Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-01
IN ALExANDRIA'S DISTRICT
A Three-Ooruered Fight in the Eighth
Virginia.
Congressman Meredith Hard at Work
Claims of POpulists and
the Republicans.



MANASSAS, Va, September %, 1904.
The three-cornered political fight in this
the eighth congressional district is grow
| ing interesting. This is the first time a
republican, a democrat and a ropulist have
| appeared i'm the field at the same time. The
| district is composed of the counties of Lou
| doun. Fauquier. Fairfax. Orange. Culpeper.
Prince William, Stafford, King George,
Louisa and Alexandria and Alexandria
city. At the last election Mr.. Meredith the
incumbent. was opposed by b. B. Turner,
a populist, no republican being in the field,
but Mr.. Turner receiving large percent
age of that vote, and the result was Mr..
Meredith's election by over 1850 majority,
Prince William county alone giving him a
majority of 100 votes. This year the re-
publicans have their own candidate, and
1t Is difficult, II not impossible, to make a
conservative estimate OF the vote that each
party will poll.
All the leaders are hard at work. Public
speaking and joint debates are being held
all over the district The several parties
have announced rallies and political speak
ing for this place for Monday next and
some effort Is being made to have the
whole assume the form of a joint debate,
and il such 1t is made there will no doubt
| be an immense crowd here on that day.
This district has always been democratic
by large majority, and the very activity
OF the democrats at present seems to show
that they will run no useless risks. though
| there can be no serious doubts of demo-
cratic success.
Mr.. j. S. Mason of Fauquier is the popu-
list candidate. and that party claim that
they will draw a winning number of votes
| from the two old parties
Mr.. Patrick McCaul of Culpeper is the
republican candidate, and the claim Of that
party Is that the popuiists will draw their
vote from democratic ranks, and this fact,
added Mr
McCaul will get, will make him winner. Mr..
Meredith and the democratic party think
that the ropulists will draw from the re-
publican ranks and that the democratic
vote will more than equal that polled by
both the other parties. All the candidates
| are hard at work, and Mr.. Meredith is doing
especially earnest work for his party.
When seen at his home here this morning
he stated that the work was progressing
finely. and that the only thing the demo-
Gratis had to fear was that their party would
not turn out in full force election day
but he thought, after a thorough canvass, a
full vote would be polled. In years past
this has not been considered a close district,
though the result two years ago is not an
average result, as no republican was then in
lively new. At the gubernatorial election in
1898 the democratic majority in the district
was somewhat less.
Mr.. RObt. Beverly Of Fauquier is the rec
ognized head Of the popVlist party here. and
1t Is a noticeable fact that nearly all the
popu1ist candidates in this district have
been members of his family, or closely re-
his son-in-law. b. b. Turner, who opposed
Mr.. Meredith before. was his nephew while
Brad Beverly who last year was a candi-
date for lieutenant governor, was his son.