Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-04
TACTICS ARE CHANGED
CANDIDATES IN THE VIRGINIA
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.
Special Correspondence of The Star.

| Special Correspondence of The Star.
RICHMOND, Va, June 8, 1895.
The candidates for places to be filled in the
coming state primary have, to some extent,
| changed their tactics. Heretofore it has
been the custom to announce appointments
by some of them at least a week ahead of
the dates on which speeches were to be
made. A change has come, and now there
| Is notice given two three days in adj
varce. 1t is believed that in more than one
instance ''the other fellow has taken adj
vantage of the announcements made week
| to ten days ahead and has managed in sew
erai instances TO "sneak in ahead and
make a speech, thereby letting the second
speaker get the advantage of the talking
first and getting the advantage of lining up
the doubtful men at the outset. 1t has re-
solved itself into a game of "hide-and-
seek with the candidates glaring at each
other and waiting to make dash for some
point, make a speech and offset or discount
the candidate who is to follow.
The candidates are not making any claims
or what they will will not do. They
have campaign helpers who are doing that.
And not man connected with the quar-
tiers OF either of the four candidates in this
city who does not tell you that his man
cannot lose. They can tell you just exactly
what counties will go for them, bet money
that they are right, and undertake to con-
vince people that they are right. The can
dldateS themselves are attending to bust
ness taking chances, but campaigning
in great style
1t is a comparatively easy thing for the
| dear people to get an aspirant for the
United States senatorship. for the governor
| ship, the lieutenant governorship, or other
| place on the state ticket to make any sort
of an address at any time. They will ad-
| dress religious bodies, school commence
ments, educational rallies. good roads con-
! ventions, Memorial day celebrations adver-
| tise on theater programs base ball score
| cards, and do all sorts of things to please
| the people and to keep the public informed.
| 1t is a picnic for the advertising fakir, who
| has the candidates paraded on all sorts of
| printing, his picture adjoining the dead
walls and fences, while campaign buttons
are to be seen on the coats of men and
| boys. old and young, black and white, even
| children-girl children--wearing two and
| three and often more of the buttons.
Business Men Indorse Martin
| Egbert G. Leigh jr, president of the
| chamber of commerce, and 615 other bust
| ness men of all classes have written card
giving their reasons for urging the bust
ness men of the city and state to support
| Senator Martin The letter is clear, brief.
| emphatic in saying that the senator has
been the most useful man the state has had
for many years; that he is cool level-head-
| ed and oblging; attends to business at all
| times; is approachable, keeps his promises
regarding business 1ntruSteu TO him, replies
| to letters and has the ear of the leading
men of the upper branch of the federal leg
| islature. The address is a review, in part,
of the senator's services and is to be dis
| tributed by the committee which managed
the recent meeting in this city. at which
Senator Martin made a business talk to
business men. .--...
| Another Montague Meeting.
Friends of the governor are discussing a
second meeting in this city, at which the
governor is expected to make another ad-
dress on the issues of the campaign. The
one meeting addressed by him in this city
was largely attended many being turned
away. The speech was practically the
same that he has heretofore made ex-
cept that the reference to the vote of SEN
ator Martin on the Call resolution was
| omitted, it being plain that the information
on that point was incomplete. The gov
ernor delighted his friends by his speech
and he is preparing to enter the campaign
in a manner which will demonstrate the
fight he is capable of making. He devotes
much of his remarks to the position of the
senator Oh the primary election matter, say
ing that Senator Martin never championed
this form of nominating state officers till
the democratic party had committed itself
to the scheme. Indeed. the governor
charges that the senator sought to defeat
the measure years ago.
To all this Senator Martin simply refers
to the record. He positively refuses to be
ruined OF TO lose MS mead. lie is making
cool, deliberate campaign, talking with
great elaboration and with force, accord
ing to the views of his friends and sup
porters. AS matter of fact the present
primary plan. as amended was adopted at
the last state convention in this city on
motion of Senator Martin, who made a
speech In its support. At the Roanoke con-
venton, when the matter was first brought
to the attention of the democrats, Senator
Martin declined to say one word against
the measure or to discuss it in any way
Senator Daniel did oppose it, giving his
reasons at that time that the plan was i'm
mature, crude, fraught with danger
attended with enormous cost to the cam
didates and was an instrument by which
the man without large means would be
s--Okeet from oHerinS for office.
Want a Fair Count.
On the stump there is the old cry which
was heard in the land many, many years
ago. Immediately following reconstruction
days there was a clamor heard in the land
for fair count" Today 1t is the same,
and it is a strange cry, when 1t is known
that there Is only one party to participate
in the primary. Some of the election Off
GERS are disposed to feel aggrieved that the
candidates have found 1t necessary to i'm
pugn their motives and integrity. They are
asking the question If. the candidates see
ing that they are to suffer defeat and their
ambitions blghted, are they to cry aloud
and say they did not get a fair count?
That has been done in this state, when the
vanity of aspirants for the suffrages of
the people was given shock on receipt
of the returns. Malone said it years ago,
and the same old slogan is being revived
now, when there Is nothing of the sort to
be feared at the hands Of the elections The
counts and the ballots have been fair In the
state as rule, and just what is meant at
this time by resorting to the plea when
even the date of the primary has not been
fixed and the election officers named is hard
to understand.
Free-for-AlI Contest,
Confusion regns in the minds of a great
majority of the politicians of the state, who
have no favorites in the pending contest
Take a democrat who is not espousing some
candidate on the state ticket and he will
tell you frankly that he has never seen
such a mixup in the political affairs of the