Evening star., 1908-01-27

/ ,,ssss*@3E of Scott and ElkinS
! s$sS A few days ago
| 80 e. when the West Vir-
| - s. ginia republican
state committee met
| al Parkersburg to arrange for CON
vention that will elect delegates TO the
| national convention. an effort was made tc
pass a resolution indorsing Taft as West
yirginias capddate for President. The
| Taft manager. Norys. at Columbus
| thought that the West Virginians needed
| aid and instruction, so he sent Attorney
General Wade Ellis of Ohio to give guild
ance and orders The committee has a mem
5ersiih Of fifteen. bu, 500 POLITICIANS gath
cred to boost dhe Ia t ambition. Alas tina:
Ellis could not compel al official Taft in
dorsernent by the committee, but twelve
| members individually signed an address
which insisted that TaSp'was the choice
| OF great ma jerity of West Virginia re-
| publicans."
The Tat press agents sent out stories so
W-crdad as to give the impression that the
state committee had officially proclaimed
fortTast. This aroused mulch resentment.
and now comes an open protest from Con-
gressman Gaines. who also announces his
personal preference for Cannon. Gaipes
lis young man in his., fourth term. and
was put on ways and means in December.
His letter is an open one, addressed to: r..
C. Colcord, an eminent republican leader.
The letter Will make a sensation. not only
in West Virginia. but in Washington. In
dicating. as it does revolt against
Norys' methods of campaigning.
+. The Protest.
The letter is as follows:
Nnu oh IA
time ago several members of the stat.
committee at the meeting at Parkers
burg. indicated a personal preference fo.
the candidacy Of Secretary Taft as the
'epublican nominee for the presidency.
An effort has been made in the press
IF the country to have this appear as an
expression of the sentiment OF the re-
publican party in West Virginia. | have
never thought that committees created to
serve republican organizations should un-
dertake TO control the party or assume
orematureably To voice the sentiment Of
the people. In the case of our state com
mittee, | know that a considerable num-
ber of those who so expressed themselves
were only a few days before the meeting
of the committee strongly opposed to
Secretary Taft. The desperate methods
used 10 accomplish this change of front
and the false impression attempted to be
created in the country at large as to the
sion have induced nae to write you and
many other republicans in the state, sub
| mitting for what they are worth my own
views on this subject ! am the more in
clined to do this because the fact that
both senators and majority, at least, of
the West Virginia delegation in Congress
desire West Virginia to send representa-
tive men unpledSed to the national con-
vention, and because of the further fact
that they communicated to the members
nf t-n Of i'm
ofopriety of any expression by the oom-
mittee at this time. led to the remark in
Pa -kersburg that the matter was one in
which the senator's and members of Con-
greSs should not interfere. | do not think
SO. 1t is true that both senators and all
Of the West Virginia delegation have
tried to make themselves effective in ma
tionai politics here in Washington. Ger
tainly We owe, on that account. no apol-
ogy to our constituents. who sent us
here to do that very thing if we could.
My position is that West Virginia should
send to the national convention able.
earnest men. devoted to the success of
the republican party first. and. Incidental
ly. to the influence and prominence o.
West Virginia in national public life. That
delegation should reflect. it seems to me.
the sentiment CT the republicans of West
Virginia and should in no sense be ham,
Dered by premature committee declara-
tions, nor even by instructions which,
would prevent their doing what seemed
best at the convention. / assume that
we will send as delegates men whose in-
talligence is representative, and who are
absolutely honest. ! have frequently fa-
vored instructions where delegates were
likely to he corruptly tampered with. or
when tie overwhelming sentiment of a
county wished to give to one mans can
didacy an added prominence. but | take
1t there is no possible question that the
delegation we Will send to Chicago will be
absolutely incorruptible and of approved
capacity to represent their constituents.
His Preference for Cannon.
ought. OF course. in f-ankress il
this connection to state my own prefer
ence at this time among the candidates
mentioned. wanting it distinctly under
stood. however, that l. at least. am per-
| fectly willing TO leave the selection OF
| the nominee 10 tie representative men
whon the republicans of West Virginia
| will send to the national convention. In
| my own opinion the best qualified man
| In America tcday for the presidency is
| the Speaker of the House o. Representa-
| t.ves. the honorable Joseph G. Cannon.
| He has been for thirty-four years in the
House of Representatives. and is better
acquainted with the method of governing
| this country than any other man in public
| life. 1t is habit in Washington to say
that he knows how this country is gov
erned ard the details OF administration
| better than any man who has been in
public life since the days OF Samuel J.
\ Randall of Pennsylvania The greater
part OF the time he has been in public
l.fe he has served on the committee on
| appropriations Of the House of Repre-
sentat!ves and during the most Of that
| time has been the dominating force OF
| that committee Trained in business and
political life in old-fashioned notions OF
| honesty and economy III governmental al
and private matters. he seems to me Pc
culiar!y fitted 10 resist the rather toe
| rapid and .ex pensive habits of the present
| time. An ardent lover Of the federal
\ government. he vet entertains a whole
| some notion of the value of local self
/ government and OF the utter impracti-
! cab!iity,of managing all of the affairs o.
| the Americas people from Washinston
| His habits of industry and his power &c
| endure labor are greater than those OF
any other man with whom | have erel
| come in contact.
Character Typically American.
Mr.. Cannon's character is typically
American. Born in the country. in Noru
Carolina. of parents in very moderate
circumstances. taken when a mere chile
to the northwest, he has by his own merit
raised himself by successive and gradua
steps of promotion to the very foremos,
rank of American public life. / do moi
mention his early privatio ions In any spirit
81 demagpgery. do, however think thu,
the Office of President of the United state.
Is one of such power, such complex Lutie:
and touches so intimately the welfare o.
all tie people, of this country that II,
man is really qualified to I'LL II, unless ht
ton OF people i'm every rank Of life.
l. As party man he mas ALWAYS beer