Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-16
OUT IN WEST VIRGINIA
ORGANIZATION OF LEGISLATURE
AND TWo-CENT FARES.
Spe .ial Dispatch to The Star.

Spe .ial Dispatch to Inc Star.
WHEELING, w. Va, December 15-At
| this stage it seems to be conceded that
James A. Seamon of Jackson county has
| the lead for speaker of the house OF dele
gates at the coming session, and interest SO
| far as the organization of the house Of
| delegates is concerned has swung to the
| clerkship, for which there are three active
| aspirants. For the senate presidency it is
anybody's race, with Joseph II. McDermott
of Morgantown steadily gaining ground
| The organization contest is not much
marked by the old factionai spirit. and for
| this reason McDermott is considered a
happy medium His chief competitors are
Forman of Grant county, who is a state ad-
ministration man, and Marshall of Han
cock, who has trained with the "insur-
gents" ether candidates are pluming their
feathers but those named are the front
men. A. K Thorn of Harrison county is
preparing to launch a boom for himself
and H. s. White of Mingo thinks he is the
proper one.
Another probable candidate is w. w.
WHITE of Mcdowell county, a colleague of
the Mingo man. Both come from the same
senatorial district. The principal difference
between them is in the speAing of their SIM
ilar-sounding appellation and the fact that
the Mcdowell man is holdover, point In
his favor.
Governor Not Interested.
Gov. Dawson has announced that he is
taking no part in the house organization
battle. This is easily credited, for the house
is certain to be his way. The senate is
another story as Rudyard Kipling would
remark This body is inclined to be con-
sentative and to consider deliberately GER
tain measures which the governor has in
his incubator relative to two-cent railroad
fare and various other reforms for which
the populace is supposed to be yearning.
The governor is not pledging himself ir-
reyocably to the two-cent fare movement.
He qualities his position by doubling wheth-
er the short lines can afford to give this
rate and make ends meet. The governors
new view seems to be in accord with the
conditions, because the adoption of the pro-
posed law certainly means the cutting down
of the number of trains daily now operated
by the short lines through the mountainous
districts They are primarily coal and other
freipht-carrying roads. The trunk zines
could undoubtedly do profitable business at
two cents a mile. but their little COMPETE
tors would be seriously handicapped.
The principal thing for the legislatures
consideration promises to be the matter of
regulating the export OF natural gas. Inc
extremists want to prohibit the shipment OF
the fuel absolutely. They cling to the the
DRY that Mahomet will come OF the noun
tain: that Is, that outside manufacturers
will move their plants to West Virginia to
ret cheap gas fuel Ii they can not have 1t
mined to their present habitations
fuasmuch as Pennsylvanians and others
have already invested millions in pipe lines
to carry gas to Ohio. Pennsylvania and
other states, sentiment rebels against dras-
tic Hesitation. bill to limit the output
may meet with favor If it can be done con-
additionally. Tae law passed by Indiana Is
considered a good pattern; but q bill that
WIN prohibit the shipping of natural gas
any more than a bill to prohibit the ship
ment of potatoes or corn across the state
line is not expected to stand the light OF
judicial inspection
Nevertheless the cry for preserving the
limited supply Of gas goes on. and in some
sections It VIII be all day with the soion
who fatjs to vote that way. The emphatic
Importance Of the question IL expected to
figure In the legislature'e organisation, for