The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1908-08-06
.E[K|NS nails
A BIG LIE
Is Also Out in Statement in
Favor of Charles w.
SWisher.

e
Replslng to a question asked by a
representative of the Intelligencer as
to the truth OF the statement made
before and since the Charleston con-
vention, that he had supported
Swisher In the recent contest, SEN
ator Elkins replied:
l am glad of an opportunity to
answer this question. The staement
In all Its forms is absolutely false. If
! had desired, had the same right
to support Swisher that any Repub-
lican had to support Scherr, and
would have done so openly and Wig
orously. In the beginning Mr..
Scherr requested me TO take no part
in the contest between him and
Swisher. l told him | would not,
and l told Mr.. Swisher the same
thing, and neither gentlemans after
that asked me to take part. Both,
had always been warm personal and
political friends and both had sup
ported me, and could not very we'll
take sides. Swisher won his nominal
tion without any aid or assistance
from me, and l challenge any news
paper or person in or out of the
State, to say / took part In the con-
test, or helped Swisher in any way,
directly or indirectly. or ever said a
word or wrote line in his behalf.
Whenever approached on the subject,
i always made the same answer, that
/ was taking no part, and stated
this to the press, and emphasized 1T
in an interview j think in April or
May.
Mr. N. G. Keim, chairman of the
Randolph County Republican commit
tee, will say IL asked, when he told
me in Washington that the county
was overwhelmingly for Scherr, that
1 replied, substantially, this being
the case let the wishes OF the people
made to Scherr. Randolph is my
home county. and | have large inter-
ests in Monongalia and Preston
counties, and no Republican can be
found in either county to say that
ever asked him to support Swisher,
and 1t Is remarkable fact that
Scherr had no opposition in either
Randolph or Monongalia counties,
and the delegates by agreement were
divided in Preston. Added to this,
most of my best friends on the Re-
publican state committee voted
against seating the Ohio delegation
at the Republican convention at
Charleston.
| notice in paper, signed by e.
NJ. Grant. active in the Lincoln party,
this statement as to my supporting
Swisher Is elaborated, and this is one
of my reasons for correcting it now
i rarely make denials in the press,
but | feel that this falsehood should
be corrected here and now, and j do
so in justice to myself and all con-
cerned.
West Virginia is Republican
state. The Republican party for four
teen years has overcome all ppposi-
ton and maintained its ascendency
in the state. Why should we
through party strife surrender the
state to the Democrats now? am
confident, however, the Republicans
of West Virginia will settle their diff
ferences, and both the national and
state Republican tickets will be elect
ed in November. will do all can
for the success of both. / stand by
the regular nominees of my party.
My advice to good Republicans all
over the state, and there are good
Republicans on both sides, is to stop
and think, be serious, get together,
sink all differences, stop calling each
other hard names and stop fighting
each other. because in this as in
every election. you will need every
Republican vote. Train, your guns,
not on your brothers, but on the
common enemy as of yore. Be
friends and comrades in the grandest
and best political party ever known,
and work together to keep the state
in the Republican column.
Doing this will make our victory
in November easier and more GER
tain. What ! have said is no apol-
ogy for what l did and is not intend
ed as any reflection on Mr.. Swisher.
Its sole purpose is to correct false
statement.