Evening star., 1936-11-03
V|RC|N|ANS HURRY
TO CAST BALLOTS
Threat of Rain Brings Out
Record-B Breaking Early
Ballot.
By the Associated Press.

Bs the Associated Press.
Unusually heavy voting was re-
ported in Virginia cities early today
as the electorate, apparently fearing
rain later in the day. hastened to
write its verdict in the intensely
fought presidential campaign.
Richmond poll observers said the
general election vote before am.
was extraordinarily heavy" and
3,l70 had voted at Roanoke before
the same hour. The total cast at
Roanoke in the Smith Hoover elec-
ton in 1928 was 1859.
The 300 ballots marked at Fred
ericksburg before $50 o'clock con-
stituted record number there for so
early in the day. At Danville, where
Democratic and Republican leaders
expected 1000 to vote. the march to
the polls gained rapidly in volume be-
fore midmorning.
5000 Workers in Field.
The United States weather mans
would not fall in the Old Dominion
before nightfall cheered Democrats
who had sent an army Of campaign
workers estimated by Horace Ed
wards, State director, at about 5000,
into the field. The party sought q
Roosevelt majority comparable to
that of approximately 114,000 in 1882.
With the exception of crush at
several precincts, Lynchburg, home
city OF Senator Carter Glass. moved
rather slowly to cast its votes beneath
cloudy skies.
On the other hand, hundreds stood
in line at the polling places in Roam
oke, center of the sixth district battle
between Representative Clifton Wood
rum, New Deal champion, and his Re-
publican foe, T. x. Parsons. A total
of 1928 voted there between 6:48 and
$3.50 am, at the rate of nearly three
a minute.
A determined battle by Republicans
to put several members into some Of
the nine House seats now held by
Democrats, and the public's absorbing
interest in presidential campaign is
sues appeared likely to pile up record
high vote in the Old Dominion.
Anderson and Byrd Close.
eliminating the campaign marked
by literally hundreds of speeches, Col.
Henry w. Anderson, Richmond Re-
publican, and Senator Harry Flood
Byrd led opposing appeals to the elec-
torate last night.
Anderson warned against a system
Of social and economic slavery" under
the New Deal. Byrd predicted IAN
other collapse of agricultural prices"
If Landon were elected and his farm
program put into operation.
Senator Carter Glass, supported by
the anti-New Deal Jeffersonian Demo-
Gratis. occupied the unique position of
being the only Democratic nominee
without Republican opposition.
Congressional nominees of both ma
jor parties closed their campaigns with
expressions of confidence of the result.
Vigorous contests in the fifth, sixth,
seventh and ninth districts ended with
both tickets claiming sufiicient
strength for election.
Rain May Cut Vote.
Predicted showers offered the chief
obstacle to campaigners' plans to bring
their followers to the polls, and with
favorable turn in the weather, OBJ
servers predicted q total close to the
more than 302, 1000 ballots cast in the
Hoover-Roosevelt race four years ago.
Regardless Of the outcome, Repub-
licans said the campaign would mark
another step in the work of strength
ening the party in Virginia and put
ting the State on a ''two-party" basis,
Voters made their selections today
from list Of seven presidential cam
didates, three senatorial nominees and
Republicans and Democrats in every
district. plus Communists In the first
and second and Socialists in the third,
fourth. seventh and eighth.
The name of Gerould M. Rumble of
Norfolk, Republican nominee In the
second district, did not appear on the
ballot because Of his late selection to
make the race after the death of Rear
Admiral II. o. Stickney, who was FIRST
nominated.