The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1959-02-24
Byrd On A Limb
Senator's Hold On Virginia Politics
Slips As Mcderates Rally TO Almond

quickly became evident Senator
Byrd's candidate for governor in
1853, Thomas Stanley. never quite
drew the approval Of the moder-
aies HI lost Is pei cent Of the
vote TO popular Republican Ted
Dalton. an unusually high percent
ace III additionally Democratic
Virginia A few vaafs back. some
members Of the House Of Delegates
rebelled against the perennial bill
returning budget SURPRISES TO tax
PAYERS and nanaged to ealmark
some Of the funds for mental hos
pitals. the neXt year the tax re-
turn law wa dropped
But then came the Supreme
Courts 1854 desegregauoa decision
an event that Senator Byrd recog
nized could BE- used to revive his
examination. Other state leaders
We're ready Fo adopt a local option
plaA under which individual com
munities could conceivably allow
some mteerdfion- But. the Senator
sensing the mood Of The Voters
stepnad il and SIT the machinery
III motion that Ultimately produced
the celebrated massive resist
ance laws aimed Al preventing
any desegregation at an
The oaganiza ton again showed
signs Of STRAIN soon thereafter.
When the Senator announced he
would retire from Congress early
l,-t Year. his organization immedl-
ately split into two factions. each
headed by an aspiant for his Sen
ate seat former Governor william
Tuck. an ardent segregationist now
serving III Congress and a some
what more moderate Ex-Governor
John S. Battle IN response 70 wide
spread demand but also to heal the
new fisSure Mr.. Byrd changed his
miad and decided to stay III the
Senate
Nov that tie courts have tossed
out the massive resistance Law. the
Byrd organization shows siens os
Stress once more. And Governor
Almond who had tried to the last
to preserve 1.-THE faltering unity of
NAV Byrd organization, VA ~ the
cnd the chief splitting agent
Actually. Nh Almond has never
quite been ii the ORGANIZATION IN
ncr circle Though chief ARCH
ract Of the massive resistance law
~ Virginia attorney general he
once got in the Byrd doghou-e by
aging some kind words about an
antiByrd Virginian nominated 10
the Federal Trade Commission BY
former President Truman Taking
no chances. Mr.. Almond travelled
the countryside years ahead of time
TN support Of his eubernatoral bid
IN 1887. He had the Democratic
nomination sewed up before Mr..
Byrd could exercise his veto
power even if he had wanted to
-hAHtpHO 0luI Z
Whether Mr. Almond has been
aiming all along to take over con
troll of Virginia S Democratic power
no ore knows for sure But now
political observers say, he has no
other course but to form a moder-
ate coalition of his own. if he's to
stay alive politically.
Virginia's chief executive i'll the
months ahead may even try to
win over the segregationists by
convincing tn m that his long
rang6 plan to build up a private
school system as an alternative TO
integrated public schools is h e
only solution to the school crisis
aven # it might allow some Negroes
to go to white schools But the bit
tefness toward Mr. Almond dis
played by some lawmakers in the
recent special session doesn't bode
we'll for the chief executive.
Virginia political experts doubt
that Governor Almond Will ever
prove to be a permanent leader of
q new coalition. though for while
he may we'll rival or even surpass
Senator Byrd as Virginia s most
powerful single political figure. And
all the talk about the breakup of
the Byrd machine could prov
premature II would be difficult to
find knowledgeable Virginian
who would confidently predict the
end of the organization. The Byrd
machine often has been written off
as on the way out, only for the
astute Senator to put new life
into il.
Some Virginia politicos think the
Senator may ultimately decide to
side with Governor Almond. as. the
only way to keep the organization