The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-08-21
PUBLIC MEN OF STATE AND CITY
HAVE BEEN TRUE TO TRUST

been any Tweeds and Crokers.
There have been, however, a full
share OF men Of more than ordinary
ability. There have been men who
stood out above their fellows and
there have been nearly always cap
able and honest men who. though
making no name for themselves. have
and we'll.
Today we have a body of officials
who will compare more than favor
ably with those of many other States,
and against them has been brcathed
no charges such as confront today the
governor of the great State of New
York. whether those charges be true
or false.
There is no legislative body in Vir-
ginia so under the dominion of politi-
cal organization az the assembly and
senate of the Empire State.
No candidate, eager for office. has
brought charges against Virginia Off
cials equal to those which are received
with q cynical shrug or light indiffer-
ence when made wholesale in some
other States.
They are men who know their
work, keep their hands clean n per-
form the duties of their office eff
GENTLY. Some of them are known
throughout the country and all will
leave office with clear consciences
and with the satisfaction of men who
have done their best and with the
knowledge that that best was no small
matter.
Always Want Better.
Virginia is not perfect and Virgin
ians have their faults. This makes
impossible a perfect government and
perfect officials. but the people of Viz
ginia expect much of their officials
and they are never content with their
government. This makes possible
rather it makes Certain-a govern
ment of a high class constantly i'm
proving, and it makes certain the Sc
lection of officials above the medi-
ocre. yirginians would not long rest
content under official incompetency.
though they share with other Ameri-
cans the fault of too much tolerance
and patience. There is a limit, how
ever, beyond which they would not
allow their public men to go, and that
limit has seldom been reached. The
people of Virginia are swift to retire
an incompetent official-swifter to
turn %unfaithful officials from office
and would wait no longer than con
stitutional requirements make ;neces-
sary before cleaning out rascals were
there any. Under such conditions as
this dishonest men are all but impos-
sible in government. and inetficiency
and incompetency have short thrift.
SO it is hat public men of the State
are not false to the memory of their
predecessors and tina big men m
times and able men usually have held
positions of trust in Virginia.
1t has been so since the first peoples
legislature in the New World was held
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burgesses was composed of some of
the ablest men in the colony, and
since that time men have offered for
office with motives as little diluted
with personal considerations as is
possible with the present composition
of the human ace. From the seven
teenth century beginning down
through and beyond the first decade
of the twentieth century there have
been men in Virginia fired with am
bition and with the desire to perform
services for the public. and few have
been the years in all hat period that
a fair proportion of these were no
given the opportunity to fulfill thai
ambition.
CIorfes Of Her Past.
Good Americans everywhere inevi'
tally link Virginia with her past
/ glories, looking upon this fair State
as one of glorious history and a land
of romance. They look to her fol
guidance wen now when other States
have come into being and have them
selves made history, and the action Of
this State on any subject has more
weight than it's size and wealth en-
title her to. All this is because Nir-
ginia has given good men to the coun.
fry in the past and has not deterior-
ated. 1t gives of its best yet, ant
few fear that in a crisis 1t will he
found wanting. For this no littlC
credit should be given to the high
character of It's public men through
the decades and to the cleanness q
its government since its foundation
Other things have helped. but this i.
not the least among them.
The government Of Virginia is no
as radical as those of some othel
States. and in some instances 1t !!
not as progressive as 1t might be, bu
1t has never gone backward ave dur
ing that dark period when 1t was
turned into a military satrapy by th'
c%onquerors and governed by aliens
scalawags and then negro allies. 1
has made progress slowly, but witt
each step 1t was certain. True ant
tried principles Of government have
not been sacrificed for passing whim!
and attempts to MAKE over the State
in a night have not been tried here
Nevertheless. nothing has been re.
garded as of the devil because new and
the hands from the grave have no
been allowed to direct the helm O,
the ship OF State. Progress has beer
made steadily and year by year thu
Old Dominion, under the guidinG
hands of faithful officials. placed il
office by an intelligent constituency
has made way forward, unswervet
from her course by contrary wind.
nor lured onward to destruction by tht
phantom ship of mistaken idealism.
The action of Virginia in the nerve
wracking days preceding the War Be
tween the States was characteristic
1t was not the first to sever connec'
tions with the Union it a years be
fore done so much to create. but. or
the contrary, was among the last &c
take the step. and yet once h had
made her decision, she defended hel
course bravely and nobly and wa.
among the last to return to the fold
she had left SO reluctantly. Return
ing, she came not as an errant child
not as one who had done wrong and
would beg TO. be received again inte
1.-The fathers house, but 1t was proud,
and without apologies or ~recantatior
that she came to take her place AGAR
among the sisterhood of States. Once
again a part of the Union, she bucklet
down to work for herself n h fae
to which she again gave allegiance a!
intellectually as any of those who
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