Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-04
LEADERS PLANS UPSET
Split in GoochIand County, Va,
Republican Convention.
DEFEAT OF LILY WHITES
Colored Voters Disposed to Keep
Aloof in the Campaign.
HEARING ON DEBT MATTER
Fight by Mann and Tucker for Gu
bernatorial Nomination-Contr
versy Over Superintendents.
HEARING ON DEBT MATTER
Special Correspondence Of The Star.


RICHMOND Va. July 3. 1909
The first discordant note In connection
with the approaching session OF the re-
publican state convention at Newport
News, July IS was sounded in the county
Of Goochland. when the colored voters.
with several OF the white republicans.
got into the meeting and sent a split
delegation to the convention. This is the
first break, and has to some extent
upset the plans and calculations and
purposes of the republicans. 1t was
planned to have the state convention a
lily-white affair, but the factional fight
between the federal officers in this city
cropped out. Maj. NJ. ]. Enr'ght, former
Office deputy for Marshal Morgan Treat
was chairman of the county of Gooch-
land. Enright was fired by Treat, and
no reason has ever been assigned. En-
of the lily-white leaders. Mr.. Treat Is
identified with the other faction and
he has always stood for recognizing the
colored voter in the politics of the state
He has made two great fights along that
ne, and though he lost both he Is not
discouraged. 1t is generally accepted that
Mr.. Treat advised the action in the
county of Goochland which resulted III
the displacing of Mr.. Enright and the
triumph of the colored faction.
John G. Luce of Goochland, member
of the house of delegates. was identified
with the lily whites, and the fact that
he was mentioned for the lieutenant gov
ernorship figured in the county conven-
ms proceedings. Mr.. Luce Is bust
ness man, a successful lawyer, and takes
the stand that the day of negro domino
ton of the republican party is past and
that il will never come again. He favors
building up strong white party in the
state, and he has been a candidate for
Congress on that platform. The negroes
would not vote for him. although he
made ali exceptionally fine run. The col
ored voters here are not taking any part
in politics. They say that they will
hold hands off and that they will vote
for the nominees of the party. but they
will not organize, they will not give to
the campaign and they will not go to
any meetings. They are in the position
of letting the lily whites do all the vot-
ing aud the bossing. and will walt
to see what they can do.
Debt Hearing Ends.
The final hearing of the Virginia West
Virginia debt matter was held In this
city Friday. The end of the long and
tiresome controversy is in sight. Spe-
cial Master Littlef1eld startled the law
yers in the case by the manner In which
he made them attend to business. He
took part in the examination of wit
nesses. he asked all sorts of questions
and he did not hesitate to shut off all
sorts of frivolous and trivial questions
The lawyers did not have a chance to
indulge in long winded discourses on fine
spun legal points. They were told to
get right down to business and to elm
mate all the unimportant details and to
get at bottom facts. The hearing was
tod hSra hot x ino ian OF
witnesses. the stating of the accounts,
reconciling the disputed points, and the
like, but the case has not been argued
and will not be argued until September
y. In the offices Of Mr Lit efield In
New York city. John G. Carlisle. former
Senator Spooner, Attorney General Con-
ley, Mr.. McClintock. Prof. Hogg and two
or three other big lawyers will have a
part in the argument for West Virginia,
and for the Old Dominion there will be
Conrad, Randolph Harrison. john T..
Moon and Co. Robert Catlett. Mr.. Lit
tlefield says he is anxious to complete the
case and TO make his report to the
tober term. Counsel for the state of
Virginia are confident that the final de-
cree of the court will be for the state,
that she will win, and that the award
will be just about what she has claimed
from the first. some sl6000,UO0 What
ever the outcome of the litigation, the
state Of Virginia is forever absolved from
payment of the aim, the bondholders
having contracted 10 take the final de-
cree dis full settlement of the debt or
liability.
AS to the Govern orship.
Judge Mann and Mr. Tucker are still
going about the state, appealing To the
voters for their support. They are still
making references to each other and ex
posing to the gaze of the people OF the
state the records of deeds since they have
been in public life. Judge Mann is ac-
cused of having accepted Office at the
hands of the 'readjusters'' few years
ago, and he is a SO accused Of being too
intense a party man and of supporting
and indorsing Judge Rhea for the cor
poration commission. Judge Mann is
making strenuous reply to Mr.: Tucker.