The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-10-04
Public Opinion

thing that marks of the most peculiar
characteristics of the American people is the
change that is wrought in public opinion OF
public men by death. Any one who will read
the newspapers published during Washingtons
terms as president Will be struck by the vene-
nous abuse that heaped upon him from
many sources yet as soon he was stiled in
death he became model whose like was never
known among men. During the civil war Lin
coin, Davis and Lee were the objects OF un-
limited abuse from their political opponents,
and We. today all three are almost worshtpped,
even by those who were most bitterly opposed
to them while living The last years OF Presi-
dent McKinley's life were saddened by unpro-
VOKed, unjust ana unCatfed-for attacks from
"anti-imperalsts" who charged him with ali
the crimes in the political list, yet when he
met his death at the hands or an assassin az
Buffalo the mourning that filled the United
States profound, and stranger would
have been led 70. believe that every one In the
country had sustained a personal loss the
bitter revng that had embarrassed his ad-
ministration; the writings and speeches that
had been given aid and announcement TO saw
ages in the Philippines, and had prolonged
struggle based misinformatIon among the
natives hushed in the presence Of death
and Mckinley given an apotheosis and
became one of our national saints.
A little year ago a Judge was shot
down while on the bench trying case Al
once wave Of indignation swept over this
State from Bristol Norfolk and from Alex
andria to Danville, The clamor Of public opin-
ion denounced the governor for not calling out
the militia and securing Carroll county to cap
ture the nlurderers and vet when they had
been captured. tried and sentenced. and the
shadow of death hung over them. a similar
clamor arose. denouncing the governor for car
rying out his sworn duty in fulfilling the law
instead Of turning the criminals free This is
certainly hard understand,
A striking instance of this trait in the Ameri-
can people has just occurred About year
ago the police department of New York was
under examination, and nothing considered
too harsh be said by the most staio
and dignifed of our papers regarding the city
government and It's official head Mayor Gay
His party declined to renominate
him. and he renominated by indepen-
was small The mayors health began to fail
and by the advice of his physicians he went
abroad, but died shiphoard. His body
brought back TO New York, and lay in state
throughout last Sunday. over ninety thousand
people stood for hours in a cold rain TO get
various clergymen of the city preached civic
Righteousness using him a text and the
New York papers have been filled with praises
of the whom only year ago they were
eXecrating. ON Sunday night John Purroy
Mitchell, the fusion candidate for mayor and
one of the dead mans most determined oppo-
nents, made address in which he referred
to the late mayor as "a great and extraordi-
nary man. and one who worthy of the
epitaph the mayor had himself spoken when
declared that the sharp things he had said Of
the mayor in the past were due to the heat
and excitement of debate, and the cause
of deep regret TO him.
In considering such cases we can but won
der what value has public opinion anyway II
Is the voice of God. but when see marked
and radical changes occurring in that voice,
we forced to doubt the truth Of the old
sayng.--Staunton News.