Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-29
M|x-UP OVER OFFICES
West Virginia Governor Com
pIicates the Situation.
ASKS FOR COLlECTORSHIP
Unexpected Demand Upon His Part
Puts Politicians at Sea.
OTHER JOBS TO BE CONSIDERED
Taft and Anti-Taft Sentiment in the
Early Campaign Brought
Into Limelight.
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

special Correspondence OF The Star.
WHEELING. W. Va,
November %, 1905
Gov. Dawson's entrance on the field as
candidate for the revenue collectorship
vacated by w. Il. Glasscock. lately elected:
governor. when he was handed the COM
promise gubernator!al nomination, has
stirred up more interest than any candi-
dacy in West Virginia in many years.
His coming was entirely unexpected. and
1t has proved constant source of Won
derment and bewilderment since first an
nounced. few days ago.
For over a dozen years the leading
names in the republican state organiza-
ton have been White and Dawson. re-
spectively, governors in succession. Both
have held lucrative offices and have man
ifested ceaseless interest In party man
agement. Their ambitions, yclept appe-
tites by unfriendly ones, apparently know
no limit. for ever and anon their names
set coupled with official preferment. in
Guiding United States senatorial mention.
When he became governor A. 3. White
made Dawson his secretary Of state, then
an appOntive Office. which was marvel
ously rich in fees. and when Dawson be-
came governor he appointed White state
tax commissioner, an Office in Importance
and power surprising all others within
the executive gift. When the people
early showed a disposition to get chtlls
at the mention Of Sw!sher or Scherr as
prospective heads of the state ticket Daw-
son launched a boom for White another
term as governor, movement that con-
tracted pneumonia one day after expos
ure to the March winds. The people pre-
ferred to be interested in Swisher or
Scherr than contract for an order which
seemed to mean Dawson this year, White
the next then Dawson and next White
again. So the White gubernatorial boom
ended almost at birth.
Again at the Front.
And now comes in quick succession
Whites announcement of a sufficency Of
the tax commissonership and Dawson's
race for internal revenue collector
White is going to quit with the end Of
the year, and Dawson wants to exchange
his present chair for the federal sit on
the 18th OF March. Just few of the
various features Of the situation are that
White has served as collector and that
his brother Capt. w. f. White. now the
chief deputy and acting commissioner
since the GIassccck resignation, is also
a candidate for the collectorShip.
Nobody has ever been able to forecast
Dawsons political moves. For one rea-
son he is short on intimates. He is long
on aSSOcldleS WneD necessary, put tllcic
Is no one to speak for him In his alb
Sence. Consequently the brethren are at
sea en- his motives in complicating the
race for the collectorship at this juncture.
All agree, for one thing, that Dawson
doesn't intend to quit the game when he
ends his term as governor and that he
figures on keeping next to the machinery.
with view to solving the question Of
senatorial representation at Washington.
for the tega is one Of his dreams.
For eight long months this year Daw
son fingered at Asheville, n. c., fighting
for recovery to health. and on the adj
vice Of his physicians ne remained there
beyond the election. sacrificing his vote
for the first time since he became Of vot-
ing age. Suddenly he returns to Charles
ton and jumps into the relationship con-
f1ict, and then when his plans are known
the kanawha county organization does
double-quick Endorsement of Fred Paul
GroSscup. the Charleston aSpirant. that
the world may know Dawson is not the
big cheese at the state capital
Dawson was an early bird in lining up
West Virginia for Taft and it was rlI-
mored at the time thai he expected re-
ward In a diplomatic post or something of
the sort. While Dawson was pulling for
Taft for all he was worth Grosscup was
endeavoring to steer the people another
way, and made a fight to be one of the
big four to Chicago as Joe Cannon
advocate. IV this ambition he had the as
sistance of Representative Joe Gaines
and more or less anti-Teddy or reac-
tionary following. But Dawson had
gauEed the tide we'll and Mr.. Grosscup
soon fell ingloriously under the burden
of the Taft following and was forced to
content himself at Chicago with q Wis
itor's admission card