The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-08-14


tional convention"
A letter from the Ninth District
states: II hope you Will be able to
help us In this section a great deal
in a financial way, as you learned at
Bristol this was needed for success
out here mere so than ever before.
Strong nominees made from the dis
trict viii tend to help largely. but we
have had the hardest fight in years
on account of the constitutional CON
Vention.
County chairman OF the Third dis
tricl wrote: n THE principal difficulty
We have TO contend with Is the feel
ing prevailing amongst the masses OF
people that the constitutional con-
Vention Is going TO change everything,
and it will not make much difference
il they neglect to vote in the coming
election Another difficulty We have
is the great opposition among lot
OF the white people to the constitu-
tional cons ention. This is the par
ticular cause, Il think in the large
falling off of Democratic votes in
! 1900. The people OF this class Will
vote the Republican ticket under the
belief and with the hope that in some
way the election Of a Republican gov
ernor will result in the defeat of the
work Of the com ention.
Money Was Needed
The chairman of the Fourth con-
{ gressional district wrote. Il have not
Z heard from You since You left our
! Petersburg meeting for the South
west. important that the money TO
be used should be distributed with
out delay"
From the Tenth congressional dis
trict; The situation ~ indeed seri-
Gus. especially as to State ticket Our
/ people are SO much worked up about
the supposed action or the conven-
ton.
From one of ONT leading speakers
who had been ranNassing the Fifth
congressional district: Il md a good
! deal OF discomfort here and the Re-
puhlicans are very active; / think help
Is very much needed"
From the Eighth congressional dis
trict. county chairman wrote: I'VE
/ have quite number " noaters in
/ this county. l am reliably informed
! that one of the very rich men here is
t endeavoring to carry them against
our nominee therefore. ! do not con-
slider he fight SO easy There is great
disposition amongst the lower classes
/ Ia go against the party on account
t Of suspicion in their minds about
/ the suffrage question, The negroes
j win he hard to handle now"
From one OF the counties OF the
I First congressional district. this let
ter was received We have hard
(, fight on hand in this county. and ia
the senatorial district have had
no funds promiaed by any one Yet
II sour committee can give me any
! assistance. It will be most thankfully
received
Campaign III 1901
These are just few Of the letters
received, In Ii recent communication
to the public press Ar. Montague SAYS
that | told him there was no railroad
contribution made In 1901. that [ had
not received any railroad contrfbu
ton. Mr.. Montague had Just return
ed from visit to the Southwest and
he Was very much demoraIized with
the condition OF things az ne SAW
them. lie conferred with me. as he
more than once did, a bout the finance.
and asked me If ! had received any
money from the railroads / told him
had not. but / would approach them
and see what could be done lie
thought they ought 20 help. did
approach them and secured some con
tributlons, and this AS Is stated in a
previous communication. was the last
year in which | solicited or received
money from the RAILROADS
He then imputed What has Joe
Willard done ?" / replied. telling him
what had received, His comment
was. HE Is a very rich man. he ough,
to do better than that" and suggest.
ed how II might be done, hut aid no,
volunteer to do it himself. He thought
II might be better done through an
other channel
tie stated III his public stateruen,
that Colonel Willard had financed the
campaign was then and am still!
grateful 70 Colonel Willard for his
generous contributions. but Mr.. VII
lard did not finance the State cam,
paign OF shat year and If Mr.. Mon.
. tague IS right. then he must have done
so not through the State committee
but through some other agency with
which Governor Montague may be
better informed than / am. The gov.
ernor has perhaps COMPOUNDED tht
financing of the campaign for tn,
nomination with that for the election
'NCownrdly" Indictment.
bat what good Is 10 be accomplish
ed by all this? Why should CixaNerno,
Montague and those associated witt
him in the conduct of the campaign
seek to make the impression that tn,
railroads controlled and directed tn,
camPaign with view 10 obtaintns
control of the General Assembly. or
as they sometimes add, not only il
electing members of. the General as
semoly favorable to their interests
but OF using the yellow dog fund
as they term H. in influencing votes o
members of the General Assenbl,
after they are elected This whole
sale Indictment of the honorable rner
VINO have represented us In the Gen
eral Assem- bly, in the last twenty wear
Is as co@ardly as 1t Is cruel II Their.
he any guilty ones. have the courag,
to name who they are When Mr.
, Montague was a candidate for office
ne was wiling 10 accept contribution
from anybody DESTROYS OF giving ait
, to the campaign fund. He was con
stantly urging both IN 1897 and 1919
that We should take nothing 70
, granted. but insisted the situations I,
those contests were so grave that (
necessitated the greatest vigilance an,
activity on the part of the State com
mittee, and that money was needle,
o secure the election Of our ticket
And now with changed public opin
ion as To the part the railroads ough
to take in our elections and wifi
knowledge on his part, certainly witt
the statement repeated by. fne Il si..zxi
: fsines, that the railroads have no
since 1901 been solicited, nor So IA
as | know given one dollar toward
the campaign fund OF the Democrat
State committee OF Virginia. NJ,
Montague would now have the publ,
think he never benefited, but AWAY