Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1913-07-04
POLLARD, WILLIAMS EFT AIS

bCNiiNoy - -y 1NSWS,
endorsing the candidacy of Hon.
John Garland Pollard and eX-
pressing "the earnest hope that
he will be" the next Attorney
General of the State, all of
which is clearly within the
rights and privileges of The
News so to do. We have not a
word to say against Mr.. Pollard,
We do not, however, endorse
entirely our contemporaries
method of exploitation of it's
hero for the office of Attorney
General. He is placed upon a
pedestal higher than most men
can stand without becoming
dizzy--so high that the neck be-
comes tired looking upwards in
his direction, and we feel sure
Mr.. Pollard, knowing him as we
do, would much prefer to be
ranked little lower down.
However, u candidate cannot
say to his gushing friends,
thus far and no farther" but
do his level best to come some
where as near as possible to
meeting expectations.
Our real, and we think reason
able objection to the manner of
our contemporary's exploitation
is in holding up Mr.. Pollard as
"a Progressive Democrat. /"
implicitly at least, Mr.. Williams
is not "a Progressive Dem
ocrat," and implicitly again,
there are two kinds of Dem
ocrats among us-Progressive
and Reactionary. We have, at
the risk perhaps of exposing our
ignorance, asked and begged
over and over again, that some
body somewhere, anybody any
where-would enlighten us on
the question, "What Do You
Mean by a Progressive Dem
ocrat"' We may be "thick-head-
ed" and unable to draw nice
distinctions, but a line may be
so finely and delicately drawn as
to become invisible even under
a microscope, and inability to
discern such a line with the
naked eyes-and poor ones at
that, surely is not a crime. Will
the News make it little clearer
if possible, What is a Progress
sive Democrat? With its keen
perception and ability to dis
cover and reveal so many hereto
fore hidden excellencies in
human character, as displayed
in the gushing editorial referred
to, surely so big and prominent
thing as a Progressive Dem
ocrat" should be not difficult to
describe. But, the reply may be
made, Mr.. Pollard is our an
swer to your question, you
goose. But, wherein does Mr..
Pollard differ from Mr. Williams
or from any other good and
intelligent Democrat? Is the
difference one of character,
ability or independence of
thought and action? We are not
against Mr.. Pollard's candidacy.
If Mr.. Williams is not a good
Democrat we are against him.
If he is good Democrat, as we
see it, he is Progressive, and on
this score is the equal of Mr..
Pollard. Henry Stuart is Pro
gressive Democrat. Martin and
Swanson are Progressive Dem
ocrats. When Stuart ran for
Congress both these gentlemen
came to the district and did
what they could to secure his
election. Jones and Glass are
Progressive Democrats, so are
Congressman Flood, Hay and
all the rest. Mr.. Ellyson,
Mr.. Moore, Governor Mann, Mr..
Elyson are all Progressive
Democrats, as we see it, and all
of these are Wilson Democrats
Bryan Democrats and going
ahead the best they know how.
If our distinguished friend has
another kind of Democrat, differ
ent from these, which he desig-
mates Progressive" with a big
P," please point him out fol
the benefit of an humble county
contemporary, who is seeking
the light. So far as we have
been able to discover, judgil q
from what we have seen in this !
section, the distinguishing
C .aracteristic of those VINO stvL |
themselves "Progressives" i
their propensity and ability to |
prance around and kick the ton
planks off the stalls.