Evening star., 1948-10-22
|CuIpeper Voters
Back Robertson,
Smith 5oIidEs |
Trumon Seen Leading
| In Presidential Vote
Despite Party Split
This is, one OF a series on the
+ political situation in Northern
Virginia.
BY Alex R. Preston
Stcy Stoff coyrespondsnf

CULPEPER, Va, Oct. 22-Sena.
tor Robertson and Representative
Smith, Democrats, never stood more
solidly with the voters anywhere In
Virginia than in Culpeper County.
The assumption, too, is that Presi.
dent Truman will receive the larger
vote here. but Democratic leaders
have refrained from calling the
county committee together SO as to
avoid tiff among themselves over
the Presidential campaign.
Although Republicans are in the
minority, they constitute the only
party to have campaign headquar-
tiers in town. 1t displays large
posters and has piles Of campaign
literature.
The 9Th Congressional District
candidate, Tyrrell Krum of Fairfax
and the COP senatorial candidate.
Robert H. Woods, Pearisburg, are
conspicuous by the absence of their
campaign literature Sample Re-
publican ballots, free to all corners,
bear marks for them, however.
Commemorative Attorney Roger
A. Bickers, Democrat, who has been
in Office 20 years, said: Il guaran.
tee that so per cent of the Re-
publicans in this county will vote
for Smith" Mr.. Bickers incidental.
ly, heads the areas States Rights
movement which held a rally here
for Cows. Thurmon and Wright.
States Rights candidates for Pres
ident and Vice President; also for
Senator Robertson and Representa-
tive Smith.
Jackson Eggborn, operator of the
Lord Culpeper Hotel. is the county
Republican chairman. Even he con-
cedes the certain vote for Senator
Robertson and Mr.. Smith, but diff
fers with the Democrats In his
estimate Of the county's vote on
the Presidential ballot. 1t will be
close between President Truman
and Gov. Dewey, locally, with Mr..
Dewey sure to carry the State, he
feels.
Representative Smiths strength
in this midway area of his district
is due largely to the dairy farm
ing which predominates here. It
has been the history of previous
elections and is believed to hold true
now that he Is strongest in the
rural sections of the district and
weakest where there is a labor vote.
Conversely. Mr.. Krum is expected
to make his best relative showing
IN the Arlington Alexandria Fair.
fax areas.
State Senator Robert Y. Button
Of Culpepper does not believe many
voters will turn out election day.
The ti-Truman drive of Senator
Byrd and Gov. Tuck has not pene.
trated the rural areas sufficiently Ia
arouse local interest, he believes.
g. T. Quinn, clerk of the Circuit
Court for the last 20 years, says
about 1000 persons are qualified to
vote IN the county, but he does not
believe more than 1000 will par
ticipate. AS many as 1000 votes
have been cast in hotly contested
local races.
Old line Democrats have done
nothing to get out the vote and
nothing is scheduled, Mr.. Quinn
said. Even in 1928, when Virginia
voted Republican, Culpepper County
gave AL Smith 1856 votes to 753 for
Herbert Hoover. In 1914 it gave
President Roosevelt 1922 votes to
$50 for Gov. Dewey and in the same
year Representative Smith received
ESQ to 270 for his Republican op-
ponent. Lawrence Michael of Arling-
ton. Only little more than 100
Republican votes were east in the
States first COP primary here this
year. The Democrats at the same
time recorded 672 ballots for their
candidates.