Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-10
Virginia Democrats Would
Change or Abolish System.
AID FOR THE OPPOSITION
Republicans Take Advantage Of Fac.
tional Accusations.
CHANGE CONGRESS DISTRICTS
Plan May Force Several National
Lawmakers to Give Party More
Active Support.
Special CORRESPONDENCE Of Tho Star.

Special CorrcSpondencc OF The star.
/ RICHMOND. Va. September .. 1911.
i Democrats of the state are demanding
that the primary plan shall be amended
/ in some way, or else abolished, in order
1 to prevent recurrence of such a cam
paign as has just closed in Virginia.
| Democrats are complaining that it is i'm
| possible to maintain an organization when
such speeches, charges. -denunciations,
| peeking into private affairs, furnishing
the opposition with material for use against
the democrats in the general election, are
made by one democrat against another
The declaration Is assuming considerable
proportions that the primary, as 1t is
conducted In Virginia, Is losing its use
funess.
The primary in itself II all right it is
| held, but the people do not like the idea
of having this exchange of challenges.
! this continual turmoil, this making of
friends OF opposing candidates mad and
creating all sorts of hard and bitter feel
ing Then there are many men who are
SO disguised with the primary system
4 that they are refusing to vote or else are
voting the ticket of the opposition-hold-
ing that # the things which the candi-
dates for office are saying of each other
are true then neither man Is fit to hold
| the position.
/ The republicans of the state have no
primaries, and there is not one-half the
Wrangling among them that there is
among the democrats The republican
papers are taking advantage of things as
| tney come to the surface and printing all
the speeches of the democrats and ap-
| peailng to the voters to come over to the
republican party and have no dealing or
animation with men who are guilty OF
the things which the members Of the
democratic party are charging against
| their own party men.
The idea is to have the plan SO amended
| mat the counties and cities will hold
primaries and elect delegates to a state
convention to frame platforms and nomi-
nate candidates.
Redistrict the State.
The legislature to be chosen this fall
will be charged with the duty of redis
| tricting the state for members Of Con-
| gress. There is just an intimation that
the legislature will do this, and that in
making up the new districts there will
be some changes which will create some
surprise and give harder work, more
representatives than is the case TODAY.
There are three representatives who have
avoWed their contempt for the ina
chine and their districts are at this
time a all one way: BY making. some
these gentlemen will have to become
active. will have to recognize that they
do not own the districts, as one man
put 1t. and by making a ''judicious
change" the chances are that some very
able men will oppose those who are now
in Congress-
This will serve to force the fighting and
to make it possible for the friends of the
organization to stand together and to
see that their friends are given an equal
showing with the representatives who do
not speak the language of the tribe
Auto Owners Are Caught.
Owners of automobiles in this city will
have cause to remember the Beattie case
for years to come. 1t has grown to- be a
sort of outing to take spin to Chester
field each day. and the county con-
stabulary has been busy. With an eye
to getting their fees for serving war
rants and summoning witnesses, they
have been stationed along the road to
watch the fiiers. They have not been
idle, and some forty or more of them are
to face the magistrates of the county for
burning the roads"
Stationed at intervals of two miles, with
watches in hand the officers have gotten
the numbers Of the machines. and have
signaled just the time they passed the
first officer The second officer stands
with his watch in his hand and knowing
the distance to the first officer, he gets
to rights The fines will be some SO in
each case
Pension the Judges.
An attempt will be made at the coming
session Of the general assembly to pen
sion members Of the judiciary In this
state along the same general lines as
that of the federal government. The
judges OF the state are poorly paid and
many OF them serve for years. having
little chance to provide for old age and
sickness. 1t is proposed to allow them
to retire when they shall have served
twenty five years and shall have reached
the age Of sixty-fve. The matter Of
amount for pensions will be provided for
in the bill which will be presented, and
the idea is to make it. about one-half of
their pay while on the bench. This
would make an average pension Of about
$1,000 year. There are several judges
in the state who have already served
twenty-five years and who are over the
proposed age limit. but they will not re-
tire SO long as they can work.
Crops Are Better.
Virginia farmers suffered greatly by
the drought of the. past summer. and
while their crops win be considerably
curtailed by lack Of rain. within the last
month they have recuperated wonder
fully and there is reason to believe that
nearly the average crop will be gathered.
The corn Is much better than was ex
pected. the wheat was fair, and the
number Of total failures OF the tobacco
crop Is small. Vegetation Is now as
rank as 1t has been at any time this
year. Cattle are looking good, the pas
| lures being in excellent condition.