Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-09
DODD MAKES A STIR
College Professor Livens Up
Politics in Virginia.
SAYS RYAN PAID EXPENSES
Charge Against National Delegates
Is Vigorously Denied.
RAILROADS HAVE TROUBLE
Employees Demand Increased Pay
and Threaten Strike-Mystery
in Shooting Affair.
RAILROADS HAVE TROUBLE
Special Correspondence OF The Star.

Special Correspondence OF The Star.
RICHMOND, Va, July S. 1911.
There is just one glimmer of humor in
the senatorial campaign so far, and that
has been furnished by Prof. ". Z. Dodd.
of Randolph Macon College now
of the Chicago University. Prof Dodd
is the gentleman who four years ago
took an active part in the legislative
In Virginia, opposing State SEN
ator Henry T. Wickham of Hanover and
DR.. Charles L. Gravatt. for
mer naval surgeon, now on the retired
list.
DR.. Gravatt won, due to the fact that
the people were excited, and some worked
up on account of the contest between the
state and the railroads in the matter OF
rates, and Senator Wickham was general
counsel for the Chesapeake and Ohio
Prof. Dodd is a man of letters and he
jumped into the fight with considerable
feryor.
He has come back to Virginia at this
time, and he has pitched right in and
Is attacking things generally. He has
made several speeches, and in one he
declared that such was the hold Of the
railroads of the state on the dominant
party in Virginia that when the dele
gates went to the national democratic
convention in ST. Louis some seven years
ago they went as the guests of Thomas
F. Ryan of New York: that he paid the
expenses. and in return was given the
vote Of the state for Alton B. Parker.
Made No Exceptions.
Mr.. Dodd has gotten somewhat mixed
in this matter. Among the delegates a,
al
Gov. Montague and Allen Caperton Brax-
ton Prof. Dodd did not take time to
segregate the men. but Jumped the whole
outfit, and. while he is generally accepted
as opposing the machine in Virginia
In MS speech he placed Mr.. Montague
and Mr. Braxton. generally accepted as
being hostile to the machine, In the same
boat Is the head OF the machine-Sen-
ator Martin. And Prof. Dodd has Sc,
some editors to writing. some politicians
to explaining, and others are guessing
Prof. Dodd had the speech prepared
and he let it go and is standing by hi.
guns.
Representative H. D. Flood of the tentl
district has made reply to Prof Dodd
ana ne made such a denial of the i'm
putat1ons that it is believed that Prof
Dodd will revise his speech before he
again takes the stump. 1t is known thai
the delegates from Virginia chartered the
car before it left Richmond, paying the
expenses of the trip pro rata. 1t is also
fact that the delegates were not in.
structed and that all of them were known
to be for Judge Parker before they were
chosen, having so declared
Asking Increased Pay.
There are three railroads in the stat.
which are at this time having a littl.
disagreement with their employes-th,
Richmond. fredericksburg and Potoma,
dncluding the Washington Southern), tn,
Norfolk and Western and the Chesa
peake and Ohio.
In the first case the conductors anf
brotherhood OF Railway Trainmen are
asking for better wages. In the case OF
the Chesapeake and Ohio and the Nor.
FOLK and Western there Is dispute owe,
the matter of hours and wages, involyins
the machinists. the boilermakers, the
biacksmiths the painters, the meta
workers and some few others. In each
case the disagreement affects the men or
the entire system of both roads.
The chief officials of the several trades
involved are here to conduct tho negotia-
tons Tor the men with the Chesapeake
and Ohio, and they were here and al
work for two days before it was known
tnat there was conference. Several
thousand men are interested in the out
come OF the controversy. On the Nor
folk and Western the question has been
submitted to the men and they are voting
on the proposition to enforce a demand
by striking, and the vote so far polled is
overWhelmlngly in favor of strike. The
hope is expressed that the Chesapeake
burg and Potomac men will adjust their
troubles without any disruption Of the
amicable relations which have obtained
for number of years.
English Army Officer Shot.
George F. Meakin. who claims to have
been an English army officer and to have
seen service with the forces engaged in
the war with the Beers some ten years
ago. is in the city hospital here with a
bullet hole through his body. dangerously
hurt. He was shot while in the home OF
Mrs. NJ. j. LAWYER. where the man was
a boarder. He says that he was strug-
Cling with Mrs. Lawler for possession of
a revolver and that in the struggle 1t was
Mrs. Lawler says she is at loss to I'M
derstand why the man would say a thing
of the sort, for when she heard the re-
port of the gun she was on the floor be-
low and rushed TO the upper part of the
house and found Capt. Meakin stagger-
ing along the hall. trying to get to his
room. The detectives are trying to get
at the bottom of the facts in the case.
Capt. Meakin was a promoter. Mrs
LAWYERS son has made statement which
confirms the statement OF the mother
However, there has been no motive shown
for the shooting and there Is considerable
mystery in connection with the case.
Ford Hotel Litigation.
Richard E. Byrd, counsel for the heirs
to the Ford Hotel property. has gone to
the courts in connection with the recent
sale of the estate to the city for SOC, COO.
The property was in court for sale for
of the proceeds among the
heirs. The city obtained an option on
the hotel and a sale was made In ac-
cordance with that option.
MIR. Byrd made a protest against CIV
ing an option, which the court disregard
ed. The sale was made and a court
title given in accordance with the terms
of the sale. Mr.. Byrd has raised the
unique point that the court, while vested
with power to make sale of such prop
erty, it had no right to give an
option. holding that to do SO would be to
exclude other possible bidders. The su-