Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-02-03
PROGRESS OF THE WEEK
IN THE STATE Legislature.
THE REPUBLICAN REDISTRICTING
BILLS AND THE LAUGHLIN
BILLS DEFEAT
WERE INTERESTING FEATURES
THE FORMER HAVE OPENED THE
WAY FOR SOME FINE DEMO-
CRATIC TALK.
Special to the Regisre-.

l
The progress of the redistricting bills
and the defeat Of the Laughlin license
bill were the features of the week in
the Legislature. The former carried
', with it the interest that attaches to a
| hot political debate, and the other was
| chiefly interesting, aside from its
! great Importance, by reason of the
smooth lobby work 10y which its de-
feat was accomplished.
In the discussion that was brought
; on by the redistricting measure the
Democrats had all the best of it. Not
only are Anderson and Brannon espec-
tally strong in controversial argument,
! but they had the easier side of the
I matter for The hypocrisy of the major
| ity was so apparent that their cham
| piCns could not face the whitening sar-
casm and blisterlng invective of the
men who needed but to speak the mild
| est truth to cover them with confu-
sion. And the truths spoken by the
Democratic speakers were not chosen
with particular regard to mildness.
Mr.. Alderson'S speeches were bitter in
the extreme. He raked over the rec
ord of the Republican party for years,
even back to the time when it was in
power in this State before, and showed
it to be an organization of greed and
plumber and false pretenses, held to-
gether by the cohesive power of public
plunder; that it had gone out of pow
er in 1871 violating the constitution,
and come back to power in 1897 vio-
lating the constitution and that there
was no good in it. He threw the whole
fire and force of his nature into
The Delivery of His PhiIippics,
and they stuck and burnt until you
could see the thick-skinned majority
vince and squirm as if in actual
physical agony.
Brannon's style is more ironical
than vituperative, and his manner is
more insinuating than that of Alder
son, but it burns and smarts just the
same.
Senator Campbell, too, has had re-
marks to make upon more than one
occasion in reference to the gerry
mander bills. The first time he tack
led it was when he rose and asked
that he be allowed to take his name
from the roll of members of the spec
ial committee to which was referred
the redistricting subject He had not
been notified of any meeting of the
committee so that he could attend,
and yet the evidence that such meet
ings had been held was found in the
bills which the committee had report
ed. He did not want to be regarded
as particeps crimlnis in the infamy of
the bills introduced, and SO withdrew
from the committee. He spoke again
when the
Bill AppOrtioning the Senator's
and delegates was under discussion,
and endeavored to get Jefferson county
put in the list of counties getting two
delegates. He was strictly in favor,
he said, of representation according to
population, and did not think counties
with six thousand should have as
much voice in legislation as those
with fifteen thousand. He proposed
an amendment giving every county
with less than fifteen thousand popu-
lation one delegate, and each county
with more than fifteen and less than
ing fifteen thousand the basis. Of
course he was trying to whistle down
the wind, and but wasted his breath.
The majority had yielded lis soul to
King Caucus-what the bosses allow
ed it to retain under its control
The defeat Of the Laughlin bill was
one of the prettiest bits of lobby
work ever witnessed in a West Virgin
ia Legislature. When the vital mo-
ment came in the Senate the only
thing that could be noticed unusual
was the way Fitch, the Sergeant-at-
Arms, silently moved among the mem
bers, lining up these who were
Supposed to BE UnfriendIy
to the measure, evidently instructing
them to stand pat and not be coaxed
of by any question OF courtesy; that
the supreme moment had arrived, and
that the full force of the opposition
was to be hurled against the bill
Laughlin, who was in the Senate CHAM
Der at the time, and recognizing Fitch's
tactics, and knowing himself power
less to interfere to save the bill, was
severe in denunciation of the manner
in which Senators seemed to allow
themselves to be held in leash by the
lobby, to be turned loose whenever
there was prey worth the running.
The work of Fitch applied only to
the Republican members, for the Dem
ocrats are not taking orders from him,
or any one, in such matters, or any
others. They were solidified against
the bill by the indiscretion of some of
its friends in making it a political is
sue. 1t was used as an argument in
AS favor with Republican Senators
that it applied to Randolph county,
where the licensing power would be
taken from the hands of a
Democratic County Court
and put into the hands of a Republi-
can circuit judge. The measure had
some Democratic friends In the Senate
until that issue was made, but they
! said if the thing is to be made polit-
| ical question, and we are to be forced
into the attitude of opposing it, why,
We'll oppose it right. And they did.
a few days before when the bill pro-
posing a new charter for Blueheld was
under discussion in the Senate Harmer
| had asked if it was not proposed TO
| take the license matter from the
hands of a Republican county court
and put it in the hands of Demo
cratic city council, and seemed to base