Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1912-07-30


the sons of that county and use hi
name in building up the ticket witt
which we intend to carry the state
1t is name with no blemish on il
and it is presented to you with tn,
warm endorsement and the hearty en-
thusiasm of thousands of his friend!
and neighbors. In the name of all thu
Democrats who live in that part o.
the historic Shenandoah Valley, We
ask you to nominate William Fontain,
Alexander for the office of State
Auditor.
We ask it for two reasons, and the
first is that we have tried him. We
gave him place of honor and trust
for twelve years and he came out oil
it with his popularity enhanced. anc
without dishonest dollar in his
pocket. By his upright conduct dur
ing those twelve years, and by his in
tellisent discharge of wider and more
important duties, arising from his
subsequent connection with large
business interests, and by our famili.
arity with his daily life and character
from his childhood. we know that nc
man in the state is better fitted foI
the authorship of West Virginia.
We also ask this nomination be.
cause we know that it will strength.
en- the Democratic ticket. We who
represent here today the Democracy
of the Shenandoah Valley are not only
Democrats by faith and inheritance
but we are too proud of the Demo-
cratic party and its record, and have
too much solicitude for its future, to
ask you to do anything that would
cloud the outlook in this our year of
glorious prospects. We who come
from that famous valley can promise
this convention larger majority for
your nominee than we have ever be
fore given to Democratic ticket.
We are proud, Isay of the Demo-
cratic party because of its historic
achievements, and we are proud of it
because it has elements of vitality
and of doctrine which make it an es-
sential part of this republic. The DEM
ocratic party cannot die until the re-
public dies. 1t has one thing in COM
mon with other parties--it has had
internal discussions, and it has had
overwhelming reverses at the ballot
box, but unlike all other parties, its
perfect identity with the life of the
country enables it to survive every
disaster, and rise from the earth again
with renewed strength We buried
the old Federal party, we buried
the Knownothing party, we buried the
Wing party, we buried the Populist
party, and in this year of our Lord
1912 we will, with the providential aid
of Theodore Roosevelt, bury the Re
publican party. We all know many
whom we respect as
neighbors, and esteem as patriots, and
love them as friends, and so when we
anticipate with pleasure a Republican
funeral it is their leaders and politi-
clans that we have in mind. We can
not love them. So far as they are
concerned there are no good Indians
but dead Indians. Think, my country
men, think of the appalling condition
to which Republican leaders and poll
ticians are bringing our public life.
BY the solemn and reluctant testimony
of the Republican president of the
United States and his managers, we
are told that large portion Of Re-
publican leadership today is untruthful
and corrupt. and by Republican ex-
president we are told that the other
portion is untruthful and corrupt If
you take one of these witnesses you
must condemn one half of the Re-
publican leadership, and if you take
both you must condemn it all In my
jud cement both witnesses are reliable,
and so we are going to Repubh-
can funeral next November, funeral
without music, without flowers, and
with no resurrection
1t is the glory of the Democratic
party that the great states of the
mighty northwest were secured by a
Virginia ordinance written by a
Democrat that the magnificent en-
pire of the Mississippi Valley was
bought for us by Democrat; that
the annexation Of Florida was the act
of a Democrat; that the vast com
monwealth of Texas, larger thar
France, became ours through the
craftsmanship of a Democrat; that il
was a Democrat who secured to the
Union the Pacific states, an empire
that would stir the ambition of Z
Bonaparte and dazzle the Imagination
of a Caesar. 1t was the Democrats
party that led our country TO victor,
in the two wars of 1872 and 1847, anc
true to our flag, true to our country
true to the Constitution, and true t
the genius of Christian civilization, VI
stand today in line of battle again t
fight for the eternal and righteou
principle that no man should be take
to enrich some other man, and oppos
with all our strength the unjust sys
tenn by which some Americans ar
benefited at the expense of othe
Americans.
| If we go forth from this conyentio
with every name on our state tick'
as clean as the name of William Fol
tame Alexander, and every man c
that ticket as good Democrat as
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