Evening star., 1949-04-26
Disagrees With Views
OF Candidate Miller

OF Candidate Miller
To the Ecfsev Of Tss stas.
see by the papers that Francis Plekens
Miller has ampltded his charges that VIZ
ginia does not now have free society
have never before written q letter 10 a paper.
but IN this instance ! cannot refrain from
commenting on such absurd statements on
the part Of gubernatoriai candidate.
First: Mr. Miller deplores the fact that q
smaller percentage Of people nov vote IN
Virginia than did 100 years ago and finds II
"ominous and sinister" This situation GER
tainly should be changed. II possible. by en-
couragfng people to take more active interest
In governmental affairs but II hardly can be
referred 10 as sinister" After all If some OF
the people in Virginia choose TO ignore their
right OF suffrage. in free society" or de-
mocracy. that is their privilege. Our form OF
Government does not force people 10 do such
things To my mind. 1t Is an indication that
on the whole they are rather well pleased
with the good government they now have In
Virginia.
Secondly. Mr. Miller attacks that old red
herring"-the State Compensation Board.
Surely. he realizes that the same type Of
board exists In nearly all governmental units.
both State and national. Some one has to
set the scale Does Mr.. Miller suggest that
the Legislature set the exact pay rate for
each employe of the State? What q Job that
would be! Actually. II would be almost i'm
possible. What does happen is that the Legis-
lature sets the salary range" for the various
types Of jobs. and the Compensation Board is
free to act only within the limits. have yet
to hear Mr.. Miller suggest a better method Of
doing 1t. II he Is elected. ! wonder whether
he would abolish the board or put his poiit-
ical buddy, Martin Hutchinson, in as chair
Mr q ,hnr nf
the Legislature supported this set-up when
Mr.. Hutchinson was the chairman just a
few years ago.
Thirdly land he really takes of here. Mr..
Miller says the Byrd machine" does not
tolerate difference Of opinion. that the con-
sequence of any one differing makes even
brave men pause" We certainly haven't
noticed any pause on his part or on the part
Of his supporters. Nor would the fact that
there are five active candidates for Cover
nor lead any one to believe there is not some
difference of opinion In Virginia Mr.. Miller
says that II a lawyer doesn't conform to
Byrd policies and views. his clients 30 else
where, a grocers customers leave him. an in
surance man cannot write policies. their
families are ostracised and their wives eos-
siped about. The vote in the ls48 election
was: Democrats 200. .86s. Republicans l72.-
$40, States Rights 1926, Wallace l .90l and
a small number Of others. According to Mr..
Millers views. then. this would make at least
half the voters in Virginia land their fami-
lies) paupers-and social lepers to boot! Mr..
Miller says that the majority of~the voters
favored Mr.. Truman and that his election
"soundly defeated" the party leaders" who
were for the States Right Ticket. This would
hardly indicate that the voters OF Virginia
are intimidated and afraid to follow their
convictions, would 1t?
I guess Mr.. Miller is just mad because the
people of Virginia want to continue good
government-without debt.
SAMUEL r. AMES.