Evening star., 1949-07-13
Virginia Candidates
Due 10 Speak Today
Al fredericksburg
By John V. Horner

BY John V. Homer
The rough tumble fight in
Virginia over the Democratic
nomination for Governor centered
today at Fredericksburg where at
least three of the four candidates
were expected to deliver campaign
addresses from the same platform.
In a program sponsored there
by the Junior Chamber of Com
merce, Candidates Francis Pick
ems Miller, Horace H. Edwards and
Remmie L. Arnold accepted invi-
tations to speak. Associates Of
the fourth candidate. State Sem
ator John S. Battle. said he prob
ably would be represented by a
spokesman if previous campaign
engagement prevents his attend
ance at Fredericksburg.
Voters waited to see whether to-
days face-to-face meeting of con-
testants would produce new accu-
sations which, in the closing weeks
of the campaign have stirred bit
ter feeling between the various
party factions.
Election Is August 2.
Primary election day, August 2,
now is less than three weeks of
and campaign speeches are stud
ded with more serious charges and
name-calling. and more frequent
attempts to burden the opposition
with politically unpopular labels.
Such was the case last night in
Alexandria. where Mr.. Miller
poked at Senator Battle by at
tacking the Byrd organization in
general and Senator Byrd, its
leader. specifically.
Senator Byrd publicly indorsed
the Battle candidacy Saturday
and asserted that Mr.. Miller has
CIO support in the primary con-
test. Mr.. Miller asserted last
night that the Byrd organization
he has been fighting for years is
guilty of using "the technique OF
communism" to keep the people
of Virginia from running their
own government.
1.-THE Byrd organization" he
charged in a talk at the George
Washington High School. has
failed to make our democratic
system work because it distrusts
the votes of the masses, makes an
appeal to prejudice by inf1aming
farmers against workingmen and
1t uses the lie as a political
weapon"
Technique of Communism.
Terming this procedure the
technique of communism" Mr..
Miller said the Byrd organization
wants to rule the people without
being responsive to the will of the
people.
Mr.. Miller then denounced Sem
ator Byrd for his vote against the
Marshall Plan.
THAT vote" he said, was coun-
ter to the wishes of 95 per cent
of the voters in Virginia. 1t was
like voting against the Declara-
tion of Independence and the
Monroe Doctrine.
In Roanoke, meanwhile. Mr..
Miller was under attack for his
charges against the organization.
Former State Senator Leonard G.
Muse quoted Mr.. Miller as assert
ing the people of Virginia are in
slavery and as contending that
If they want to be free he,
Miller, is their only hope. Mr.
Muse urged victory for Senator
Battle.
People Own Masters.
"I have been over a consider
able part of Virginia and have
yet to see anybody in bondage"
said Mr.. Muse. Nowhere are peo-
pie more fearless, more independ-
ent or more courageous than in
Virginia. The people of Vir-
ginia are their own masters and
subservient to no political organ
ization-whether it be a labor
union controlled and dominated
by strong and willful men or by
other minority groups in the
State"
He said Mr.. Miller, himself, has
an organization supporting him
and added that the candidate had
announced he would, if necessary,
seek election of General Assembly
members who will acknowledge
his leadership and who will obey
his commands"
Candidate Edwards told radio
audience from Richmond that he
had suggestion for bettering the
government. This was a pledge to
fire E. R. Combs as chairman of
the State Compensation Commit
tee. Mr.. Combs is a Democratic
organization leader.
THE board has fallen into bad
repute all over the State" Mr.
Edwards said, even to the extent
that the things which it properly
and rightfully does are viewed by
thousands of Virginians with sus-
picion and distrust."
He said Mr.. Combs, single hand
edly had perverted it from its
legitimate uses and made of it a
political agency pure and simple"