University of Virginia Library

Battle Wagon Rallies Voters,
Talks of Republican Failure

By Peter Rinehart
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

William C. Battle, Democratic
candidate for Governor of Virginia, said
Thursday that his party was in a "very
healthy" condition and that most of the
wounds had healed after the summer
primary and runoff that gave him the
nomination.

He told a news conference that he
hoped to poll 55 percent of the vote in
the November 4 election matching him
against the Republican nominee,
Linwood Holton. Out of Virginia's 10
districts, Mr. Battle conceded only the
sixth to Mr. Holton, which is Mr.
Holton's own district.

Last night, the Battle wagon held a
rally at the Barracks Road Shopping Center.
The Democratic candidates for public office in
Charlottesville, led by Daniel Van Clief,
candidate for delegate, all shared the platform.
They each gave short campaign speeches, and
then Mr. Battle was introduced.

His speech began by a description of the
grass roots campaign that he had followed, and
how it is all up to the voters now. He then
proceeded to vilify the Republican Party, in
particular Mr. Holton. He said that the
Republicans had made promises that could not
be kept. He used a few examples like building
highways in West Virginia, and promising a tax
refund. He quoted Mr. Holton as saying, when
asked how he was going to fulfill all these
promises, "A campaign is the place to make
promises, we will worry about fulfilling them
later."

State Betterment

Mr. Battle advised the listeners not to look
at the election as an opportunity for any one
person, or group of people to improve their
position, but rather to look for the betterment
of the State of Virginia. After saying this, he
went on to say that it is the people who must
decide what, and who, is going to be better for
them.

He said that the GOP was saying that it was
time for a change in Virginia, long a
conservative Democratic state, but that the
change already had been achieved inside the
Democratic Party. "The people like the state
the way it is, because they made it that way,
and they will keep it that way."

Mr. Battle pledged to support a mass transit
system for Washington residents, and said that
Mr. Holton had run out of promises before
reaching Northern Virginia and could not make
that promise. If elected, he said, his
administration would build on the progress
made in public education during the past four
years, and would give priority to teaching
handicapped children and to providing
technical and vocational education in high
schools.