Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-11
InSome ofthe Congressional Districts
Of Virginia.
POPULISS CLAIM MORE THAN EVER
First Guns in the Battle for the
Senatorship.
FROM ALL OVER THE STATE
Special Correspondence Of The Evening star.
DnINIl AHnN-HA n

| vote I'm Georgia, which has been regarded
as the Gibraltar of democracy in the south.
has given great impetus and hope to the
| leaders of ;he populist party in Virginia.
| They claim that the large populist gains in
| Georgia is Indicative in a great measure OF
| the success of the party here. They claim
| that all they need to render the success Of
their candidates probable, IL not certain, is
| an honest ballot and a fair count. They
make bold TO assert that IL all OF the popu-
| list votes cast in Virginia are counted. and
| that If the democrats count only those cast
by its party. the populists will capture at
least five of the congressional candidates
in Virginia this fall.
The democratic leaders. on the other
band, profess to attach no importance TO
the vote in Georgia. They say the small
| majority there was simply the result OF
| oVerconhdence and assurance, and also of
| the personal unpopularity of the leading
man on the democratic ticket, who. II will
be remembered, had Incurred the dislike OF
the ex-confederates. The leaders of the
democratic party in this city. while claim
ing to be confident OF success, are man.
/ ifesting Some uneasiness and do not ex-
hibit that air of confidence and assurance
so noticeable in past elections. In three OF
| the congressional districts OF Virginia, at
least, disinterested politicians admit. the
democrats have decidedly uphill fights.
| Perhaps the most doubtful of all the dis
\ tricts, from the democratic standpoint, is
the sixth district, where Maj. Peter j. Otey
| has been named by the democrats TO sue
| coed Representative Paul &. Edmonds
Maj. Otey is leaving stone untuned 10
attain success. and with the splendid as
siStance he is receiving, his friends assert
/ and feel confident that he will win by
small majority. His principal opponent.
| M. .. G. Rucker, the populist- prom
fusion candidate, is making friends and
winning votes wherever ne goes. In fact,
| those who know say that he has to make
very little effort to win a vote in many of
the counties IN the district. They are al
most persuaded" and need very little in
ducement 10 leave the democratic party.
with which they are not in accord. Col J.
! Hampton Hoge, the republican nominee,
is making a most active canvass. and. as
was expected, is holding his own on the
4 stump. Even "Parson" Massey who is
4 decidedly the best stump speaker the DEM
| ocrats have, fails TO route the doughty
| Hoge. In fact, IL is asserted by some that
Hoge got the best OF the ''parson" when
they met on the stump in Halifax county.
/ 1t seems that MIR Massey was thoughtless
! enol gh TO attack the public and private
fecOfd OF Col. hoSe, wnen the latter had
the last say. Now, il is well known that
| Mr. Massey is in some sort OF a glass
| house i'm this respect himself. 1t will be re-
membeIed that he joined hands with Ma
hone in his readJuster movement, and many
4
| the way through this mutation of party
| faith. He was induced to come back into
| the democratic fold through the tempting
| offer of a fat office, where he has been ever
! since, not even for a short time being
| without a salary at the hands of the state
| IL seems that Col. Hoge jumped on the
| 'parson," and rode over him Tough-shod,
| greatly to the delight of a number of pop
| ulists, who cheered and hurrahed the while
| The friends of Mr. Massey say, however
mat Al ne mad had only a few moments in
(which to reply he would have got even"
| but through previous arrangement this
| was denied him. Thus the hight goes on
! joint discussions and private debates and
| arguments taking place every day on every
| court green and in every hamlet in the
| district, until the fight is becoming indeed
| a red-hot one. 1t is not thought, however
| by astUte politicians that Col. Hoge stands
much chance of success. but his candidacy
| win undoubtedly play an important part In
the result. Some say that Rucker will
/ draw enough votes from the democratic
party to eject hoee, while others contend
| that 'Hose will split the opposition to
| democracy to such an extent that Mai
| Otey will be the winner, while the pop
uiists say that Rucker will get safe
plurality. Indeed, to a dsinterested OBJ
server, either of the three seems probable
A Promising Field.
The district to which the democrats have
row turned their serious attention Is the
second. where Representative Tyler has
4
agreed almost unanimously upon ex-Dis-
trict Attorney Thomas II. Borland of Nor
| folk. Mr.. Borland Is a man of dignified
| manner, good judgment and splendid at
tainments. He is a good speaker and
| hard worker, and IL the prohibitionists fail
| to nominate a candidate and tacitly give
| their support to Borland the chances look
mighty gloomy for Tyler. 1t is probably
| known, however, that this district is nat
urally a republican one. The democrats
| concede the fact that they are In the
minority here. They claim that they have
won during the past four years through
/ disaffection in the ranks of their cpposi-
ton. The same cannot be said now and
upon what they base their claims of sue
| cess this time Is not easy to estimate. OF
course the part the prohibitionists will play
| in this contest is significant. They are
very strong In Norfolk city and vicinity.
| and their actions will have weight, but
1t Is claimed by the republicans that they
will not nominate a candidate, which viii
give MIR. Borland all Of the opposition votes
| A well-known and enthusiastic democrat
from this district told The Star correspond
majority. and when asked upun what ne
based this claim he lacvnically replied,
1.-The Australian ballot law The republic
| cans. however. say that they aill see to
| this. A well-known republican from Nor
folk city when asked about the negro vote
said:
The negroes last spring voted the pro-
hibition ticket In the city elections because
Ii was q matter of local consequence TO
| them. but when the Congressional election
comes OF they will be found true to their
first love" He said further that all the
republican leaders were educating the ne
groes up to the new ballot law and most
Of them would be able to prepare their
own ballots. He hooted at the idea that the
negroes win stay away from the polls on
account Of the new law; he also said that
! the canvass from now on will be a red
hot one and that a number Of republican
speakers from the north Were coming down
to take part In the campaign. When asked
about money he said that they did not need
much. but what they did need would be
forthcoming. 1t Is said by some that John
Hector. the eloquent negro preacher OF
Georgia, who Influenced the negroes to such
q great extent last spring Ia voting the
prohibition ticket, will take no part In the
present campaign. So far as the matter
Of disaffection goes he said it viii be a
stand-on between the two parties, with the
odds In favor OF the republicans He said
emphatically that the republicans expected
to carry the district. II Is understood
that Colonel Lamb of Norfolk wifi take
the stump for Mr.. Borland.
A Spirited Fight.
The nomination Of Major @. w. B. Hale
m Franklin N for