The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-08-02
TWO CANDIDATES
APPEAR BEFORE
S0UTHS|DE CLUB
Cumming Complains Of Num-
Der of Williams Family
Seeking Office
POLLARD FAVORS
LABOR ELEMENT
His Representative Says He
Helped to Abolish Fellow
servants Doctrine--Mr.
Koiner Speaks
OF several candidates for high po-

OF several candidates for high po-
litical office. only two--S. Gordon
Cumming. aspirant for the attorney
generalship. and G. w. Koiner, for
recollection as commissioner of agri-
cEltEre--spoke for themselves last
night before the South Richmond
Democratic club, all of the others. ex
cept one. being represented by others
or by letter, and J. Thompson Brown
not being represented e. all.
The moetitng of the South Rich
n1ond Clue was held IN the C ,a.t-
house, whore the thermometer stood
At 90 degrees. and the ESQ voters who
listened to the claim. of the asptt-ants
for political honors sweltered pa
tiently until the last word was mt
tered by Mr.. Koine-. c. c. Jones
presided, and was absolutely impair
tial In his introduction of the speak
ers. whom he brought out in the al
phabeticai order of their names.
There being no one In the "a" and
- columns. s. Gordon Cumming. of
Hampton. came first. In answering
the question as to why he should be
a candidate for the attorney-general-
ship he said that the district from
which he comes has never had State
while the Southwest seems to be grab
bing everything In sight, He claimed
that nearly all the Williams family
having reference to the family of At
fnrney General Samuel W. Williams
and his connections-either have
office or are running for office, and
he thought IL was time someone else
was having a show. He hit at the
Times Dispatch for saying that Floyd
King was the man most eminentiy
fitted for the office. and. after King
had withdrawn and John Garland
Pollard had eptered the race at the
sAlevenfh hour. for saying that Pol
lard had more legal sense than the
other candidates combined. He, de-
clared that the legal works Of Pollard
could have been done by anyone and
were not significant of an unusual
amount Of brains.
Pollard No Educator.
As to Mr.. Pollard's desire to become
attorney general because of his inter-
est in tina school system. Mr.. Cum
ming said that Mr.. Pollard knew
nothing about the school question.
while he had been trained as a teacher
and had taught school. He declared
that he. too. was anxious to divorce
the schools from politics, but blamed
Mr.. Pollard for voting to place the
governor and the attorney general on
the State school board when he was
member OF the constitutional con-
vention. The speaker said that he
would do all he could to amend the
constitution so as to divorce the
schools from politics,
Mr.. Cumming referred briefly to his
challenge for a Joint debate with Mr..
Pollard at Tasweli. and reiterated
former statement that the conditions
proposed by him were em!nently fair.
and that they were so said TO be by
many people who were at Taswell.
In his reference OF the members OF
the williams family who are running
for office. Mr.. Cumming said that he
would wager a box OF cigars with T.
Gray Haddon. representing Attorney
williams. brother OF the former. would
be a candidate for the speaker OF the
next house of delegates. Mr.. Had
don took him up on the bet.
Garnett Represents Pollard.
Mr.. Pollard being absent. Leslie
&c. (farnett represented him. He con-
aned himself chiefly to denying that
Mr.. Pollard had ever worked against
the labor element and proceeded to
show that. instead, Mr.. Pollard had
been a Arm friend OF the laboring
classes and that 1t was largely by his
influence that the fellow-servants
doctrine that employees could not re-
cover when an accident occurred
through the negligence or contribu-
tory negligence Of a fellow employe
was abolished by the constitutional
convention. In proof OF this he read
= letter from b. r. Catlin. formerly
president Of the cooperative legisia-
tive board of railway employees In
NH stated that MI.
Pollard made the adjustment OF the
doctrine one or the
pianks in his platform when a candi-
date for the constitutional conven-
ton. and that he worked in the con-
vention for the adoption of the sec
ton aboiishing the doctrine.
One Of the audience asked Mr.. Gar
net IL Mr.. Pollard had not had his
books printed by = nonunion hrm.
Mr.. Garnett replied that ne did NOT
know about this. except that the pub
liehing company had the awarding
81 the contract for the printing OF
the books "a letter from c. 3. Gar
nett will be found below explaining
this matter.)
Az the representative OF Attorney
General Williams, T. Gray Haddon
said that he could not answer
whether Judge Martin Williams
would be a candidate for speaker OF
the house, but that he would take up
Mr.. Cummings bet and would bring
the cigars over for the South Rich
inOnd Democratic club TO smoke.
He declared that Attorneye-General
Williams had made good In his OF
flce and that none Of his opponents
had sasd ne was incompetent or that
hc mad failed In any act. Replying
10 the charge that Attorney General
Williams had been criticised " .
fudge OF the Supreme court OF the
limited States for NOT being ready IN
y certain case In which one side was
represented by Mr. Cumming. he read
= letter from Richard 3. Davis. a.
distant attorney general, In which