Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1913-01-24
A GRAHAM MAN
after COMMITTEE
Sore on County Organization Be-
cause 1t Wouldn't Order Primary
to Settle PostOfice Differences.

precedent of right or of authority
could the County Committee re-
fuse TO allow the Democratic
voters of the Towns of Tazewcll
end North Tazewell, to select.
for the two communities. who
among them, should be endorsed
for the positions of postmaster
OF the two towns, for the next
four years. The committee can
but admit that the recommended
zion must come through them,
yet they deny having any
authority to adopt a plan that
will give them the aid and CO.
operation of the democratic
patrons of the Offices sought to
be filled. In making the selection
of the man the majority of the
democrats want, if they have no
right, nor the power, to submit
this question to the votes of the
democratic patrons of the Offices,
then will they assume authority
to make a recommendation when
the time comes for the appoint
ment? If they will, and we all
know they expect to do that
very thing, then the committee
in refusing to allow perfer-
ential vote, tells the democrats
OF those two towns. that they
expect to handle this matter lust
as they want it, and not as you
may prefer.
Why try to hoodwink the peo-
pie by pretended ignorance of
authority. The county commit
tee is Il creature of the party,
and surely is amenable to the
wishes and desires of the party.
For the past sixteen years, we
democrats have been bowling a
doleful tune, and charging the
Republican party with being
used and controlled by the Office
holders, and we have gone so far
in these charges as to assert
that the Office holders of the
government Of this State and
district, were the tools and
henchmen Of the President and
Mr.. Slemp, and in control of all
matt ers of the party as against
the wishes of the masses. and
that policy of Mr.. Taft and Mr..
Slemp, finally eliminated in the
greatest victory for Democracy
the party has ever known. Then
our party to be consistent and to
follow out the democratic policies
of Bryan and Wilson, should ad-
here to the slogan, Let the
People Rule" and thus secure
harmony and cooperation in the
party for the good of the whole
party. Discord and just such
tactics az is being used by the
county committee, were brought
into play in an attempt to dis
rupt the Baltimore convention,
and set at naught the will of the
masses of the party, in order
that private and individual in
terest might continue to flourish,
but in the end the people won.
Who are the servants, the
committee or the masses of the
democratic party? If the party
be the servants and the commit
tee the master, then the action
of the committee in refusing to
be advised by the servant would
be upheld, but if the party is
the master and the committee
the servant then the committee
has been guilty of mutiny and
should be disciplined, and if not
amenable to discipline then
should be discharged and their
places filled with those who will
have more consideration of their
masters rights and wishes. The
action of the committee might
be construed two ways-one,
that goodly number of them
want the Offices themselves, and
are playing with each other,
you pat me and I'll pat you",
or they have concluded to let the
public be damned" that they,
in no wise owe allegiance to the
masses of the Democratic party,
but only to themselves and a
few self constituted local bosses,
who are simply playing demo-
cratic politics for what personal
profit or advancement it may
insure.
Oh, unselfish patriotism, that
created and projected a party,
that at one time called forth the
tribute, as beautiful as it was
true, as being the party, "of the
people, by the people and for
the people. Why hast thou
deserted us, and when will your
return? Bryan has been the
stimulant that has sustained it
Il. l.