The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-08-29
GREAT CONTEST
WILL END TO-DAY
Wickham and Gravatt in a Hot
Finish for State Senator
ship.

Il
test of the year in Virginia will take
place In the Thirty-second Senatorial
District day. P@s
State Senator and three House
members will be nominated. but the
overshadowing interest is in the strug-
gle for Senator between Hon. Henry
T. Wtckham, of Hanover, the incumbent
for nearly twenty years. and DR..
Charles U. Gravatt, a retired naval
officer, of Caroline. f9s
No one Is paying much attention to
the House fights, save those who are
aspiring for the honors; but the seAla-
torfal contest is fierce all through the
district. which reaches nearly all the
way from West Point to Fredercks-
burg.
Caroline. Hanover and King VII
liam compose the senatorial district.
and the struggle between Senator
Wickham and DR.. Gravatt has been on
in earnest for many months. They have
met only once In joint debate. and that
was in Caroline, when the battle was
just opening up. Since then each can
didate has gone his own way, and has
conducted his canvass without refer
ence to the movements OF the other
Whirlvfnd Finish.
Senator Wickham spoke twice yes
terday He appeared at King William
Courthouse In the afternoon and at
.Cohoke at night.
1t is not known exactly where DR..
Gravatt spent the day, but 1t Is thought,
that he was in Hanover, probably at
la church picnic in the lower end of
the county. The race is a hot one and
the finish promises to be close. The
friends of both candidates are claim
ing victory on the eve of battle, but
they are not giving out any very SUBJ
stantial majorit!es.
In Caroline, where DR.. Gravatt re-
sides 1t is an open secret that he and
Hon. David Bernard Powers, Jr.. who
Is serving his second term in the
House. are running together. Mr.. Pow
ers is being opposed by a Mr.. Cog
hill. man Of prominence, who was
formerly in the Federal service as a,
deputy marshall. 1t is said that Mr.
Wickhams friends in Caroline are be-
hind Mr.. Coghill's candidacy.
In Old Hanover.
Mr.. Roosevelt Page and Mr.. Fred H.
Holiday are running for the House in
Hanover and 50 far as Is known. the
senatorial matter is not figuring in
their fight
In King William and Hanover Messrs.
ThQs. FL. Edwards and w. A. Willeroy
are the House candidates. They are
taking no part in the torial con-
lean toward Senator Wickham, who Is
a resident of their legislative district.
But all this is quite aside from the
real question at issue, for one hears
the senatorship mentioned fifty times
where either Of the House fights is
mentioned once.
Professor w. e. Dodd, Of Randolph
Macon College. at Ashland, has per-
hnps been the most active leader
against Senator Wickham's renomina
ton outside OF his opponent DR..
Ciravatt. Professor Dodd has written
many articles undertaking to show that
DR. Gravatt should be elected, and to
al! these Mr.. aWickham has made a
general reply.
Defends His Record.
A circular or seven pages, defending
his record In the Senate, concludes as
follows:
Il became chairman of the Finance
Committee in December, 1895, and In
House n.anncs Committee have pre-
pared evcry tax bill and every general
appropriationf4 BILL and passed upon
every bill appropriating money from
the treasury of the State OF Virginia.
puring that whole period J have had
an eye single to the public interest and
to tho necessities of our people, limit
ling as far as in my power lay. the
taxes and the expenditures to he
necessities az the government. economi-
celly administered. Can be fairly
claimed that my competitor or the
writer's Of, these circulars in his In
torost, quietly distributed among tho
voters OF the district, are more vitality
interested than am in having the
burden Of taxation equally laid upon
all property owners and appropriated
only to meet the expenditures Of the
government economically admlnistered !. .
Surely not
I'm conclusion, | would say. no one
can roint toSa s,T, gle vote have ever
cast against the interests OF the people
OF my district; and 4 beg to - a ss ir yo e
that should YOU again honor me with
your confidence, / will always Loyalty
ann zealously represent you
Taking the claims and concessions OF
both sides into consideration, ~ looks
as though to-daN''s contest MI ne e.s eN-
eGcdlnsls close and interes.ln q