The Washington times., 1922-04-30
DAVIS WORKING
HARD To ANNEX
SWANSON 5 JOB
Virginia Senatorial Fight for
Primary Nomination Gets
Warmer Every Day.
q. o. P. TRAINS FOR FIGHT
Ninth District Is Center OF In
terest in Congressional
Contests.
By LOUIS A. MacMAHON.

With an interesting United States
Senatorial campaign already under
way, with Democrats and Repub-
licans girding their loins for a
titanic struggle for mastery in the
Ninth district and with spectacular
congressional contests being staged
In two districts, Virginia again
finds herself in the throes OF a
political maelstrom.
The senatorial battle, between
Claude Swanson, incumbent, and
former Governor Westmoreland
Davis, is getting warmer every day
and bids fair to assume dramatic
proportions before the voters make
their choice in the August primary.
Both candidates have opened head,
quarters here and selected shreWd
and astute managers to handle
their campaigns.
Davis Busy In Campaign.
While Senator Swanson. known as
"one of the big wheels OF the ma
chine" is standing pat AZ the or
ganization's candidate, his opponent
is making considerable inroads on
him by means of an active campaign.
Davis has not only announced that
In the event Of his election he viii
join the agricultural bloc" in the
United States Senate-a subject on
which Swanson has thus far Kept
silent-but the former governor mas
also visited Swanson's home section
and made a number OF speeches mere
which were well received. 1t is
understood that Davis strategy Will
be to concentrate his campaign ell
forts on the southwestern part OF the
State where Swanson is the strongest.
Davis and his supporters believe he
can count on the solid vote OF the
eastern section of the State.
In the meantime, the Republicans
of the State, who formed wonder
fully effective organization last fall
under the leadership of Col. Henry
w. Anderson, G. o. p. candidate for
governor, and Joseph l.. Crupper,
State campaign manager, are plan
ming to hold a convention and nomi-
nate a strong man. 1t is believed
that the intra-party struggle be-
tween Davis and Swanson Will en-
gender so much machine and
"anti-machine" hatred that the
G, o. p. standard-bearer, who prob
ably will be Colonel Anderson, will
have a splendid chance of election
In fact, this belief Is so strong that
the leading Democratic papers OF the
State have suggested the election OF
q Republican as more than posi-
bility.
Ninth District Race.
Chief interest in the selection Of
virginia's ten Congressman next fall
centers on the Ninth district, the one
that has the largest number of votes.
and the only one which is repre-
scented in Washington by a Repub-
lican. For q quarter OF century
the Democrats have been vainly try
ing to redeem" or wrest this district
from the G.. o. p, but with George
c. Peery, a Tazewell lawyer, they
believe they have the right man to
turn the trick this year.
Although the Republicans have
not yet named their candidate. 1t is
dollars to doughnuts that he will be
G. Bascomb Slemp, the incumbent,
and that the fur will fly through the
hill country before the smoke of bat
tie clears. The Democrats intend
piling every speaker and every penny
they can into the Ninth between now
and election day. so as to defeat
Slemp.
In the Sixth district. at one time
represented by Carter Glass, now
United States Senator, Judge c. A.
woodrum, of Roanoke, is making 1t
warm for Congressman James p.
Woods, who wants to return to
Washington next fall. Throughout
the Sixth there is considerable
Woodrum sentiment and the sup
porters of the former Roanoke jurist
believe he has good chance Of VIC
tory.
In the Second district, embracing
Norfolk and Tidewater, Va, Josiah
d. Hanks, jr., now assistant attor-
ney general, is waging an active and
energetic campaign against Con-
gresham Joseph T. Deal, who seeks
reelection. Hanks has already en-
tered the lists, paying his primary
fee and registering as a candidate,
and his friends have a sizable and
effective organization at work in his
behalf throughout the Second dis
trict. Hanks has been in Virginia
politics for many years and has
never lost any battles of ballots In
which he has participated.
The Seventh district probably VIII
pt lllt SCtnt IL Il SplTlltu Dt
tween Congressman Thomas Harri
son, Democrat, and a Republican
Congressional nominee. In the 1920
election Harrison defeated Col. John
Paul, Republican, by 420 votes. Paul
charged various and sundry sorts Of
fraud and filed a contest with the
House Of Representatives Privileges
and Elections Committee in Wash
ington, which has not yet been de-
cided.
Harrison has been holding his seat
since 1920 under the cloud of a pro-
tested election. 1t is probable that
at their convention in Luray, Page
county, the Republicans will again
nominate Colonel Paul and start
their campaign much earlier than
they did two years ago. The vote in
the Seventh should be close. with a
handful of ballots deciding the win
ner.
In other districts there have been
rumors OF independent or socialist
candidates opposing the incumbents
for reelection, but 1t is believed
that most OF those now holding seats
!r the Capitol at Washington will
be returned.
TO INCORPORATE SUBURB.