Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1908-05-09
State Senator William Campbell
Asks Hearing.
ANSWERS Mc.lNTIRE'S CLAIMS
Suspicious of Mass Meeting Called
For May 16-sets Himself Right
On Tax Question.
Charles Town, May 6, 1908.

press as to the equatorial situation
In refutation Of Mr.. McIntiro's as
sertion that ne has sixteen delegates
out of twenty-five. in Jefferson county,
leaving ne nine by inference, pro-
pose that IL he win name the sixteen
delegates he has, | will name sixteen
delegates out of my delegation that he
has not.
In reply to his disclaimer that he
is not bling supported by the liquor
interests. suggest that he publicly,
this week, over his signature, define
his position on legislation affecting
these people, explicitly. viii he vote
for county local option law? Will
he vote to submit prohibition amend
ment?
He further makes the claim that he
will carry Berkeley Morgan and
Hampshire solid, but the democratic
voters of these counties will have
StlutlHiiiz utntItnl " ody etppht that
when the opportunity offers.
The Berkeley County Executive com
mttee has called a Mass Meeting to
elect senatorial delegates on May 16,
at the court house in Martnsburg a
plan suspiciously like the notorious
"pink ticket" Meeting, which disfran-
chised half the county when another
Jefferson county man was a candidate
a few years ago. A strong protest
from democrats who stand for fair
play having been made to the county
committee against this procedure and
a demand made that the election OF
senatorial delegates be postponed
until they can be voted fer at the pre-
cincts at the county primaries, the
same influences which are insiduously
st work in tine district to stifie the
voice of the people, has spwred the
senatorial committee into action It
was suddenly convened in Martins
burg on yesterday, to fix a time and
place for holding the convention.
Learning accidentally Of the move
ment, decided to be present and to
be heard, which however, was not on
the program A friendly member Mr.,
Logan r. Shut of Jefferson county.
sent his proxy to Berkeley democrat,
who stood for a square deal, but he
was promptly excluded on the ground
that the committee would not recog-
nize proxies I am, therefore, unable
to state what the committee did in
secret session. After asking to be
heard and nearly an hours wait,
was allowed ten minutes in which to
address the committee and protest
against the unusual custom being talk
en- this year. stating that all / asked
was that the convention be held ct
generally in September. stating that
there was no reason nor excuse for
doing otherwise, and that any depart
ure from this time-honored democrat
ic custom would be unjust tn the peo-
pie and TO some of the candidates,
and. therefore, undemocratic and in
detensible The result was that they
fixed the time for holding tine conven-
ton at the unprecedently early date of
May goth, two weeks from today and
four days after Berkeley and Morgan
have their meetings. The motive is
self-evident, but | have sufficient faith
in the anti-machine democrats of the
district to believe that they will not
tolerate this deliberate attempt to
trample their rights under foot. The
incentive will be made plain. publicly
in the immediate future.
Learning that in my absence a ru-
NOR has been circulated that, in the
legislature, | voted against taxing oil,
and gas. beg to say that this is alb
solutely false. Facts are stubborn
things, and the official record, the
Journal of the Senate, proves con-
clusively that I have always advocated
and voted for a tax on coal, oil and
gas. During the extra session OF 1904
when the Compromise Bills, drawn at
the Washington Conference WERE
taken up. moved that in lieu of CON
S dering them, the senate take up and
consider the bills prepared by the tax
commission. including those taxing
coal, oil and gas. and also voted TO
pass them. In 1907 bin was offered
proposing tax of gas only. the amount
proposed being prohibitory, and pre-.
sumably intended to prevent exporta-
ton from the gas belt as stated by
some of the democratic senators living
in that section and who voted for ii on
that account. to less favored sections
Ike our own. as is now being done
| Our board OF trade had previously