Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-05-05
Friday, May ., 1905.
OUR VIEW OF THE CANDIDATES
The papers of Virginia have taken

OUR VIEW OF THE CANDIDATES
The papers of Virginia have taken
the cue from the candidates in the
race for Governor and are conduct
ing the canvass upon q very high
plane. ct may not be out of the
way to say here that newspaper men
rarely get "hot" over a political can
vsss unless one or more of the can
didates starts whirl-wind campaign,
unmindful of how far he is pedal
ling from true fscts.) We have yet
to hear the first breath from repu-
table source against the moral or
personal character of Mr.. Willard,
Mr.. Swanson or Judge Mann. And
this is as it should be. So far as we
know Virginisns could not make a
mistake in choosing any one of the
three from a moral standpoint. In
point of ability and eloquence it
is practically conceded that Mr..
Swanson is in the van, while Judge
Mann is the maturer statesman and
Mr.. Willard the richest. There is
strong indication, growing stronger
every day as one brushes up with
men from other parts of the State,
that Judge Mann is far in the rear,
and the predictions are that his can
didacy will fall through. Those
we'll versed in public affairs are only
willing to concede that in the primary
his candidacy will receive the rela.
tive vote of what a Prohibition can
didate does In regular election.
Whether this view of the situation
be overdrawn or not it is quite evil
dent to newspaper men and men of
perspicuity that the real contest is
between Swanson and Willard.
So for all practical ends the Demo
cratic voter must choose between and
deal with the records and platforms
for their personal characters are
above reproach-of these two can
didates. Three out of four of the
votes Judge Mann will receive would
otherwise go to Mr.. Swanson.
Knowing these things to be true,
well-wishers of Mr.. Willard are
making shrewd attempts to push
Mann to the front in Swanson
strongholds. 1t is certainly not for
love of Judge Mann-because these
political sharpers are as a rule OPP
posed to the principles advocated by
him-but since Mr.. Willard issued
his letter opposing the Mann bill,
when meaning prohibition, aud OPP
posing local option, the liquor
element is rallying pretty fast to
bis standard. Mr.. Willard, if any
one Of the candidates can be prop
erly so styled is the candidate of the
liquor element, and Mr.. Swanson of
the conservative temperance men.
In other parts of the State Mr.
Willard's vote against the employers
liability bill will lose him the labor
support; right here it cuts little figure.
But there is one thing along this
line that must put the Lieutenant
Governor under ban in this section,
and that is his opposition to the
"Jim Crow law. Suffering as our
people do from mixed crowds on
steamboats, any one opposed to the
separation of the classes was recog-
nized as an enemy to the whites of
Tidewater. When the bills were
finally passed by the Legislature no
secsion hailed it with more delight
than the people of the Northern
Neck and Rappahannock valley. On
this question Mr.. Willard cannot
ask for the support of our people,
for while member of the House of
Delegates he voted against the sep
aiate Car bill.
Were other things equal-were Mr.. |
willard not a rich man and Mr..
Swanson poor one, were Mr.. Swan
son of only equal ability, and were
Mr.. Willard an call over" Virginian
and Southerner as is Mr.. SWANSON
the public records of the two men
woald convince any unprejudiced
Democrat that Mr.. Swanson is the
man for the place. And Virginians
are fast proclaiming him the desery-
ing and logical candidate and the
man of all to meet rehabilitated and
aggressive political foe.
HE CITIZEN does not purpose en-
gaging further in an unseemly con-