Evening star., 1933-02-19
A New Senator From Virginia?
Byrd SENATOR in

another remarkable series of bills. Then
few months later he took the stump
on behalf of the Short ballot" This
time he's done for" his enemies
chortled 1.-THE short ballot will never
go over"
But Byrd confounded the opposition
once more. The short ballot, a part Of
the new constitution he had had drafted
for the State, received popular approval,
albeit by narrow margin.
1t is impossible to outline the varied
accomplishments Of Gov. Byrd here,
except in cursory way. Suffice it to
say that he completely reorganized the
States financial system. consolidated
multitudinous bureaus and divisions
into II major departments. greatly i'm
proved the tax collecting machinery of
the State. provided unprecedently large
appropriations for education and roads,
attracted millions of dollars of new in
dustries into the State, and secured the
adoption of the Virginia anti-lynching
bill. which makes lynching an offense
against the State as whole, subjects
all participants In lynchings to charges
of murder, and authorizes the Governor
to have the attorney general aid in
the prosecution and to spend any sum
the Governor sees fit in bringing the
guilty parties to judgment.
One of the most substantial services
which Mr.. Byrd rendered his State, and
the one which Is bearing perhaps the
greatest fruit of all at the present mo-
ment, was his work in 1928 in defeating
the proposed road bond issue He thus
committed the Commonwealth to the
pay-as-you-go policy of road building
The consequence is that Virginia not
only has good highway system, but 1t
also has State debt of only s20,O00,-
600, and is one Of the few States in
the Union now in sound financial con-
dition.
Mr.. Byrd's record as Governor of
Virginia is convincing evidence that as
member of the United States Senate
he would reflect credit upon the Old
Dominion. 1t is anticipated, indeed,
that he would have prominent part in
the program of governmental reorgani-
zation contemplated by Mr.. Roosevelt
Now a Forceful Speaker.
There can be little doubt that Mr..
Byrd would establish his right to leader
ship in the Senate within a compare
lively brief time His ability to make
friends. his capacity for work and his
analytical grasp of governmental ques-
tions would give him prestige in the
legislative councils at Washington. Be-
fore he became Governor of Virginia he
rarely made a public address, but he
has developed of late into a forceful
speaker. Although he is not college
trained he has a good command of
language, and he writes for such organs
OF the hterati as Scribner's Magazine
and the Yale Review
Harry Byrd is family man. He lives
with his wife and four children in a
handsome home near Berryvlle, and
motors thence to his Office in Win
chester.
He likes to drive his car at a good
clip, and being q brother of Admiral r
E. Byrd. it is natural that he enjoys fly
ing. When the vehicle Is blimp he
not learned to pilot plane.
He enjoys hunting, swimming and
hiking, but he does not smoke, drink
or play cards. On the other hand, he
has been known to cuss very artistically
And while he himself has put away the
sins of the flesh, he does not seek tc
impose his views upon others.
But If the former Governor still re-
, fuses to touch the stuff himself, he ap.
parently is modifying his position or
the question of prohibition as a mat
ter of public policy. Other than to say
that he is standing on the Democratic
platform and that he will never con-
sent to the return of the saloon, ht
has made no recent statements on tht
subject. But one may be fairly sure
that Mr.. Byrd is too sensible not t
realize the dolorous failure of ths
eighteenth amendment. 1t has taken
a good while to bring him around tc
that view, but seemingly he has arrived
at last.