Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-08
OLD DOMINION VOTE
Saunders Election to Con-
gress by Close Call.
SWANSON AN UNDERSTUDY
Glass Mentioned for the Next Guber-
material Race.
BUcK1NG AGAINST MACHINE
Virginia Pilots Out Money
Senator Daniel Must Face
Primaries.
JOKING AGAINST MACHINE
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Star
RICHMOND. Va. November I. 1908.
After the general assembly last winter
redistricted the state for congressman
and took Floyd county, with its 300 re-
publican majority, from the fifth district
and placed it in the sixth. Representa-
tive Edward w. Saunders Of Franklin
managed to pull through this week with
a majority of 10. This was done after a
hard campaign. in which Senator Martin
and Gov. Swanson were conspicuous fig
ures. 1t was thought that the demo-
Gratis would win by several hundred ma
jority. If not thousands, but the returns
show that the democrats were able to
muster but 20 more than the republicans
The truth of the business is that the
republicans and others In the western
end Of that district resented this gerry
Wandering on the part of the democrats,
and they proceeded to vote solidy against
the democrats. There is no Disgusting the
fact that the republicans were better
organized in that section than they have
ever before BEEN that their taxes were
paid up. and they went to the polls
either from patriotic motives or those of
In larger numbers than has been their
wont. Then too, there is suspicion
that the anti-Bryan sentiment prevailed
among some of the democrats of that
section.
Right in this connection it is not out
of place to chronicle the sentiment of the
voters of that section. Judge Saunders,
able man that he is is not popular with
the voters. He is not mixer; he Is not
good campaigner: he is charged with
hot {ory l., 1T -
Indifferent at times and with IN utter lack
Of diplomacy in handling men. There is
not a man In the district who does not
recognize his ability and integrity. but he
is not a politician in any sense.
The voters in the fifth district are say
ing. and are saying openly. that this will
be the last term of the present repre-
sentative; that there Is only one man who
can poll the vote Of that district and al
ways defeat the republicans: the man
whom the republicans support in large
numbers and who mixes up with the
voters, knows them by name. reared with
them. and who can win with Floyd
county back In the district That man is
Gov. Claude A. Swanson, whose term will
expire in just year, and who is to be
forced into the campaign whether he
wants to return to Congress or not. He
is to be made to stand for the nominal
ton. and he will have to accept the nomi-
nation. The governor is disposed to dis
friends. and he save freely of his time
and money this year to keep the dis
trict In the democratic column, but If 1t
Is to remain there he will be compelled to
enter the lists and remain in public life
for long time to come.
Glass for Governor.
Representative Carter Glass of the sixth
district, elected to succeed himself. will
enter the campaign for the gubernatorial
nomination. This is what his friends are
saying, and they are daily expecting to
see the announcement at his hands. along
with statement Of his platform and the
issues. He is expected to force the fight
ing from the first. and when Congress
shall have adjourned in March he will
go on the stump and make speeches in
every county in the state, as far as it will
be possible for him to do so. AS a cam
paigner he is one Of the best in the state
He is direct talker, and he can be de-
pended on to make attacks on the records
of his opponents and to review their
records.
Mr.. Glass is the owner of two news
papers in the Hill city, but in conducting
the campaigns he opens the columns wide
to the supporters CT his opponents He
can be depended on to inject a lot of life
into the campaign and to add to the
interest This will make four candidates
LOT the William III,
Mann. Henry c. Stuart and Harry ST.
George Tucker having already made con-
siderable of campaign during the last
three months.
Virginia is to have an independent
party. In the election of this week they
voted for Taft, being openly hostile to
the Bryan wing of the democratic party.
There is revolt at the idea of being com
PEELED to vote for a man in a primary
and being pledged to vote at another cleo
ton for man who is not a candidate in
the primary. The party requires that a
voter who participates in primary for
municipal offices shall pledge himself to
vote for the candidates of the party for
all offices-municipal state and national.
Hence the long and loud protest
The independents are saying that thew
will not abide the decision of the party
management, but that they will be free
to vote as they please, but in cases in
which they participate In primaries they
will vote for the candidate to be nomi-
mated. They do not object to this On
the other hand. the democratic manage
ment insists that these men shall consent
to do what the organization demands Of
the voters or shall be refused the right to
vote in the primaries. The organization
dares them to go ahead and form a new
party, and seemingly rather encourages the
idea Queer complications are arising as
a result of this Independent business.
Some of the machine men are support
and the independents are said to be about
evenly divided between two of the as
pirants If the Independents shall decide
to remain out of the primary, it will
mean that the two candidates will lose
much of their strength.
Many Of those who are known to SYM
pathize with the independents. and who
are In positions to do them great deal
of good favor making the fight against
the existing conditions inside the party
They declare that the place to begin is in
the selection of a committee to have
charge Of the politics of the city and of
the state. They also believe that the
maries for city officers and to allow the
people of the city to have a voice in the
management of the city's affairs. There
are enough city employees to control the
city SO long as the men who are now en-
gagged in doing the kicking refrain from
going to the polls. Were the Independents
and their friends to exercise the right Of
suffrage in the city primaries they could
easily make many changes in the city
government.
Virginia Pilots Move.
The Virginia Pilot Association. which
recently had the laws Of the state pertain
ing to them and their work amended.
have lost a little money as a result of
the change. but they are now in better
position than before. There is no longer
a license tax on coasting vessels The
Virginia pilots were important factors in
the federal congress against the Little
field bill, President Boutwell, of the Vir-