Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-03-30
FAYEETE,s FRACTIONAL FIGHT


Ends i Party DiscIosures-Chair-
man H~aptonstau Politically De-
capitated by the Ring.
TO the Editor Of the Register.
FAYETTE, w. Va, March 27.-At
a meeting recently called by Chairman
J. ]. Haptonstall, of the County Re-
publiacn Executive Committee OF Fay
cite, many important disclosures were
made: and SCOTS skeleton in the
closet was thoroughly aired in public.
The chief incidents of the meeting
have already been published in this
section of the State, but many desire
all the people of the State to become
cognizant of the facts in the case,
which accounts for this communlca-
ton. The following is the gist OF
what transpired during the meeting:
At the appointed hour Chairman
Haptonstall called the committee to
order and explained the object of the
meeting. After the reading OF the
minutes DR.. H~aptonstall was asked to
explain his action in the last Legisla-
ture in refusing to vote for N. b.
Scott for United States Senator. In
compliance with the request DIR. Hap
tonstall proceeded to give his reasons
in a manly and vigorous manner. He
said that he did not support Scott be-
u Scott, through Sam Dixon and
w. M. o. Dawson, cOnspired by means
of the third ticket to defeat the regu-
lar Republican nominees OF which he,
Haptonstall, was N. He charged that
in pursuance to this conspiracy, Daw-
son, at the instance of Dixon, sneaked
into the county by night and arranged
the deal with John Crawford, G. & o..
yardmaster at Sewell. He also charg-
ed that Scott stated in the presence
of witnesses that he had spent $4,000
of his own money to secure his cleo
ton to the Senate and that the Ma
tional Committee had given an addi-
tional So, 900, yet Of all that $4,000 not
one cent reached the regular Repub-
lican Committee of this county. He
further charged that Scott stated in
the presence of witnesses that $500 was
given Dixon for campaign purposes
in this county. He charged that Dixon
failed t turn this over and intimated
that Sam Dixon had sailed it down.
Mr.. Dixon demurred at this point but
Mr.. Haptonstall, after a vigorous at
tack on the Fayette Journal continued
by charging Dixon with the defeat of
Col. Andrews for the State Senate be-
cause Andrews had defeated DR.. Kirk
patrick, Dixon's choice, at the conven-
ton at Anderson. Haptonstall charged
that at a meeting held at Senator FL
kins' house in Washington, after the
elections at which all the leading Re-
--l1;aorr O++apdnd II uynC Gvnd I'm t0
elect Scott as Senator and that At
kinson might amuse himself as a
merely nominal candidate-to this all
agreed.
In concluding his speech Haptonstall
declared that he had done his full duty
in voting for the best Republican in
West Virginia, Judge Nathan Golf, and
if that was a crime, then he was guilty
and he ended with a bitter denuncia-
ton Of Elkins. Scott. Dawson and
Dixon for their many acts of deceit,
intrigue and treachery against the reg
ular nominations in this county and
declared that their enmity was incur
red solely because he would not be
bulldozed or bribed. His speech
brought forth much applause and no
denialS were made to his charges.
Haptonstall's many charges created
much disorder and blows were mar
rowly averted.
Without declaring the Office vacant
or waiting for Haptonstall to resign,
they elected j. H. Dunbar, present
Judge of the Criminal Court OF Fay
cite county, as the permanent chair
mar of the Campaign Committee, the
first time in the history of the State
that the judge of a court of justice
has ever been elected and assumed the
duties of chairman of campaign COM
mittee Of a political party.
Now as a fitting tail to the judicial
kite, Sam Carter, very recently a DEM
ocrat and at present a justice Of the
peace, was declared the secretary.
The course of procedure adopted by
machine manager for this
section, was without law or order and
resulted in the deposure Of H~aptonstall
simply because he could not be bull
dozed by the ring. DR.. H%aptonstal eX-
planned his reasons last September for
not voting for Scott for United States
Senator and at the same time tender
ed his resignation as chairman of the
committee The committee refused to
accept his resignation and passed a
resolution unanimously approving his
course and reelected him as their
chairman for the campaign year of
1900. The fact is that the political
royal edict of the Elkins, Scott ma
chine has gone forth to turn Hapton-
stall down and their royal mandate
obeyed to the letter by the ring
regulators of Fayette.
LOOKER-ON.