Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1922-08-04
PRIMARY DAY,

unborn" Bill does not claim to be
a statesman nor politician, but a
philosopher. His reasons are as
terSe as his cpigrammatic announce
mcnt says he: mo party that has
failed as has the Republican party
during the last two years can live
il Is dead"
Any observer of events will agree
with the sage of Summers" about
the Republican party being dead.
but wchthcr or not ii will stay dead
depends upon the virility and sim
cority of those who lead the Demo-
cratic party. Our election laws are
made to pcrpctualc rings because
rings wrote them. If anyone had
said in the days Of Goif, Maxwell,
Campbell and Camden. Kcnna and
William l.. Wilson, that the day
would come when the people can
not call u citizen to service and run
and elect him without his ccrtiii-
cation by a committee. that person
would have been called Il dreamer.
Yes, here it is. This is no attack
on the PRIMARY system, but in the
kind of primary that the politicians
gave the people when the latter de-
manded the right to name candi-
dates for office 1t is 4 shame that
no one can go on the ballot unless
he is willing to be an open candidate
no matter how much the people may
want TO elect him. But we are hav-
ing primary today CTuesday) I'M
der the politicians law, and, al
though the Republican party has
been tried and convicted, and, in
HE opinion of great political
prophet is dead, it had candidates
running who printed rcamS of lit
craturc about their merits and run
ming powers; and the billboardS,
trees, fences, garages, stables and
out houses are decorated with mugs
that seem TO be licking their chops
on the savory salad of the flesh pot
OF politics. They do not know
what Bill SawyerS knows and are
running as if their party had done
something worth while instead Of
making mess Of everything. 1t is
all because independence has been
made difficult.
The name Republican" has been
made valuable by laws that give its
committees powers to name election
ticcrs. If the laws of West Vir-
ginia had been in force in all the
states, the name of Abraham Lin
coin could not have been on the
ballot in some states that he carried
In the primary Tuesday the DEM
ocratic party named a ticket to face
the mere skeleton of the Republic
can party. The hope of the leaders
OF the latter is that the Democrats
will quarrel or forget the things that
have made it virilc; and that then,
with the skeleton of an organization
and plenty of money, a Waterloo
can be turned into an AusterlitZ.
The responsibility for veal or woe
is on the Democratic voters today.
The demonstration of the virtue
OF their past leadership lies in the
failure of the Republican party.
This is no time to absorb any Re
publican virus. The party of JEFF
ferson, Jackson, Cleveland and Will
son cannot be safe under any brand
OF RcpublicaniSm. There must be
party OF the people that steers true
10 the constitution and true to the
ideals OF those great leaders. II can
not tcmporize with towards, or gain
by aping Republican methods or
measures. 1t must be what its
record InakeS it; what it's great
leaders have mapped out and under
which the country prospcrcd. 1t
must yield to no special interest; it
must moi "Scll the truth TO serve the
hour 1t must be true; true al
ways to the things that the country
left in 1920.
Let this be fair primary so far
"S inc Democrats participate. Let
every candidate have fair. square
dcal and let us select candidates
who bclivc in what the party is,
measured and tested by what il has
done.
And will not the Democrats vote?
why is ii necessary TO appeal TO
democrats to 90 to their voting
places and take part in saving their
blessed country from mismanagc-
nrnt?
! hht bove cdiioril appeared in the
Charleston Gazette on last Tuesday.
Ii contains lots of truth. This looks
like Democratic year. If the
Democratic Party wins in Novcm-
Der as it is likely TO do, then it must
render service to the people. 1t
must render service which benefits
all the people in way that will do
away with class factions and class
hatred and which will inauguratc q
reign OF absolute justice and equal
ity to all men and all ciaSScs-ihat
we may have q DAY OF cn-nncratinn