The Washington herald., 1922-01-15
NINTH DISTRICT
DEMOCRATSSEE
SLEhIP'S SCALP
Legislative Session Fails
To Cool Ardor Of
Contest.

Assembly Of the State. which met
In Richmond this week. viii hold
the most attention in matters po-
Iitical during the next sixty days.
the Ninth district Democrats DO not
propose to be left out of the lime
light. They appear to be primins
for two lights. one to try to get
shoe string district that VIII put
Congressman C. Bascomb Slemp out
Of the national lawmaking body al
ter such a district could come into
us own and another to defeat NJ.
slemp at the polls In the regular
congressional election next Nosem-
Der. sa
lust after an announcement came
out of the district that the Demo
Gratis there are going to nave a
ticket, former Governor H. c. Stuart
headed a delegation to washington
wlnere Senators and congressman
from the Old Dominion were ap-
pealed to for their help to split up
the sixth, Tenth, Ninth and Firm
districts SO as to take the balance
~ mower now in the Ninth district
in order to insure a solid Demo
cratic delegation in Congress but
AZ seems. the Ninth stands a much
better chance of beating Mr.. Slemp
at the polls than IT does to get the
SHOE string arrangement asked TOT.
The Sixth district fold can De
counted upon to be dead against IL
and IL is scarcely to be believed that
the Fifth wants to stir UP the Die
Republican vote in Floyd County.
by putting It back in the Firth.
where Il came mighty near turning
that district into the @. o. p. fold
only a few years ago.
Ninth District Possibilities.
There is no doubt that Ninth dis
trict Democrats want to whip MI
Slemp and 1t is said there Is q
movement to induce Lieutenant
Governor B. F. Buchanan, of Mar
ion, to become a candidate for the
Democratic nomination, but he has
as yet not indicated his feeling in
the matter. George c. Peery, OF
Tazewell, chairman OF the Ninth
district committee, Is also being
talked of. as Is John W. Flanagan,
of Clintwood. and George NJ. War
rem. formerly mayor of the Virginia
Bristol, who was defeated two years
ago for the State senate by John
II. Hassinger. Republican, Of
Abingdon.
Governor westmoreland Davis,
who retires with this month. has
stirred up not a little discussion by
his message to the General Assem-
bly,. in which he urges that there
be an amendment to the State Con-
stitution requiring that all officials
elect be required to take the oatn
that they have not violated the
State prohibition law, just as they
have for the past three decades
been required to subscribe TO the
anti-duelling oath, the Executive
taking the position that such a
constitutional law would be as ef-
fective toward the enforcement of
the prohibition law in the State as
the anti-duelling oath has been in
preventing duels for about thirty
years. The message was rather
sharp in his criticism of "hypo-
critics" and Flaw evaders," who
fiaunt their defiance of law in the
face of the nation as well as the
State.
By a vote of rs to II, the House
of Delegates of the General Assem-
bly, on Thursday afternoon gave its
pledge to the people of Virginia to
authorize the issue of no bonds for
road Improvement at this session.
The resolution, which was offered
by Delegate Marvin Smithey, of
brunswick County, precipitated a
spirited debate. Opponents Of the
measure were reluctant to "tie the
hands" of Governor E. Lee
Trinkle, who will be inaugurated
on February 1, by "hasty and DOS
sibly ill-advised action" urging
that there was no necessity for inn.
'heoiate action on the resolution.
q Senator Byrd's Road Bill.
senator Harry +. Byrd, Of Win
chester. who represents the coun-
ues of Shenandoah and Frederick in
the state Senate, has stirred up no
emo OF discussion over the State by
Dill, by which II is proposed to
unoo the present regime at the head
OF the State highway system and
70 make 1t possible for Governor
Irinkle during his incumbency to
name successor to George p. Cole
man the incumbent, whose term of
once extends over the term of the
Impending administration. Not a
,lttie objection will be heard to the
nill when 1t is understood around
the state that 1t proposed to organ
'ze the State Commission along
congressional district lines. rather
man without regard to State sub
divisions, for. it has already been
pointed out by some, this is going
oack TO parallel of the ward sys-
TENS Of municipalities, which On
many cities have gotten away from
py the adoption Of the city manager
vi commission form OF government.
GoVernor-elect and Mrs. Trinkle
VIII leave WytheviIle for Rich
mona about January 81, So as tn
pc settled in time for the Govern.
ors fnauguration February 1. II Is
Understood that those who are ia
stand In the receiving line at the
reception have been selected but the
seIeetions have not yet been made