The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-02

Hot fights in sixteen OF the thirty
nine senatorial districts Of Virginia
and innumerabie local contests of the
warmest sort have featured the legis-
aative campaign of 1918, which closes
IN most actions of the State with the
Democratic primary tomorrow. al
though in several of the contested dis
tricts the hnai result will not be
known until later. as both Democratic
and Republican parties have nominees
in the field. The prohibition question
is the chief issue In these contests.
most of which are based on the votes
of Senators on the enabling act in
1sl4.
The election OF House members does
not promise great deaf Of excitement
save IN isolated instances. The lower
body was overwhelmingly dry AZ the
last session, and there has been no
NECESSITY to bring out a great number
OF dry candidates.
Most Important i'm Years.
The Senate campaign is the most
important in years from the temper
anee viewpoint. In the anal show
down in the last Senate on the en-
aiding act there were nineteen dry and
nineteen wei Senators, with Leutan-
art-Governor Ellyson casting the de-
cid.ng vote in favor OF the prohibition
law. As result OF this situation the
temperance people are making strong
efforts to elect o large number of dry
Senator'S In the place CT wet ones and
TO return the dry men whose elections
are contested by vets The chief dam
ger which threatens the dry men In
some cases is the confusion OF the
senatorial issue with local fights, IN
which there is no Statewide interest
or importance. Apart from this dan
ger and the personal element which
enters with st. the temperance people
feel that they have far the better u
the argument in districts where men
voted in the Senate against the en-
aiding act and where there is strong
dry sentiment. No attempt has been
made to minimize the danger that
threatens the election OF dry men by
confusing the leslie with local lights,
ard in view of the fact that men
elected to the Senate this year will
hold office for four years following.
and that in those four years the laws
10 put prohibition into effect will be
presented to and adopted by the Legss-
lature. very strong effort has been
made to have the next Senate safely
In the hands of weil-known friends of
prohibition.
Practically every candidate, with
one or two freakish exceptions, has
declared himself in favor OF respect
a!ssx the will Of the Stats as expressed
last September by a majority Of over
thirty thousand In favor OF Statewide
prohibition but the Anti-Saloon
League and other temperance organi-
cations are taking no chances on TINS
LEGISLATURE, and have made careful
search into the records of men who
are presenting themselves for nonaina-
ton in tomorrows primaries
Should a clear majority of the Sem
ate, as shown by the results of to-
morrow, be favorable to prohibition,
it 10 felt that there will be little diff
Guilty in securing the passage OF the
desired legislation which shall be am
ply effective in enforcing the law in
this State On the other hand, should
wet men be In the majority, IL is GER
tain that the great battles OF the past
In the Senate chamber on this ques-
ton will have to be fought over again
Fights Against Wet Senator's.
Against the Senators representing
dry districts who voted wet In the
anal vote on the enabling act, particu-
lar opposition has developed. On the
other hand, wet men have not hesi-
tated to bring opposition to some OF
those who voted for the act. although
there are only one or two cases of this
sort In the main, the legislative
MxnI& are against senators from uES
cities who voted against the previous
" expressed and known desires OF
their constituents on this subject. OF
this sort are the fights against the
reconciliation OF Senators Brock. Wat
kins and Hobbs. representing the
Twenty-efghth, Sixteenth and Twenty
seventh Districts respectively. Sena-
tors r. Blackburn. Smith and c. T.
Bowers are having opposition from
wet candidates in the Twelfth and
Fourteenth Districts. Other contests
are for the seats in the Twenty fth.
Thirty-eighth. Ninth. Eleventh. Thirty
frst Nineteenth. Thirty-third. Eighth.
Twenty-second, Seventh ana Thirty
flfth Districts. = =,
All OF these lights have various
local conditions SURROUNDING them
which will more or less affect the re-
sult.
A great battle-ground Is the Twenty
eighth Senatorial District, where SEM
ator Robert X. Brock. OF Farmville.
q being strongly opposed by Mayor
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