Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-25
Now Certain He Will Be Reelected
Senator From Virginia.
END OF 4 UNIQUE CAMPAIGN
Important Questions Overlooked in
Heat of Senatorial Fight.
MORE TANES TO BE RAISED

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
RICHMOND Va. September n, 1899
The senatorial campaign. that is now
practically ended in Senator Martins favor
has been a somewhat unique one in that IN
terest in the senatorial contest has crowded
out all other issues Although there are
some very important questions to be dealt
with by the legislature, candidates for the
general assembly have been nominated
solely with Il view to secure votes for either
Tyler or Martin.
There are important matters requiring
legislation The state will have to make
provision to meet an increase of l per cent
on her century bonds which goes into ef-
feet on January l. 1901. This means an
additional draft upon the treasury of $780,
900 each year. Yet, in the heat of partisan
politics. little or nothing has been said as
to how this money should be raised. Only
two methods have been suggested-one Is to
increase the rate of taxation and the other
is to provide subjects of taxation. The
latter plan seems to be decidedly the more
popular To increase the tax rate would
probably mean the defeat of the democrats
by a combination of independents, republl-
cans and populists. Therefore 1t Will not
be deemed politically eXpedient to use this
method for providing the additional rev.
enue.
E. w Saunders of Franklin. who will be
the next speaker OF the mousse, mas pttll
trying for some years to make the railroad.
telegraph. telephone and express companies
pay more money into the state treasury,
but he has been unsuccessful in his efforts.
Mr.. Saunders will make his influence felt
at the next session. and it would not be
surprising If he should get his pet scheme
through. He is very determined leader.
The trouble heretofore has been that ne
has had few followers, but he will be able
to control a majority of the members of
the next house.
Retrenchment is Unpopular.
The scheme to save money by cutting
down expenses has never succeeded we'll
Two years ago the retrenchment and re-
form fever spread over the state, and
scores of men We're elected to come here
and reduce the number of offices and cut
down the pay of the officers who remained
But these people could not agree upon any
plan. Nearly all the leading retrenchment
members of two years ago will be left at
home this year Some declined to run
again and others were defeated of renomi-
nations. In only one instance this year
were the old retrenchment and reform Is
sues revived. That was in Louisa, and Ed
itor James E. Bibb who wanted to reduce
the number of offices to one-third, was de-
feated.
1t is almost certain that the general as
sembly Will pass bill submitting to the
voters the question of calling consttu-
tlonu convention. This movement is rap
idly growing in popular favor. Thers Is
little doubt that the people would vote
faVorably upon the proposition. The prin-
cipal arguments advanced in favoc of the
convention are that suffrage should be re-
stricted and the entire court system re-
formed
number of political leaders who op-
posed the convention in 1897 are now ear
nestly advocating it.
Strength of the Opposition.
The opposition to the democratic majority
will be much larger in the legislature next
winter than at any time within the last
ten years There will be "a very respectable
rEmber of republicans, populists and indie
poEdentS. For many years the democrats
occasionally they have had little scraps
among themselves. The breach has been
gradually widening until now there are two
very distinct factions in the democratic
party. Senator Martins opponents have no
love for him. and il is going to be hard, If
Eot altogether impossible, to whip some of
them into line. There are already demo-
Gratis running independents in nearly
half the states Most of them claim to be
the regular party nomnt es. They argue
thdt they are the choice of the democratic
voters, and We're defeated out of the nomi-
nations by machine methods. State Chair
nan j. Taylor EllySOn, who is Just back
II, m Europe. has set to work trying to re-
store harmony where there Is lack of it.
He has learned already that his task is
easy one and that il does not now give any
promise IF success. When the state demo-
cratic committee meets here September Is
it will he found that few of the so-called
Independents will submit their claims
While there is not the slightest probabili-
ty of the democrats losing the state this
fall. the effect upon the campaign next
year may be disastrous to the democrats