Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-08-18
CANDIDATES
CONTRASTED.
Brilliant Climb by The
"PIOw-BOy of PittsyI-
Vania.
FROM FARM LAD TO CONGRESSMAN

An Interesting Career. as told
us by Near Friend of the
Gamecock who is Battling
Against Wealth and FanaticaI
Distortions.
One of the candidates for the high
and honorable seat in Virginia's Cub
ernatorial mansion is reputed the
wealthiest man in Virginia and one
of the richest in the South. His
fifteen millions of dollars, mostly in
property in Washington city, where
he was born, was left him by his
father who was an officer in the
Union army and bore arms against
the sons of Virginia. Mr.. Willard
recently said he managed his own
affairs so badly that for several years
be had been losing money and hence
did not feel bound to pay to Vir.
ginia any income tax.
The other competitor of Mr..
Swanson is an estimable old gentle.
man, worth from fifty to hundred
thousand dollars, who believes the
temperance people of Virginia that
signed the petitions for the Mann
bill virtually agreed to make him
Governor by that act, and be is going
to try to get the plum, regardless Of
the fact that no such pledge was
embodied in the SAID petition. He
has the 'bee in his bonnet" and he
is working plausible campaign for
all it is worth.
When Claude Swanson laid aside
ten thousand dollars for expenses in
this campaign he parted with all the
change he could rake and scrape
and which he had been gathering
together to crafty high and noble
ambition that he conceived as boy
when guiding the plow on Pittsyi-
vania's war-deyastated hills.
Four years ago he thought the
time ripe to achieve his highest polIti-
cal ambition; but the people of the
State bade him wait awhile. Today
he believes, and we believe, the peo.
pie of Virginia have made up their
minds to give him that honor, and
on Tuesday night next, unless all
signs fail, he will be declared the
nominee of the party to carry their
banner to victory. With him as our
standard bearer the Democracy need
not fear that Republican will as
cend the throne.
OF Mr.. Willard and Judge Mann.
there have been entertained grave
fears that if nominated neither can
be elected. BY the disaffectlon of
temperance people in event of Will
lard's nomination on the one hand.
or the desertion of the liquor element
if Judge Mann is nominated on the
other, there is a strong belief that a
will wrest the control of
Virginia from Democracy's hand.
1t is not so with the nomination of
Mr.. Swanson. Not doubt or fear
has been expressed that he will not
magniticently triumph over Judge
Lewis.
The man that helps nominate
Claude A. Swanson on Tuesday next
VIII honor his State and honor him
self, for no truer, braver or more
meritorious soul ever offered himself
for the suffrages of fellow Virginians.
Left fatherless aka tender age by the
bullet from Federal gun, to strug-
gle on a little, mortgaged farm and
support a widowed mother and
fatherless brothers and sisters, he
knows what it is to cherish the Con-
federate cause, to feel for the widow
and orphan, to sympathize with the
toliing farmer, merchant, school
teacher and pupil. From plow boy
to merchants clerk, school-teacher,
college student by his own exertions
Clearing of high honors) and lawyer,
he has by hard knocks risen to a
height few men attain without wealth
and backing.