Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1906-08-15
POLITICS PAST
AND PRESENT.
SENATOR ELkINS AND HIS PO-
LITICaL TRICKERy.
Especial to the Daily Leadcrl

WASHINGTON, Aug. iI.-The
election OF United States Senator by
the legislatures OF the states has be-
come a thing of the past in "A num-
Der of the important states of the
Union. The legislatures of these
states now merely ratify the choice
OF the voters I'm open primary elec-
I tions. The politicians are Watching
/ this departure from the old machine
! plan with considerable interest and
/ some apprehension Tor ali the old
. plans of fixing caucuses aud conven-
I ions are useless and the appeal must
be made directly To the party voters.
/ The nomination OF Senator Cuuom.
of Illinois. has just been made under
this new plan and the ratification OF
his acts as Senator was almost en-
! urely due TO his consistent support of
the railroad rate bill In it's most
radical form.
Politicians here are wondering
what would be the result of such a
primary election I'm other states. and
| West Virginia is often cited az one
that might discard it's Senator If the
| republican voters had the opportu-
nifty of voting directly on that Issue.
Senator Elkins, unlike Senator CuI-
| lom, was an open railroad sympathl-
ger at all times and continued so
until he discovered that the modified
railroad rate would pass both Houses
| OF Congress. Even then Senator El-
| lins was hand and glove with Sena-
| tor Aldrlch, who is noted as the
| representative of the Rockefeller
corporation and trust interests 10
embarrass the passage of the meas
ure by amending or defeating its
| most important clauses No one I'm
| Washington believes he finally voted
or the bill because he wanted TO see
| U law, but because Il was nolit.
zeal necessity for him To vote for Il
| 20 save his face with his conztiia-.
Cnts. The whole city was laughing at
lis political squirming and the rail
road men We're saying "Elkins had
| % do It," The true position OF Sen
ator Elkins on railroad Legislation
IS shown by the clause i'm the anti
relate law, which exempts railroad
officials convicted OF rebating from
becoming criminally liable and The
fact that some OF the railroads. which
| 1aye already been convicted and
| Gtad Cpr r,latfuo ttnp1d ,,,,, "a, 60.
ing their officers In stripes but FOR
| The kindly aid of Senator Elkins
| \ fine, II a large is but OF little trOu-
Tie for a great corporation to pay
hu' a railroad president In Jail would
lead 10 a general exodus OF railroad
officials to foreign climes to escape
such degradation
The defeat Of Secretary Shaw I'm
his contest to prevent the nomination
OF Gov. Cummins in Iowa is another
evidence Of the way republicans and
democrats feel on this railroad issue
a letter from Mr. w. +. Hill, edi-
tor Of the Mills County Tribune.
published AZ Glenwood Iowa. to a
newspaper correspondent in this city
said Secretary Shaw spoke AZ o
Chautauqua here July ~ TO an au-
diencc OF nearly 5000. The audience
was gathered TO honor him as 81 ma
tional character but was greatly dis
lappointed az his address He is cvi-
IDENTIFY not in touch with our people.
and republicans even more than dem
Ocrats complained He Landed the
senate as being o benencent organi-
lzation justified the watering Of rail
road values as being the same thing
as in increase in farm values and
praised steve Elkins by name There
was no applause. and II he had gone
further the disapproyal OF the au-
diencc would have been made mani
fest ~ was 70 frost"
So the discredited Shaw is adver-
fising Senator Elkins as one OF the
boss railroad stock waterers and
lpraising him for so doing Shaw.
before the Iowa convention efectual-
ly rcpudiated him. even 10 the point
Of Kissing him on the stage. had the
presidential bee buzzing furiously
and expected Elkins to deliver the
West Virginia delegation bound hand
and foot TO vote for him. That little
game is spoiled by the action Of the
Iowa republicans. but the West Vlr-
ginia republicans will have TO sit up
and take notice. OF they viii be flying
the Elkins Kite for another candidate
for president