Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-31
CLASS DISTINCTION
IS ISSUE IN VIRGINIA
Coalition Candidate Appeal
ing to Workers to Vote
Against Regulars.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN,
Staff Correspondent of The Star.

RICHMOND, Va, october 31.-A new
problem has arisen to confuse further
the situation in the Virginia guberna-
torial campaign, which closes with an
election next Tuesday. It has to do
with class feeling. It is outside the re-
ligious and prohibition issues, which
brought political revolution in the Old
Dominion last year. But there are
regular Democrats who fear this new
issue may be as dangerous to them and
their organization unless it is checked.
The fact of the matter is that the
anti-Smith Democrats and the Republic
cans, Joined in coalition to support DR.,
william Moseley Brown for governor,
are preaching the doctrine that the
regular Democratic wing of the party In
Virginia is the party of the rich man,
not of the poor man. The arlStocratS,
they say, are lining up for the regular
organization and for the macnme;
The coalition is making bid strongly
for the poor man, on the ground that
the poor never got anything from the
State government conducted by the
regular Democratic organization except
higher taxes.
It Is common talk among the workers
for the coalition that "the aristocratS"
are for John Garland Pollard. Indi-
rectly they are seeking to convince the
working men and women that to be
regular Democrat in Virginia today is
to be an aristocrat They are trying to
make the workers believe that the
coalition is the friend of the poor man.
Recall Tillman Case.
Students of political history in the
regular camp recall the kind OF class
revolution in South Carolina politics
which swept Tillman into power years
ago. They are uneasy because they nave
not been able to gauge the effect OF
the drive made by the coalition for
the vote OF the poorer men and women.
It is in the sections of this city where
the working classes more generally 1e-
side that Brown is expecting to receive
his largest vote, for example, and In the
aristocratic residential section where
he will find it most difficult to garner
votes.
The regular Democratic organization
and it's candidates for office are doing
their best to offset this poor man drive
of the coalition, picturing to the voters
the prosperity which has come to the
State in increasing degree in recent
years, with much industrial development
and many jobs for workers. But the
coalition or anti-Smith Democrats de-
clare in their platform, I'VE are op-
posed to industrial development at the
expense of our laboring population or
the exploitation of cheap labor in any
FORM"
In some Republican quarters the
claim is made that there Is also a re-
volt of the younger people against the
old order of political control in Virginia,
and that many of the younger voters
are turning away from the regular
Democratic organization which has con-
trolled for so long.
The situation Is further complicated
in Virginia by the effort of the coalition
especially the anti-Smith Democrats
to convince the voters that a con-
tinuance of the regular Democratic or
ganiZation in power means retaining in
power the men who last wear supported
Alfred E. Smith, a wet Democratic
candidate for President, and that a
victory by Pollard will be regarded as
victory for the wet element in the
party.
Effect of Race Issue.
The regular Democrats, on the other
hand, are counting on the race issue
to help pull the chestnuts out of the
fire for them this year. They are not
preaching this issue publicly. But it
is there, just the same. They believe,
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