Evening star., 1946-03-30
Virginia COP Chieftain
Hits Byrd-0|d Guard
'Unho|y Alliance
BY the Associated Press

HARRISONBURG, Va, Mar. 30.
Il. r. Dovel, State Republican
chairman, said yesterday that votes
against Senator Byrd, Democrat, of
Virginia would "be so many hammer
blows to smash the unholy alliance
of Byrd Democrats and old guard
Republicans which has kept Vir-
ginia in bondage"
In an address over Radio Station
WSVA here, the Virginia Republican
chieftain promised that his party in
the seventh and other congressional
districts would nominate candidates
for Congress and urged that citizens
81 years Of age and over pay their
poll taxes by May in order to be
qualified to vote in this years elec-
tions.
He called attention to the candi-
dacy of Lester S. Parsons, lawyer
and businessman of Norfolk, for the
Senate on the Republican ticket, and
declared the party would offer can
didates equally as we'll qualified as
the Outstanding" Republican can
dldates OF last year for State Offices.
Assails "One-Party System"
For so years or longer Mr.. Dovel
declared, Virginia has suffered as
result Of practically a one-party sys-
tenn. The most dangerous enemy
to truth, freedom and good govern
ment in our State, or in any State
for that matter. is a compact ma
Jorlty party. This is true whether
that compact majority be Demo-
cratic or Republican.
"Virginia's greatest need right now
is real two-party system. We need
this system to provide the checks
and balances on which the Consti-
tuition of our Nation Is built. With
out that real two-party competition
we run the danger of having such
one-party government as Spain,
Germany, Russia, Italy and China
had or now have.
Virginia is not run by the Demo-
cratic party. 1t is run by a politi-
cal gang which has taken control
OF the State Democrats and main
tanned their position by coalition
with certain sections of the Repub-
lican party.
Strangled by Machine"
THE two-party system would not
be a benefit only to the COP; it
would mark the liberation of num-
bers OF Democrats who have been
politically squelched and strangled
by the thing we call the machine.
Every one knows that there are some
fine men in the Democratic party
who have no hope of political sue
cess because they are not willing to
bow before the statue of Senator
Byrd. Breaking the hold of the
machine would mean that these men
would have chance to attain their
rlghtful place in their own party.
Mr.. Dovel sharply attacked Sen
tor Byrd in the matter of govern
mental economies.
In Washington, he said, the
Senator prattles about practicine
economy. He says we should re-
duce the large number of useless
Federal employees. This sounds and
reads good. On the other hand
Byrd's machine in Virginia had a
greater increase in State employees
than the Federal Government upI
to the beginning of the war in
proportion ito populations, We have
more State employees III Virginia
than other States with twice the
population. We have one State
employe for every 125 citizens. Not
withstanding this, the recent ses-
sion OF Byrd's Legislature increased
the number of State employees by
creating additional jobs"
He also charged that it had cost
the Nations taxpayers more than
100000 to maintain the Office of
Senator Glass, Democrat, of Vir-
ginia. and pay his salary while he
lived in the Mayf1ower Hotel, rend-
ering no service to the people for
more than three years"
This Mr. Dovel asserted, "is a
fair eSann1o of PurS cooroy,,,-