Evening star., 1952-03-29

Delegate Commends
Action in Field
Of Education
Delegate Robert Whitehead Of
Nelson County. a possible candi-
date for Governor. Of Virginia
next year. said last night that
the recent General Assembly ac-
compliShed most In the field Of
education but that it was in the
field Of suffrage that the greatest
failures occurred.
Speaking at a post-session re-
port meeting in Fairfax sponsored
by Delegate Edwin Lynch. the
anti-organization leader took a
number Of shots at the Byrd
machine" but at the same time
some of the things he
regards as meritorious sponsored
by the organization.
1--WE have an honest govern
ment." he said. Tn Virginia when
they get ready to give office
holders more money they do it
BY law instead Of stealing 1t.
Another way they have of per-
petuating their power is this:
A judge under certain circum-
stances fixes the pay Of county
The supervisors can
supplement the States salary for
the judge. It's just a case of
you scratch my back and I'll
scratch yours. But the scratch
ing is all done under the law.
No Incentive to Steal.
There's no incentive for any
one to steal. I think we've got
something here"
Mr.. Whithead said he had
found that 10 agents now do 70
per cent of the States insurance
business-"all perfectly legal"
Its not a case of to the vic
tors 60 the spoilS but to the eff
cient go the results Of our labors,"
he said.
"The last session was a strenu-
Gus one. There was more work
and less play than at any one I
ever attended. In a number Of
respects, the session was out
standing: in other respects it was
most Disappointing"
He was high in his praise for
the school program, declaring II
want to give credit where credit
is duel don't give rap whether
Gov. Battle put it up or Senator
Byrd put it up."
He criticized particularly the
failure to act on reapportionment
legislation which would have
given the suburban area added
representation in the Assembly.
Here" he said, "the 1852
Assembly fell down miserably. It
manifested time and again a fear
of the people in the exercise of
their right Of suffrage and put
further restrictions on their right
to vote"
-. Cites Disparity.
The State Constitution required
the Legislature to reapportion its
membership this year, he said.
Citing inequities of the situation.
he said that Mr.. Lynch repre-
Isents Fairfax and Falls Church
with a population of 106,O 900 while
another delegate represents l4,829
persons in Lancaster and Rich
mond Counties.
"This means that in one legis-
lative district the people have
seven times as much representa-
tion in the House of Delegates in
proportion to population as an
other district" he said. 1T is
taxation without adequate repre-
sentation. =. We brag about our
democracy and then belle our
words by our Deeds"
| He cited failure to put the
question of repeating the poll tax
before the voters. The Assembly,
he added enlarged and extended
the provisions of the infamous
Tuck-Byrd election law Of 1948
and passed measures designed to
facilitate the bolt-the-party pro-
gram in presidential elections.
Write-Ins Restricted.
''It restricted the right Of voters
to write-in on the ballot their
lchoice Of persons for public office.
"The machine was determined
not to lose its grip on the right Of
1.-THE people to vote. On the con-
Itrary, it frightened its hold another
notch"
He criticized a new law requir-
ling the separation of presidential
electors on one ballot and listing
of other candidates on a separate
ballot. &
This time" he said, "we're 60
ing to have segregation on the
ballot. I am getting sick and tired
| of this thing Of changing the bal
lot around to make it harder for
the people to vote"
Mr.. Whitehead declared the
automatic income tax reduction
law sponsored by Santor Harry
F. Byrd, jr., of Winchester els
the worst financial law ever passed
in Virginia in my time" It re-
suited last year in the Federal
Government collecting $4.5 mill
lion, because of smaller deduc-
tions for State taxes paid. that
otherwise would have gone into
the Virginia treasury, he said.
| Warns Of Realty Tax.
THAT law" he said, puts a
ceiling on the States expendi-
lures. The General Assembly has
Tilted itself hand and foot"
i. He warned that unless the law