Evening star., 1907-11-18

PEOPLE DESIRE SEVERE COR
PoRATIoN co1MIssIoN.


Special Correspondence Of The Star.
RICHMOND. Va, November 1s. 1907
Members of the state corporation COM
mission are to be elected by the people-at-
large. This win be provided for at the
next session of the general assembly
There Is belief among well-informed
politicians that Gov. Swanson will make
a recommendation to this effect in his
message to the general assembly which Is
to convene here in January.
The new constitution. which created the
commission. contains q provision to this
effect, and the matter has been discussed
for some time. The people of the country
are not disposed to give the railroads any
quarter. because of the manner in which
they have tried to defeat every order and
regulation issued by the commission, and
they favor electing q commission which
will go much further and make more radf-
cal regulations than the commissions
which have been named by the govern
Ors. Then too there is a feeling that the
railroads might get busy and EJECT some
man to the governorsh p who may not be
as severe on the railroads as the voters
would desire. and that might anord an
opening for the naming of commission
that would restore some OF the DurdenS
and hardships which the people have been
subjected to for several years.
If there could be some reasonable as
surance that the appointments by the gov
per and caliber as the men who have a.
ready held positions on the commission
there Is no reason to believe that the
proposition to make the change would
find great favor. but the feeling among
the people Of the state IL that the com
munity of interest" business might take
hand and put into the executive man
sion man who might possibly De under
Obligations to some corporate ihnuehcr'
and the voters do not propose to take any
cba
candidate or for the benefit OF any can
didate for the governorshlp. IL Is lntehu-
ed to he for the protection of the people
at large. without any regard as 10 VINO
NAV or who may not be nominated
Preparing for Saloon Fight.
lust what there may be in contemplation
cannot he determined at this time. but IL
is significant that more people have paid
their poll taxes within the last ten days
than ever before in the history OF the city'
For several years the voting strength oil
the city has been around 5000 in prl-
maries and about 5000 in regular cleo
tions. At this time the Fists nave Deeh
increased wonderfully. and people VINO
have not before voted-certainly for five
years-have made it their business. ana
personally paid to the city treasurer their
poll taxes for the year 1891. This enables
the men who nay six months prior to an
election to vote in any election that may
take place six months from December /
and until December l of the next year
The men who are interested in the saloon
and whisky business are the ones who
have suddenly manifested a disposition
to take an interest in politics, and the
impression is that the whisky element
scents a local option election in this city
during the coming year. The revival of
interest in political affairs the part
of the element which has 50 long been
insensible to public affairs has caused
many to change their minds, and doubt Is
expressed now as to what the outcome of
the election would be. The temperance
element has been strong enough at any
time to have forced the fighting. and were
an election held within thu next six
months there Is no doubt that the city
would go dry. but when the new list of
voters Is made up-those who are paying
up now and who will be able to vote after
June / of next year-it is more than likely
that the city will continue to dispense
liquid refreshments.
Keep Exposition Open.
The proposition to keep the cxposi-
tion open during the summer of next
year is meeting with many expressions
of approval in this city and in ail sec
tions Of the state. There are many rea-
sons for this-the fact that many of
the buildings were not completed till
several months after the formal OPEN
ing of the show: that many who went
were disappointed by reason of that
fact. and the further fact that hotel
rates were at first inflated because
there were few places ready to enter
tain visitors These have all been reme-
died. and the people were next con-
fronted with the money furry. result
ing in keeping away for the last six
weeks many who would have made a
second trip. together with the farming
element. which would have attended
after crops had been gathered All the
facts enter into the approval IF the
plan to keep the show open