Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-31
OPEN CAMPAIGN EARLY
WEST VIRGINIA REPUBLICANS
BEGIN ACTIVE WORK.

republicans of West Virginia Will Degln
with the new year to open an active CAM
paign for carrying the legislature in Mo-
vember. This plan was decided on at the
state committees meeting Thursday night
at Fairmont, and Charles w. Swisher, the
secretary of state. and Virgil L. Highland
of Clarksburg. acting as vice chairman and
vice secretary, respectively, were author
lied to get the guns in action. They will
open state headquarters at Charleston In
the course OF a few weeks. A force of
clerks will compile literature dealing with
the state tax question. and this will be
distributed lavishly to make republican
counties stand "patter'' and to win over
democratic taxpayers II possible.
Heretofore the state committee has not
been In the habit of mixing up In the cam
paigns In off years. There Is not state
officer to elect next year, and 1t Is there
fore understood that it is the legislature
which calls for activity, and that Senator
Elkins, candidate for reelection, inspired
the movement.
Both for Elkins.
Both Swisher and Highland are ardent
Elkins men. They will do all they can, of
course to elect a republican legislature,
but it is feared by republicans opposed to
the senator that they will be inclined to
activity too early In other words. they
fear the committeeman will use their power
to set up for the legislature only those re-
publicans who will be known Elktns men
and who will stay put when they are placed
in that column.
The calling of the state committee for
the Fairmont meeting is not clear yet to
the party at large and 1t Is regarded as
significant that the dele8atfnS or power 70
run the campaign to two men was opposeu
to the last in the committee meeting py
Senator w. w. Whyte of Mcdowell county,
the chairman of the committee appointed
several months ago by the conference or
insurgent republicans. Whyte, who Is
hold-over senator, Is opposed TO ElKlhs re-
election
The majority of the committee are strong
supporters of Senator Elkins, and Whytes
protest went for naught. The republican
rank and file have been. confused gooo
deal lately by the switching around OF the
executive offices of their state commlttee
Chairman Northcott and Secretary Glass
cock STEPPED down to allow the appointment
of a vice chairman and wee secretary
Neither the vice chairman nor the vice sec
rotary is a regularly elected member or the
committee, but is a sort OF supplemental
member. tackled on by the rule which per-
mlts the appointment OF an auALiaLS 49, &c.
utive committee. Now these two men are
to have active charge of the campaign
Anti-Machine Agitation.
7, wow os the anti-maehIne cry raised
oP late this new deal may take on an added
tone of defiance. Undeniably. from tactl-
cal standpoint 1t solidifies the Elklns organ
ization making it more compact anu W raw ,,
ing II into a closer sphere, but now IL Will
act or react popularity Is another question:.
Generally speaking, the opening or a state
headquarters to run for nearly year
should do the party good. one OF us pur
noses is to compile and circulate literature
which will soothe discomfort over the WORK.
ings Of the new tax laws. Probably II might
he said to explain them and remove the
alarms still manifested more or less per
in iS taptlv in certain counties
In the coal counties of the southern emo
Of West Virginia the opposition 10 these
laws has not abated, although less open
discussion is heard. The men who nave IN
vested heavily in these enterprises declare
the laws work an injustice to them, ana
they cite specific cases. In some or these
affected counties the county courts nave
either overthrown the new valuations put
on their property by State Tax Commission
er Dillon's assistants or have made hor1-
Zonta1 reductions, running all the way from
% to 60 per cent. There are rumors that
In the third congressional district the coal
men and affiliated interests will cut big
figure in the election of the next legislature
In this connection the leaders are said to be
Samuel Dixon of Fayette county, Fairfax
8. I.andstreet of Tucker county, and T. Z.
Houston of Mcdowell county.
Swisher May Resign.
What may lessen the cry against the So
called Elkins machine is the belief that Vice
Chairman Swisher will shortly resign. 1t is
understood that the committee work Is not
congenal to him and that he will retire
for another in due season. In that event
1t is very likely that his mantle will fall on
Col. Joe McDermott of MorgantoWn, an
equally ardent Elkins supporter. and Incl
dentaly a hold-over state senator.
When the F'airmont pow-pow was called
there was suspicion that 1t would result
in the designations of the various office
holding members. Twelve Of the sixteen
members are Office holders. More particu-
larly it was thought the chief federal and
state plum holders would step down and out
in order to appease a certain clamor, but
they didn't make the suggestion and such
consideration was not preached at the ses-
sion.
Outside of the degree of sentiment against
their connection with the committee there
is no other demand for their self-deca pfta-
ton. That the plum holders may withdraw
prior to the state campaign in 1908 Is not
improbable. but at present they do not see
the urgency or the necessity for resigning