The Washington times., 1922-08-06
VIRGINIA c. O.P.
HEADSPLAN To !.
FIGHT SWANSON
May Pick Senatorial Candi-
date at Conference In Roa-
noke Tomorrow.

that former Governor Westmore-
land Davis has been. showed un-
der by the usual Democratic ma
chine plurality in his race with
Senator Claude Swanson, the Re
publican party of Virginia intends
to nominate candidate to oppose
the winner in Tuesdays primary.
Undet the leadership of Joseph
L. Crupper, chairman, the Rcpub-
lican State committee will meet
in Roanoke Monday to discuss
'plaas for the November Senatorial
election. At this meeting the G..
o. P. candidate to oppose Swan
son may be selected. If he is
not, the date will be fixed for a
convention for his selection. All
the prominent Republican leaders
will attend the Roanoke meeting
and plans will be made to pit G..
o. P. candidates against all the
Democratic candidates for Con-
gress in November. ...
several NdIlcb NIcHtIOIcu.
Several Republican leaders have
already. been mentioned in connec.
tion with the Senatorial nomination.
Among them are Congressman Bas-
comb Slemp, Col. Henry w. Ander-
son, who ran for governor last fall;
Chairman Crupper, Jaquelin Taylor,
n Richmond. capitalist. and Joseph
Marcuse, president of the Richmond
a 81 Tay,o Roth Ta VII
and Marcuse also have been men
toned as likely to be chosen to op-
pose Andrew Jackson Montague as
Congressman from this, the Third
district. The G.. O. p. nominee for
Congress from Richmond will be Sc
lected at a convention to be held here
September Q.
Hope of Republican success
against Swanson in November has
grown stronger throughout the
State because of the resentment OF
independent Democrats against the
methods employed to defeat Davis.
1t is predicted that the tactics used
by the machine leaders to crush
Davis will cause thousands Of Demo-
Gratis to remain away from the polls
on election day, or vote the Repub-
lican ticket as a rebuke to the ma
chine.
Throughout the primary battle be-
tween Davis and Swanson, the Re
publicans urged voters throughout
the State to stay out OF the primary
because II means nothing and Swan
son will win because it is all cut and
dried" Whether this campaign on
the part Of the Republicans was
responsible for it or not, the fact
LnN h. tnI NNNfNN n W
vote was very small and did not
come within $4,000 or 10000 OF be-
ing as large as was expected.
Machine Prophecy Fulfilled.
Although all the precincts in the
State have not yet reported the vote
cast in Tuesdays primary-and
some of them will not report for
week yet-the figures already in
hand show that Swanson defeated
Davis by approximately $4,000
plurality. When Davis announced
his candidacy eighteen months ago,
machine leaders calmly said Swan
son will beat him by 10000" The
accuracy with which the machine
, leaders can predict pluralities and
majorities year or two in advance
OF an election or primary is almost
uHCdHnyb W liioCpShNSHN
Democrats.
Davis made a very disappointing
run against Swanson. Old political
. observers are at a loss to understand
why he polled less than 10000 votes.
The only way they can explain it is
that the machine leaders made such
n whirlwind attack against him, per
sonally and otherwise, during Tie
closing hours of the campaign that
he was unable to keep up with the
barrage of accusations and charges,
and many of them influenced votes
against him before he could refute
them.
Davis made a very active cam
paign, brought out some fairly good
issues-although he allowed himself
to be drawn into a useless and
meaningless prohibition fight which
took up a great deal of his time and
energy-and his campaign managers
flooded the State with literature.
There has seldom been seen a more
active headquarters or a more en-
thusiastic group of political workers
than that which supported Davis
At Swanson's headquarters every
thing was taken easy, there was
little activity and inquiries as to
the progress Of the campaign
brought the statement there is
nothing to worry about. Swanson
will snow Davis under"
Many Democrats Sore.
Because of the alleged false ac.
cusations made against Davis by the
machine leaders, many Democrats
who supported him openly avow
their intention OF bolting the party,
or at least refusing to support Swan.
son IN the November election. Up
to election day Davis and his man.
ayers believed he had splendid
chance to defeat Swanson, and con-
servative claims were made regard
Ing the vote in various sections of
the city, but the result showed that
Swanson carried about 90 per cent
OF the counties and polled a three
to-one vote-and In some cases a
ten-to-one Vote-against Davis.
The Republicans are in high glee
over the bad feeling engendered
among the Democrats by the
primary and they are making the
most of 1t. They have already
started their own newspaper, the
Virginia Tribune and it's columns
are devoted largely to political af.