Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-08-05
CORRESPONDENTS FAVOR
NUMEROUS CANDIDATS
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are to be relied on. the times are az
niue out OF joint as they were when
either Mr.. Swanson or Mr. Stuart was
candidate for that office. Never was
inc attention OF the people so exclu-
siFeiy directed to petty wranglings
and to Insignificant issues.
L sec on all sides here in Virginia
precisely the attitude of the popular
mind which ! saw everywhere in Eng
land during the first year of the
present world CONFEDERATION. 1t was
only too plain that the people there
as II body were. during that first year.
thrusting away from their ordinary
life all thought of the war. Those
about me refused to talk about it, ex-
cept briefly and casually. by conpul-
sion as 1t were. At the very moment
that on the Downs Of Kent. one could
hear the far-off thunder of the guns
at Ypres.- the cry Of the people about
me was business AZ usual; the Der
By must be stiil run, and let the
cricket matches be played, without In
tcrruption. from one end OF the king
dom to the other" In short. the gem
eral disposition was TO ignore the ex-
istencc of the war just AZ far as 1t was
possible to do so
But when the war had been going
on for n year IL subtle change in this
attitude OF the public mind began
slowly to show itself The war. after
all could not be put aside mere
secondary affair in the lives OF English
men. Reluctantly, they perceived that.
AZ a unit, they had TO face ii suuarcly
and steadily, and so absorbing did tn is
conviction finally become that when l
left England about a year and Il half
after the war started, IL was pcrceDt-
ible TO the most careless observer that
lupt
of the people, their lives and fortunes
10 the utmost drop Of blood and TO the
final farthing, had been dragged into
the very heart of the storm. The
course which the national feeling had
taken reminded me Of some floating
object approaching a whirlpool: slowly
enough at first, II moves in a wide cir
Gle: but steadily that circle contracts.
until the object is swallowed up in
tho vortex. from which II has no pow
TO escape.
Fenrs Stress of Wnr.
Now. this is precisely the condition
that, before this war Is over, we shall
see In the United States generally, and
here IN Virginia, too. though In a less
concentrated form, owing TO our scat
tered population. We also are destined
TO fall into that whirlpool which has
enguifed the entire framework OF the
Old World. / am convinced that An
drew D. White. "A man of sober judg
Inent. was not far wrong when he said,
In recent interview. that what the
American people had most to fear un-
der the awful stress of this war. was
anarchy: not anarchy as extreme as
that now prevailing In Russia. but
anarchy, in a more subtle, and per-
maps as dangerous a form. throughout
our whole social and political orSaniza-
ton This il the penalty which the
North must pay for the presence of a
large German populations: ii Is the pen
atty which we in Virginia must pay
for our loosely -titting system of local
government. II the people OF New
York and Pennsylvania should grow
FESTIVE. are not certain TO grow
FESTIVE, too. under the weight OF the
same grinding and narrowing inau-
enccs?
There never was an hour In tho his
tory OF Virginia when strong and
resolute pilot. and an experienced and
clear-hcaded leader IL be so much
needed In the Executive Mansion AZ
Richmond during the years OF tho
next governorship. We shall require
a man rs stalwart as John Letcher. as
infcxihle rs James l.. Kemper, as brave
as Fitzhugh Lee. ocre are thousa nds
of citizens like myself who, In a spirit
OF political Observation-Disclosures. are earn
estly debating AS to which OF the three
candidates in the field ia most likely
to face the pcris Of the times with
the wisdom and iirinuess that Will In
sure the safety and honor OF our be-
loved state as we are Passing the cata-
racts. Can we confidently rely upon
Mr.. Davis TO do this? Hardly. He is
n man who has ncve, filled the Office
of an Assemblymnn even. He is en-
tirely unframed and untried. an anna
teur. with no real record At all beyond
mere personal opinions. commodity
easily acquired. And some OF these
opinions, if they are correctly at
,ributed to him. appear 10 be empha tic
ally reactionary. Al an hour when the