The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-23
BY WILLIAM h. SMITH.

BY WILLIAM h. SMITH.
bynchburE, Vn-, July 22-Sharp In
terchnnRcs marked the Joint debate to-
might between John Garland Pollard
OF Henrico County. and 8. Gordon Cum
ming, OF Hampton, condIdates for tho
Democratic nomination for Attorney
..enerni mt the primary on August 3.
Mr. Pollard received the larger shsrc
of the npplnusc from the 800 people
present.
Tux reform, the fec Hy.tcn, the en-
nbiing act and other Issues were de-
bnted mt length. In Mr. PoiInrd's clos.
Ing speech he referred with some ,nr-
cnSm 10 Mr. CumminE'h reference Ia
his record ns lawyer, nsserting that
he hnd made twice ns much through
the practice OF his profcssion M Mr.
Cumming hndt TINT the chnrgc thut he
favored "omnn suffrage absolutely
untrue. md TINT Mr. Cumming nppcnr-
I'd In new role ms the champion Of
thrisfinnity when he attacked hi. on
poncnts action In the Constitutionnl
Convention In voting to omit the uord
"Christinn" from TINT document. Mr.
mining had no opportunity to reply
to thenc nnd other snrcnstic thrusts.
Cumming Opens Debate.
Chder the agreement, arranged b.
friends or the participants. Mr. Cum
ming opened in IL minute statement,
Mr. Pollard followed for ten minutes
after which MIR Cumming spoke for a
hair hour. and Mr.. Pollard closed in a
speech or the same length George Z
Cask!e OF Lynch burg. presided
Mr. Cumming opened his declaration
oi principles by saying that the one
point OF absolute agreement was that
Attorney General samuel ". Williams
ought not 10 be reelected
hatever my views on woman SUI
fraEe, the enabling act or public
schools" he said. they arc simply nv
views as a citizen. Should be- elect
ed my Individual views will have no
greater weight than those OF any other
citizen. Even II my friends views are
enacted into Law. divergent as they are
from mine. shall. II elected, seek TO
havc them enforced
Il stand for a proper reformation OF
the assessment OF property and the
collection OF taxes believe that the
report or Or. Douglas Freeman and the
exhaustive data recently compiled by
Auditor Moore give sufficient knowl-
edge for the drafting OF proper law.
With the Information now before the
public. an Intelligent act should be pre-
pared within two weeks after the Cen
eral Assembly convencs.
II do not believe in the preferential
primary for President OF the United
States: believe that the ena bling act,
as heretofore presented. is unconstitu-
tional. hut that the people have a right
TO determine the question by IA consti-
tutonal amendment. Recent develop
ments have led me TO believe that II
may be wise to create a board OF par
dons In this State"
Question of Personal Fitness.
My friend starts out" said Mr.. Pol
lard. with the proposition that his
opinions on public questions have moth
ing to do with his fitness for office
That is the first question on which |
take issue. If fitness has nothing to do
with II, why did YOU challenge me to
joint debate? am too modest TO
discuss my own qualifications, too po-
lite to discuss your disqualitications.
You have no argument with me that
Judge Williams should not he re-
elected. AS TO the equalization OF the
burden Of taxation. we are agreed. so
we can lay that aside. On the question
of local option or Statewide prohibi-
tion, we are so near together that IL is
tweedlcdcc or twccdledum. ] say the
people must decide; you say, yes but
by an amendment to the Constitution.
My friend says he is satisfied with
the election laws; that all they need
is to be enforced. He would have ex-
pressed no such opinion had he read
them. There is no punishment for the
man who pnys poll taxes for another.
The election laws make ballot box
stuffing misdemcanor, punishable
with "a fine of So and one hour in jail
II should be a felony. and the offender
should go to the pcnitentiary. The
elections should be conducted BY OIL
GERS Of tho law. not by partisan com
mttccs often interested in the outcome
Courts should decide contests rather
than party committees. which may be
swaycd by partisan considerations.
'.As to the fee system. there are Off
GERS doing clerical work receiving four
five times much pay as the Gov
ernor of Virginia. and as much as all
the judges Of the Supreme Court put
together. No officer in this Common
wealth ought TO receive more than the
man ut the head OF the government.
81 have two questions to ask my op-
poncnt. which l want him to answer to
this audience: / want him to say
whether or not II. ii. Holt, clerk Of the
courtof Elizabeth City County has not
written letters saying that his friends
are under obligations to vote for Mr.
Cumming.
want him to say what effort he has
taken to reform the fee system. When
bill was introduced during the last
session OF the General Assembly there
was a lobby at Richmond to prevent
the people OF this State from finding
out what their officers received, and
want to know what part he had In
that operation. His friends say he
went there at his own expense to fight
Continued on Seventh Page.)