Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-27
POLITICS IN VIRGINIA
"Taft Democrats" Objects of
Interest Across the River.
PROBLEM FOR THE PARTY
State Will Lose Money by Operations
of Byrd Law.
FIRST REGIMENT TROUBLE
No Negro Spanish War Veterans for
State-Miller to Sue for
False Arrest.
PROBLEM FOR THE PARTY
'IRST REGIMENT TROUBLE
Special Correspondence OF The Star.

Gratis is the task which the party man
agement is trying to solve. That there
are several hundred of these here is the
claim made by the men who are said to
be inimical to the election of Mr.. Bryan.
So far. there are less than dozen who
have publicly declared their intention to
vote for Judge Taft. The belief is that
there are about Loco of these erstwhile
democrats who have renounCed Bryan
| ism, but if there are so many they are
keeping the facts to themselves. They
decline, and are declining, to make their
political preferences known. Some OF the
party leaders are contendi1g that the real
animus of the democrats who have fore
sworn the democratic party is to be found
in the oId-time, still-rank.ing defeat
administered by Senator Thomas S.
Martin to Gen Fitzhugh Lee for the
United States Senate many years ago.
1t is a fact that since that time there
has been a gradual severance of the old
ties, the friends of Gen Lee Lever having
recovered from the shock of the defeat
of the popular idol by a man who was
unknown to many of the people of the
state at the time. 1t is ,-lso recalled that
Capt. Daniel Lee of Stafford announced
in the last campaign for the Unlteu
States Senate that he would support
Senator Martin, but while lie buried all
close friends of the dead general could
not SO easily forget their chagrin when
Gen. Lee was bested in the political
game.
Now the statement is being made by
politicians, members of the general as
semby, that the bankers Of tie city are
to be made to feel the effects of their
opposition to the dominant political party
of the state. The general assembly
designates the places in the state at
which the funds of the state shall be
deposited. and the banks of thi. city have
been favored with the handling of mil
lions for many years. The idea and Sug-
gestion is being advanced that the proper
thing to do is to change this system of
handling the states money and to dis
tribute it over the state. giving to the
banks in the smaller cities and the towns
a chance to get the benefit of this money
by making them the repositories of the
| funds and Withdrawing it from the banks
of this city in such cases as the officers
may be giving aid and comfort to the
party which is antagonistic to the demo-
Gratis. This is a turn to the campaign
which was not anticipated, and this may
be one of the reasons why the bank
officials are not making known their. sup
port and adherence to the Taft presiden-
| tial aspirations.
Should such a thing be done it may re-
suit in complications that would cut both
| ways. At times the state has to have
| money to meet Immediate payments. and
these the banks advance from time to
time, and this possible action may result
| in a refusal to accommodate the state
| What the effect of the legislation might
! be, therefore, is uncertain,> for there is
no denying the fact that stations might
arise that would cause untold and un-
| usual embarrasSmentS.
Effect of the Byrd Law.
Virginia will lose $40 Go1.6O by the oper-
ations of the Byrd liquor law this year,
| com ma red with the pracadiuo ynar
appears on the face Of the figures given
out at the auditors office. This decrease
results from the reduction of the number
of saloons in many cities and the elemina-
! ton of liquor in many of the counties
| The estimate is based on the number of
! saloons for the preceding year. no al
| lowance being made for the possible VOL
| untary retirement of many from the bust
ness. 1t does. however. make allowance
| for the increase in the cost of liquor
| licenses for the state. the price having
been raised from $40 to Sl,y0.
| The temperance people are preparing
| to meet this estimate in the loss to the
| state. but they will be unable To give out
| their figures for some time. because they
| Will not be able to state positively the de-
crease in crime and the amount that will
be saved to the state in the matter of
supporting families of rren who consumed
their incomes III the saloons. There is
another phase of the matter that will be
made conspicuous in the comparative
| statement to be issued by the temDerance
element. and which Will be important. 1t
Will be the amount of criminal charges
due to the enforcement OF the liquor laws
and the expense incident to the proSecu-
| ton of the operators of blind tigers in
| the dry counties and towns of the com
| monwealth.
| Democrats of the state are interested in
| the challenge sent by J. Floyd Byars of
Bristol. the democratic candidate for
Congress in the ninth district. to Repre-
| sentative G. BdScOm Slemp. the rcpljIl-
! lican candidate. BY advice of the party
management Mr. Slemp has declined to
accept the challenge of Mr. Hyars. and
! so the only debate the gentlemen have
| had will be the last. This is not al all
! understood that Mr.. Byars is to follow
! Mr.. Slemp from point to point in the dis
| trtct and to endeaVor to get him To state
| on the hustinss the grounds for his re-
| fuSal, and to let the people iud for
| themselves after they have heard the ex-
| PLANTATION from Mr.. Slemp's lips MIR
: Byars is losing no time in covering tile
! district. and reports from that section in
dicate that Mr.. Semp has the battle of
! his life on his hands. There is disSen-
! sion in the republican ranks. while the
| democrats are united-a condition that
has not existed in previous campaigns.
First Regiment Disturbance.
| Members of the 1st Virginia Regiment
are much interested in a row that has
developed from some cause which has
not been made known to the members of
| the several commands. Some time in
July, previous to the departure of the
| troops for Camp Taft, at Lytle. Ga.
Charles A. Weston was elected To The
captaincy of Company A The day fol-
lowing his election he was appcised by
the adjutant general that he had been
| relieved of his command by order of Col.
w. J. Perry of Stanton, though no rea-
son was assigned in the order After the
return of the soldiers Col. Perry asked
for a court Of inquiry to determine the
fitness of Capt. Weston as a commanding
officer. IT was discovered that the court
had and could have no jurisdiction of the
case for the reason that under the law
| relied on TO relieve hiRl il was provided
| that the commission should have been is
sued. only commissioned : eli could be
tried under its provisions So Capt Wes-
ton drew first blood Now Capt Weston
has applied for court to hear the case
to determine his fitness and to develon
what are the charges against him. He
has employed counsel and will fight the
case to the end.
Virginia is 10 have no negro Spanish
War Veterans. That has been decided
by the national encampm@nt. The dele
gate from Virginia made a fight for the
recognition of the white camps in the
state, and a resolution was adopted which
provides that the camps at Roa noke