The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-30
MATCHING BOOlNS IN
POLITICAL INCUBATOR
Session Of Legislature Reveals Soaring Aspirations Of
Number Of Menlbers-.Sonle Of Those Who Have
Bees in Their Bonnets
NY CLINTON 4. noYCE.

Bees in Th
ny CLINTON A. noYCE.
UT would be wholly out OF Keeping
i will, n long line of we'll cstab.
4 lishod precedents. should n Virginia
{, a Legislature reach its final stages
4 without revealing the development
.iof higher political aspirations on the
pnrt of certain OF its members.
/ There III apparently something about
/ the Capitol atmosphere or the asso-
citation OF the members with one
lnnother which has stimulating effect
upon that human characteristic called
|atnbition. and II n man has in his heart
the faintest desire to ascend in the
scale of public favor. membership in
either branch OF the Legisla ture gen.
4 orally suff1ces to bring II out. Indeed.
/ Virginia Legislatures In this regard
might properly be termed political in
cubators, where individual boorls are
hatched either to disappear like hub
bles in the air. or to be crowned with
victory ir subsequent campaigns by
the mighty voice OF the people.
| AT this point, It is interesting to note
the great number of Virglnians now
occupying high official positions, both
here and in Washington. whose yearn-
ing to wear distinguished honors. was
stimulated by service In the General
Assembly of their state.
The list is led by United States sena-
tor John w. Daniel. whose first legis-
Ilative experience was in the Virginia
Senate. The following members Of the
present House of Representatives have
served In one branch or the other Of
the state legislature:
| Harry L. Maynard, Second District
| (senate); e. ". Saunders. Fifth Dis
4 triot (FIouse), was for several years
Speaker; Carter Glass, Sixth District
(senate); James Hay. seventh District
Cloth branches: H. D. Flood Tenth
i District (both branches)h
!. This is exactly half the entire dele
cation in the United States Congress
from Virginia, and the proportion CT
State officials who started public lfe
in the Legislature is nearly as large.
Here is the list:
Lieutenant Governor j. Taylor Ely
!. son (Senate), Attorney-General Will
4 liam a. Anderson (House), Secretary
of the Commonwealth D. @. Eggleston
! (senate). Corporation Commissioner
Joseph e. Willard (House). Corpora
ton Commissioner William r. RheA
(senate), Adjutant General c. j. An
derson (Senate). Commissioner Of Agri-
culture George w. Koiner (House),
4 Supreme Court Judge r. H. Cardwsll
(House). Speaker for several terms
/ This list includes only those whose
Legislative booms materlalized. and
who are now engaged in these higher
fields of usefulness. 1t has no refer
ence to the uncounted scores who
dropped out Of sight when they began
to leap for higher things.
Il
The incubator was kept in pretty
active operation at the recent session.
and the booms Matched out for various
memb ers arc already being considered
I by the voters, to whose arbttrament
they will finally be submitted.
on the Senate side, Judge Mann's
boom for Governor received some at
tcntion, though it was started at a
former session, and there is apparently
nothing very new or striking about 1t.
4 Governor Swanson gave it bad
| puncture three years ago. but the Sen
II ator from Nottoway has succeeded in
mending 1t to some extent and it is
4 floating out once more before the peo-
pie. Some of its Initiation leaked when
tho Byrd liquor bill was passed, and at
other critical periods of the session,
but 1t is going again, and will have
its final test in the primaries next
year.
two other booms were launched in
the interest Of Senators at the recent
i session, and they were both on the Re-
publican side.
l One. In favor of Hon. John c. Noel.
of Lee. for Governor next year. grew
mainly out of his vigorous fight
against the confirmation of Judge
William T. Rhea for State Corporation
Commissioned, Noel takes kindly to
the notion of trying for the exalted
position of chief magistrate of the
State, and tells his friends that If he
ls nominated by his party he will male
/ the race.
The other was that OF Senator John
NJ. Parsons, of Grayson. for Congress
In the Fifth District. Senator Parsons
is still in the city and declares that he
is preparing for battle He said last
night that former Governor A. j. Mon
tague and some other strong lawyers
J, would take tho new redistricting bill
/, to the Supreme Court in an effort to
), have it annullcd. Tho bill takes Floyd
county out Of the Fifth and puts it into
|. the Sixth District. and the Republicans
are fighting 1t on tho ground that It's
, passage was purely a partisan political
, move. Senator Parsons will run as the
Republican candidate against Hon. T..
a w. Saunders, the Democratic incum-
J bent.
: In the closing hours of the session
some of Speaker Byrd's friends started
n boom for him for permanent chair
5 man of the coming Roanoke convention,
7 and owing to his high standing with
: the public men of the State and his
! consummate ability as a presiding off,
= Ger. he will most likely prove an easy
i winner. Many persons have thought
o the Speaker might enter the race for
S Attorney General next year. hut his
closest friends have not been advised
III OF any such intention on his part, and
1t is fairly certain that he will not
rum
There are two House members who
/ are considering the question of run
: ming for ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the
!, primary next year. They are Colonel
A. M. Bowman, OF Salem, and Colonel
!. James r. Cation. OF Alexandria. The
> former is chairman of the Finance
Committee and q legislator OF ripe eX-
Q perience: the latter has long been the
Democratic floor leader OF the lower
: hro ncl, Of the General Assembly