Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-12-06
PARTNER ElKlNS.
Harrison's Henchman Again In the Po-


PARTNER ElklNS.
Harrison's Henchman Again In the Po-
Itical Procession.
Not all eyes, but many eyes, es-
pecially many republican eyes, are
turned toward West Virginia. A re-
publican legislature has been elected.
and ''Hon." Steve EIkins, lately of New
Mexico, Missouri, and more recently
of Broadway, is candidate for United
States senator. His friend Edwards,
member-elect of the legislature, is
candidate for speaker of that body,
and the plan is, according to the best
advices, to make Edwards speaker,
then elect Elkins senator, and then
when the time comes for Mr.. Faulkner
to retire to make Edwards the other
senator. OF course there are a
number of am bilious aspirants for the
first United States senatorship, the
one to take the place of Mr.. Camden,
who was SO much disfgured in the
sugar, trust investigation, who have
announced themselves. Hon. Nathan
Golf, ex-secretary of the navy and now
United States district judge, is
candidate without so many preten-
sions, but perhaps with the best
chance of all to be elected. He was
chosen governor of West Virginia, as
the republicans of that state firmly be-
lieve, once upon occasion, and is prob
ably deepest in the hearts of his party.
Mr.. Elkins has much in his favor.
He and his father-in-law, Henry 6.
Davis, and his old-time star route
partner and business Louis, have in
vested other peoples money, and pos
sibly some money of their own, in de-
veloping the timber and coal lands of
West Virginia. They have built q
railroad or two and some handsome
| residences, for Mr.. Elkins' paIatial
| home at Elkins, a town on his own
railroad and named after himself, is
fifty Thousand dollars, though 1 be-
lieve it is returned to the tax gatherer
| as worth but twenty-five thousand
dollars But the Elkins, Davis and
Kerens combination, with which SEN
ators like German and Brice are
thought to have more or less close afil-
iations, has spent money, employed
large numbers of men, helped to de-
| velop the state, and, of course, estab
lished itself pretty firmly in politics.
| Mr.. Elkins understands how powerful
| the fugacious dollar is. He helped
Blaine make money, in some of these
same West Virginia enterprises in fact,
and Blaine liked him for it. He in
vested money in Russell Harrison's
Montana Cattle company and lost it
| if it was his own, and Mr.. Harrison is
said to be the real reason why Mr..
| Elkins was made secretary of war.
But with the power of money in
| West Virginia there also comes a
| weakness to Mr.. Elkins. This is
caused by his use of money also. He
said several years ago, in one of the
| presidential campaigns, l think, that
it was easy enough to carry West Vir-
| ginia; it was only a matter of the use
| of money. And this statement the
democrats posted in big black letters
| all over the state, and it was very
| harmful to the repu 5lican campaign.
So, many of the old-time republicans
look upon Mr.. Elkins as a carpet
Dagger and they will have nothing OF
him. It is thought to be true that the
| numerous aspirants for the senator
ship are all intending to help Judge
Nathan Golf get the prize when the
time comes The republican managers
in the state have been willing enough
to use Mr.: Elkins' money, or the money
| of others which he has been able to
| ing Mr.. Golf by for this newcomer.
However. the ex-secretary Of war has
practiced before every court in the
| country, business, social, political, il
| not judicial, and he is unusually
nimble and. as his friends say, he has
such taking way with him, seeming
to be the friend of everybody.
| It is thought that Mr.. Elkins, If he
| came to the senate, would not allow
| his public duties to interfere with his
| private business. He could conduct
| that Just the same, and even if he were
| not to continue to make money he
could probably get along comfortably,
being considered by most people to be
| worth two million dollars, though the
estimate in the mountains of West
Virginia is eight million dollars. The
| ex-secretary is most familiar to old
habitues of Washington as counsel
| in large cases before the departments
| or congress. It is said that he had d
stake of one hundred thousand dollars
| in the fur seal contract awarded by
| Mr.. Window. That may have been a
mere exaggeration by persons who
| failed to get the contract. It is also
said that he came to Washington dur
ing the progress of sugar legislation
| last winter to see that the republicans
| were nicely kept in line, and it was
| known that he was here and much in
| terested in the topic. 1t is hardly
| likely that he was in charge of the re-
! publican end of the thing. In the first
| place, nobody was in charge OF it
much, and Mr.. Eikins would hardly be
the man whom the sugar trust people
! would select.
If Mr.. Harrison's ex-secretary came
to the senate he could take his same
| interest as formerly in the political
| management of the republican party.
He could collect funds for use in West
| Virginia or for the general use Of the
| committee. 1t is related that he and
| one of his friends secured each cam.
paign subscription of twenty-five thou
sand dollars on the superstition that a
valuable contract which the war de-
| partment was able to give out could
be Influenced to come their way by
| this liberality-in each of the two diff
| ferent directions, that is to say. But
| it turned out to be necessary that a
| third bidder should get the contract;
| whereupon the other two threatened
| to sue the secretary of war and his
friend, and make thorough exposure
of the game unless the money was
| given back to them, which, the story
concludes, was done. 1t is well known