Evening star., 1896-08-05
Prospects Of Considerable 9; Bolting in
Virginia.
1 QUEER RATIFICATION MEETING
Speakers Amound ed = They Couldn't
Support The!k Platform.
THROUGHOUT THE DIsTnIuU
Special Correspondence Of The Evening star.

with much of the conSterna uon of hen
who has Matched q setting OF duck eggs
and sees them take to the water for the
first time.
The congressional contest in the ninth
district 10 very uncertain and quite in
tsresting. The convention to nominate a
democratic candidate for Congress from
this district meets at Wytheville Wednes-
day. th',- 5th. and very few Of the dele
gates selected 60 instructed.
The candidates are numerous, but the
contest is between ex-Congressman "Cy-
clone Jim" Marshall, Judge Samuel w.
Williams and ex-Judge Rhea, whose
strength probably exists in the order in
which they are named The district con-
ta!ns very few negroes and is made up
largely Of farmers and miners, and the
gold and silver sentiment is much divided
and the tangle of party lines is so inextri-
cable that there is great lack of the old
line enthusiasm on either side.
Here. as elsewhere in the state, men say
they will vote the ticket as q matter Of
loyalty to the party. but that they can
are anxious and undecided as to what to
do.
A Queer Ratification.
Bryan and Sewall club was organized
at Abingdon last week on court day. wlen
the town was filled with a large crowd and
q flag raising comprised part of the pro-
gram. after which the crowd was invited
to enter the court house and hear speeches
by eX-Congressman Dan Trigg and ex-
Judge Hutton. Only a moderate number
responded, and both Messrs. Trigg and
Hutton. In their speeches. announced that
they could not indorse the Chicago plat
form or the free silver idea, but that they
would nevertheless vote for the nominees
This, of course, was a wet blanket to the
proceedings.
Some Of the leading democrats of this dis
trict will vote for Mckinley, unless a gold
democrat is nominated.
General Jas. A. Walker. who has no op-
position for the nomina ton on the republi-
can side. has a badly divided constituency
on the financial question. He has himself
been free silver man heretofore. and his
strength In the last canvass was due to the
advocacy of the silver idea and his popular
ity among the confederate soldier element
but now being forced to fight on a gold
Platform his influence ID, an uncertain and
unknown quantity.
In the ninth district a large number of re-
pubftcans were originally democrats, who
General Malone into the republican party
They will not feel strange If they return
among their old friends, and not a few. 1t
Is believed. will take this opportunity to
align themselves under the old name.
Uncertain In the Fourth.
The situation in the..fourth district. which
takes in the city of Petersburg. and Is now
represented by Congressinan r. T. Thorp,
republican. is very uncertain. This is
known in Virginia as&the black district -
being composed of ,coup&ies where the
negro vote is in the majority. 1t will be
remembered that the. certificate Of election
two wears ago in thhs daHrsct was given to
w. fn Mckenney. tKS democratic nominee,
who dfteFNari nnSHafel haha1f nj
Thorp- The logical candidates for the
democratic nomiRa ton are all exhibiting
desire to shun the responsibility of the
fight, claiming that their business, and so
forth, will not permit them to accept the
nomination. AT best, it is a troublesome
district for the democrats to carry, If hon
est elections are held. This time it will be
douhly hard to ''manipuiate" since the city
of Petersburg, the stronghold of the demo-
cratic party. is badly split up over the
financial question. Petersburg Is YER
liable hotbed of sound money men, and 1t
Is very doubtful whether or not the free
silver democrats can carry the city.
In view of this the leading democratic
politicians of the district are very dubious
about accepting the nomination. Unless
the democrats in this district are in perfect
accord the republicans will be very apt to
re-elect Thorp. The names of Messrs. Sgd
ney F. Epes Of Nottoway and Thomas N.
Williams of Mecklenburg are mentioned for
the democratic nomination, while Mr. Rob-
ert G. SouthaH Of Amelia county stands
perhaps the best chance for it. If he will
accept it.
In the Second.
The fight for the democratic nomina ton
In the second or Norfolk district will un-
doubtedly be a very hot and exciting one
Congressman D. Gardiner Tyler, who Is
seeking renomina ton, will very probably
be opposed by Col. R. E. Boykin Of Isle
of Wight county. The latter Is a very
strong man. and will no doubt prove q
close competitor in the race, If he doesn't
win It. 1t must be known that the second
is the only district IN Virginia that elected
gold delegates to the Chicago convention.
and for this reason the democracy Is in a
divided condition, however much the poll
ticfans may deny the fact. This is the dis
trict In which Lamb, Bowden and Borland
live, the giants Of the republican party in
that section Of Virginia, and there Is no
doubt that one Of the three will make the
fight for Congress on the republican ticket.
Congressman Tyler can lay claim to being
an original free silver man. having voted
In Congress for free coinage at the ratio OF
16 to l. Hence his constituency cannot
turn him down on this plea, and he may
defeat Boykin for the democratic nomina-
tion. State Senator H. l.. Maynard Of
Portsmouth and Mr.. w. A. Young of Nor
folk are also mentioned for the democratic
nomination, and in the event OF dead
lock one or the other may run. It makes
they will have an uphill fight to win.
In the first, fifth and seventh districts the
situation at this time is highly favorable
to the democratic nominees.
passive but intense interest pervades
politics in this city and district, and the
parties are anxioasly watching and meas
urfng the strength Of their opponents. No
candidate has been regularly selected by
any party, and rumors OF compromise are
rife. 1t Is stated on othe authority OF
man well versed in the affairs of the re-
publican party that the advisory committee
recently appointed has uttder consideration
q plan to urge the naJnination of sound
money democrat in every district In Viz
ginia, selecting such irtaen as will be least
Objectionable to republicans. and give them
the support of the paFfy,s It is understood
that this arrangement aoss not contemplate
any pledge to support the tariff or other
planks of the st. Louis Platform. but is
master stroke to defeat the free silver
movement. The republicans of this district
show Much hnpatiencas and they are push
ing Chairman SouthXarIb to take active
measures and name $2daS for the conven-
tion but he is being SestEained by the ad-
vfsory committee. 81 70
Judge Waddifi AYERS tAat the appoint
ment of the commits Gves almost uni
versal satisfaction, arrt that the conditions
for large Mckinley tnte; are excellent.
Had to Flee for Their LfveA
Much damage Is being done by forest fires
in northern Michigan. Monday evening
CIadiS station op the Couth CbCro rood