The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-12-22
THE RICHMoND vIRGINIAN-FRIDAYD DECEMBER a. 1911.

vIR GINIAN-F RIDAY,
reiterated our offer to give up any
other contract upon demand.
Except for the loss OF the German
h Ridge advertising the effect Of our
ultimaturn was magnificent. Scores
OF readers telephoned to VI to con-
gratulate NJ on our courage and to
thank u for fighting for them. and
We received hundreds Of letters ex-
pressing this same sentiment. We
published q page of the letters and
took advantage OF the aroused pub
lie interest to get in some good hard
Flows foB an honest, progressive dele
CATION to the State Legislature to
work for . new charter and primary
election law.
Though We felt pleased over the
general results and had the satisfac-
ton Of reaiizing that we had won
victory In q holy cause that had.
incidentally. attracted great deal
OF attention to US and to the work
We were trying to do in st. James,
Austin and / did not underestimate
the significance of the loss Of the
German q Ridge business. That
was serious, for we knew 1t meant a
heavy draft on our diminishing re-
Serve. We realized that unless some
miracle brought into the paper ad-
vertising that We could not reason
ably expect to get In the immediate
future. 1t wouldn't be long before our
money would be gone and we would
be facing q deficit OF three thousand
or four thousand dollars a month.
We saw that we should simply have
to win that legislative election in the
fall. We felt sure that II We won II
the prestige We would gain and the
new charter that would probably re-
suit therefrom would give US the
public recognition and the circula-
ton necessary to force our ex-adver-
Users to use The Sun in self-defense.
So we plunged into the most vigorous
campaign we could make on the new
charter issue.
In that fight had the satisfaction
OF feeling and seeing the evidences
of the york We had been doing for
more than a year. The business men
/ had discovered when l was hunt
ing for independent candidates fol-
mayor and assessor-the potential In
surgents OF the community-were
rapidly breaking away from the old
i
been pounding so long and so hard
on the proposition that the people
and not a few professional politicians
public-service corporations and busi.
ness men ought to run the town, that
the idea had begun to take hold. The
masses had grasped 1t early In the
hight, but now great many OF the
so-called better element" were be-
ginning to understand and believe It.
Merchants lawyers. doctors. archt-
tects. builders came to the support
OF the Greater st. James Commit
tee; In fact, ! think II one had gone
up one side of the street and down
the other In the business section he
would have found majority of the
men he encountered In hearty gym
pathy with The Suns fight. for The
Suns reasons. Furthermore, he would
have found a decided inclination or
the part Of the men of St James to
say SO openly and plainly. The old
combination was breaking up; evil
dences of It were plenty. The city
was stirring. was on the verge OF
turning Aver, getting its eyes oper
and waking up with start.
The Greater st. James Committee
was working along general lines, ad-
commercial and social betterment Of
the community. 1t was not q politi-
cal organization and could not pich
out candidates or make campaign
for any party or ticket. ! found
twenty-five members Of the commit
tee, however. who were willing tc
come out into the open with an or.
ganization that we called the PRO
gressive Municipal League" and tc
make an open fight for individual
candidates. The city was normal,
Democratic, and the Democratic or
ganization didn't seem to be quite
so corrupt as the Republican. SO WI
decided to seek the nomination Of
four good men for Representatives
and one good man for senator or
the Democratic ticket l should have
preferred to make the league strictly
non-partisan, but party lines were
Still pretty closely drawn and the
others thought our best chance lay
with the Democrats.
We decided on two lawyers, a retail
clothier and q doctor. all under for
ty-five years OF age, az the league,
candidates for the House, and upoI
a former circuit Judge. an exception
ally strong. courageous man OF ad.
vanced ideas. for the Senate. The
primaries were to be held September
nineteenth, and the futile and Var
Dyke people had their candidates out
and were working day and night with
their precinct organizations to head
Off the defeat that they now realized
was almost certain to be their por.
ton. The Progressive Municipal
League was able to muster enough
workers to assign three men to ever
polling place. and they were not tho
ton day either. They were we'll
known citizens Of good standing and
reputation. men who had never be.
fore taken an active part In an cleo
ton. but had considered that sort Of
thing rather sordid and had left 1t Il
the rougher element. Now they were
ready to take on their coats. shelve
business for the day and stand watch
that their city might be regenerated
Tho Remedy In Sight.
The day OF tho primary elections
finally Arrived-too soon. feared, Al
/ crept into bed ct half-past two
after = day and night OF nerve-tear.
ing work in ANAL preparations. with
the prospect Of rising at six and
spending AZ much time as possible
at headquarters and at the polls
was still haunted by what had hap.
pened to us In the city primaries
in spite OF tho better organization
the better campaign OF publicity. the
heightened public interest and thu
benefit OF experience. felt we had
left undvn1~ many things that VI
ought to have done.