Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1928-06-02
PECULIAR CONDITIONS


triangular fight. That is to say
that Mayor j. Fulmer Bright stood
as a candidate to succeed himself.
He represents the so-called religious
side of the contention and is a de-
voice of strict economy and a sup
porter of the theory there must be
no increased taxation.
1t has been a most difficult task
for him to live up to all his prom
ises, although his friends claim that
he has done the best he could and
has given this city the best gov
eminent for the least money. Elk
Mayor George Ainslie could not see
it in this light. He had made a
most commendable record in the
conduct of the affairs of the office,
but he wanted to make Richmond
one of the greatest cities in the
country, so he said, and it would
take money to do 1T.
He gave no assurances that he
would not ask for an increase of
taxes should the occasion require
it to be done. Then John Hirsch-
berg, ESQ.,, a member of the City
Council and one of the best posted
citizens on existing conditions,
"Shied his castor in the ring" and
asked for support. The story is
soon told. Some of these colored
folks hereabouts got the Democratic
political itch" and they began
scratching and asked to become
what they already claimed them
selves to be-Negro Democrats.
They wanted to vote for one or
the other of these three candidates.
AS for the candidates themselves,
they began to get uneasy. They
did not know just how far they
could trust these new recruits.
Brother Bright's friends were will
ing if the bulk of these colored
votes would fall into the Bright side
of the ballot box. The friends of
Brother Ainslie, while not saying
anything out aloud seemed to be
willing to take a chance anyhow,
while the managers of Brother
Hirschberg regarded the situation
as "toss up" and they did not
care which way the matter was
decided.
1t reminded one of the story of
a man, who was asked by cross
eyed man to hold the rope tied
around the cows neck while he
knocked the COW in the head with
an axe. Just as the man raised
the axe to strike the COW, the man
let go the rope with the remark,
"Say, mister, are you going to
strike where you look? Because if
you are, you'll have to get some
one else to hold this cow" One
eye was on the cow and the eye
next to the man was looking at
him. So it was in this primary
matter, Each candidate wanted to
know in which direction the mass
of the Democratic Negroes were go
ing to strike with those ballots that
they proposed to put into that
Democratic primary box.
The result was soon told. The
Democratic city committee ruled
against these Democratic Negroes
and Judge Beverly T. Crump ruled
that the power to decide this ques
ton rested with the Democratic Of
ficials. But these Democratic can
didates must be voted for in the
regular election to be held June
II, 1923, from sunrise to sun
set and all legal voters, white folks
and Negroes are permitted to vote
for anybody. Mayor J. Fulmer
Bright was nominated in the Demo-
cratic primary in a manner that
carried with it no suspicion of
fraud.
His vote was plurality and not
majority. The friends of one of
the Democratic mayoralty can
didates are disgruntled and threaten
to vote for him regardless of the
primary or anything else. Prodded
by his late competitors in the race,
he has announced that he is not an
independent candidate for the Of
flee. This information was not
necessary, for under the Virginia
election law, the time of filing
notice of such candidacy has ex-
pired. His friends, however, can
vote for him by scratching the
name of Mayor Bright and insert
ing the name of ex-Mayor Ainslie.
This, they say they will do, re-
CARELESS of what he may say, and
it is reliably stated that the Negro
Democrats are expected to be like
that masonic cornerstone, which
though it was at first rejected, it
has now become the head of the
corner. 1t is an open question,
though as to whether these Negro
Democrats are not propounding the