The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-15
STANDS FOR
PURITY OF BALLOT
Candidate for Nomination for Attorney General
Makes Opening Address Of Campaign and
Gives His Platform to People

Especial 70 The Times Dispatchl
Louisa. Va, July li.--John Garland
Pollard. OF Iienrico County. candidate
:or the Democratic nomination for
Attorney-General OF the state. MADE
Cle opening address OF his campaign
to-day at the courthouse here. 1t be-
Ing regular court day. a large crowd
was in attendance. The voters heard
Mr. Pollard with great interest, as he
discussed IN. various questions that
are now agitatinE the minds OF the
people, among them th@ primary law.
which. ne said, needed amending and
improving
Following Mr.. Pollard. Lindsay Cor
don and ". a. c. Petit. opposing cam
didates for the House OF Delegates,
addressed the voters.
Not niseruntIed once Seeker.
Mr.. Pollard, among other things,
said
Il am not disgruntled office seeker,
nor disappointed politician. re-
ccivcd without exception the few po-
!itical honors tC which have asp!red.
! have no political enemies to punish.
no political debts 10 pay. ! como be-
fore you as \ Democrat, not running
on an abstract political creed. but with
a definite program OF justice and right.
l represent no faction, unless. indeed.
! have always earnestly and actively
supported those men and measures
which seemed 10 me 10 be for the best
interest o! tn: state. l love the Demo
cratic party. Since reaching my ma
jority have never failed 10 contribute
OF my time and means TO the advance
ment OF its interests. | have always
thought that the welfare OF Virginia
could be best served by and through
the Democratic party. and though OF
ten treated as an alien and stranger
by the authorities of my party, /
have never bclted or sulke6. nor given
my party anything less than my loyal
support. | have not In the past ever
attempted 10 conceal my position,
either as TO men or measures and now
that ! am candidate for office. I can
not with proper self-respect fail 10
tell the people where / stand. 1t is
true that the office of Attorney &c n
cral has no legislative functions. but
the people have a right to know some
thing OF the opinions of their candl
dates on the issues Of the day.
81 consider the first and most, funda
mental need OF the state to be- a
thorough publication OF her genera
and primary election laws. The good
OF the state and the preservation OF
the party demand that our election
laws be put above suspicion. 1t Is
significant fact that to-day hundreds
OF good and loyal Democrats in Nor
folk arc refusing 10 go into the prim-
AIRY. because they know that in re-
cent elections they have been sc
miserably defrauded by ballot bos
suffers and thieves, made bold by de-
icient election laws which Legislature
after Legislature has failed to remedy
In the recent Young Maynard contes
| in Norfolk ii was shown that hun
| dreds OF dead men were voted. Sucr
| condition OF affairs no honest mar
! can tolerate or condone.
People Want Square Deal.
| ut is true that no election law how
| ever strong, can ever prevent occa
| sional fraud but more casual eXami
| nation of our election laws will show
! that they invite fraud. These laws
| though changed in recent years, are il
! their essence relics OF reconstruction
| days, and now that the negro is elimi
mated from politics. we. to put it mildly
have simply forgotten to change the
character of our election laws It /:
| not fair that the men who expose these
| conditions should he called malcontents
nor that they should be charged witt
advertising tho shortcomings of theil
/ State The real enemies of Virginia are
| those who supinely rest under such con
ditions and seek to cast slurs on those
| ginia are honest. They want n square
deal at the ballot box. and ! do no
| hesitate to say that If ] am elected
AttorneyGeneral Of Virginia | shall
let no strict construction of the dutie.
of the Office prevent me from suggest
| ing and advocating and using the in
! huence Of the once to promote meas