Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-02-27
CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES

A dispatch from Washington
correspondent to the Roanoke Times
last week stated that Hon. r. Tate
Irvine, of Big Stone Gap, had an
nounced himself candidate for the
Democratic nomination for Con-
gress from the Ninth district this
fall. The nominating convention
meets in Bristol on March 18th, at
which time candidate will be nut
in the field.
Other possible candidates have
been suggested, viz: Geo. C. Peerv
and Robert p. Bruce, of Wise, Frank
Buchanan, state senator from Wash
ington and Smyth counties, John
w. Chalkey, representative from
Wise county, Lee Trinkle, of Wytho
vile, and perhaps others. The pros
poets for the election of Il Democratic
candidate this fall to succeed Mr..
Slemp seems to be entirely favor
able. Whether Mr.. Slemp or some
candidate he may suggest, will be
nominated by the Republicans, is
not certain at this stage of til @
game, nor is there any intimation as
to what the Progressive Bull Moose
Republicans will do in the matter of
a candidate. AS to Mr.. Slemp. one
day we hear that he positively will
not be candidate for reelection
under any circumstances. The next
day, that the party will not permit
him to retire, but will re-nominate
him nolens volens. So, now yo,.
see him, and now you don't. De-
pend upon it, that if Mr.. Slemp is
not the candidate, he will be asked
and permitted to name the man
who will be, for when was there n
time in recent years that the Ninth
district Republicans were not Slemp-
controlled? Information received in
this office from what seems to be
reliable sources, is to the effect that
the Progressive Republicans will sup
port the Democratic nominee.
The gentlemen whose names have
been mentioned as possible candi-
dates for the nomination by the Dem
ocrats, are worthy and we'll qualified
Either of them would make good
race. One of them, however, would
find himself handicapped and placed
on the defensive before the people
Democrats as well as Republicans.
We mean Senator Buchanan. who
by his vote and influence in the sen
ate aided in defeating the appropria
ton for the public schools of the
state before that body. He is n
strong man and popular. He carried
his district last fall--a district here
tofore Republican-by u handsome
majority, and up to the date of his
vote in the state senate against the
school appropriation, was in the
lead for the nomination as successor
to Congressman Slemp.
The Senator's reasons for his
opposition to this worthy bill arc
not known here, and in the absence
of such explanation harsh criticism
is scarcely justiiiable, if even allow
able. He is entitled to Il hearing
first. However, the statement can
safely be made, that no man who
is opposed to the advancement of
the great public schools of the state
should be elected to Office where the
interests of the schools are at all de
pendent upon his views and vote.
The public schools of the state are
dragging, and in dire need of money.
Their efficiency, if not very life, de-
ponds upon such succor and help as
only money can give, and the Sena
tor, representative or anybody else
who believes that the big colleges
and universities should be fostere6
at the expense and to the neglect of
the great schools of the common peo
pie and the masses, is not a proper
NINA to elect to make laws for the
people.