beaml
Let Us remove the beam from our own
eye before noting the mote In our neigh
boris. What is the beam in the eye of
the Old Dominion? THE MACHINE.
What has the Machine done in Virginia?
First, the schools. With but brief
exceptions, the democratic party has
had charge of the states affairs since
the days of Jefferson. Before the war
the greatest amount Of money devoted
to the primary schools by the state was
spent IN 1859, when the average attend
ance among 54,232 poor white children
was SO days, at cost varying from to
6 cents q day per child. The total
amount spent for primary education in
the entire state that year was only
sI60.5S0.