The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-10-12
RING PLAYS CAME
N CLEVER STYLE
Mind Of Second District Public
Being Diverted from Fraud
Issue.
MARTIN IN LlMELIGHT
loung's Friends Realize Full
Value of Drawing Senator
Into Situation.

To all appearances, that Is a shrewd
political game which the Norfolk ring
IL playing these days in the Second
district Democratic congressional fight.
Diverting the attention of the pub
lie from the ugly and extensive frauds
perpetrated during the August prl-
mary and uncovered BY the inyestl-
gators named by the State central
committee. the ring has evidently sue
ceeded in eentering attention upon
United States Senator Tom Martin
and are making the most of the sit
uation. BY these tactics II Is en-
deevoring TO discredit the citizens
movement which has been .frst, last
and all the time To beat Young and
Maynard in the second primary.
Leaders Of the citizens In Norfolk are
admittedly no friends of Senator Mar
tin, but they are supporting state
Senator Holland, OF SUFFOLK, who Ii
declared by Young and his ring sup
porters to be Senator Martins candi-
date. That Is where some of the
voters are being puzzled.
Where Cue Came From.
The ring got its cue from the fact
that Colonel &. Fenton Day. OF Smith
field, chairman Of the Second district
Democratic committee, and father-in-
law OF Senator Martin. turned the
trick that gave Holland an opening
IN the campaign, He it was who
made il possible. by his vote at the
recent meeting of tho committee. Tor
minority candidates in the primary TO
get representation in the convention
which will follow the primary And
no one will question that the ring has
made the most of its opportunity.
he Ia GAnn TOR Au re- q In
sympathy with Hollands candidacy.
In referring to this phase of the
situation. Senator Holland is quoted
as saying that he favored Fitzhugh
Lee In 1888, when Martin opposed
Lee and first became United States
Senator When Martin was opposed
in 1906 by former Governor Monta
que. Holland says he supported Mon
tague and secured a substantial ma
jority for him In the Suffolk district
Senator Holland is expected To make
himself even more clear on the sub
iect when he addresses the citizens
meeting at the Academy in Norfolk
Wednesday night
Know Value Of Issue.
Ring leaders realize full we'll the
value OF making Senator Martin an
issue in the pending crisis. They
know that hundreds. ii not thousands
of voters in that section believe at
the bottom Of their hearts that the
senior senator from Virginia is re-
sponsibie In Il large measure for po-
liticai conditions in the district They
know that many Of the Second dis
trict voters, especially those lined up
against Norfolk county fusion, have
always laid at the door OF Senator
Martin the responsibility for the ac-
ton OF the State committee in siding
with the fus,onistss against the
straightouts when appeal was made
TO that body In previous contests
They know that Senator Martin got
most of the blame for the commit
tees action when IL turned cold
shoulder To the stratghtouts FIVE years
ago and awarded the Democratic
elerkship nomination to a fusion dunn
my. thus insuring the election of AL
yah Martin. national Republican COM
mifteeman, as clerk for another term