Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-12
wins cur IN TIL: PRIMARIES
UNEXPECTED VICTORY FOE
REPRESENTATIVE HUBBARD.
Crushes Opposition in West Vir-
ginia County and In5ures
denomination.
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Star.
WHEELING. W. Va. April IL. 1908.
The overShadowing event of the week in
West Virginia was the defeat administer.
ed to the Denham- Highland faction in
Harrison county by the supporters or
Representative Hubbard. The Denham-
Highland bunch backed Robert Hazlett
for the congressional nomination, and had
pledged themselves to deliver him the
county by from 1000 to 1900 majority.
but the tables were turned and Hubbard
came away almost 100 to the good.
This victory for Mr.. Hubbard was ac-
cepted through the first congressional
district as conclusive. as the opposition to
him was engendered and :organized first
in Harrison county. Nothing short of a
miracle can change this conclusion.
The Harrison county situation has been
an object of interest among politicians
for years. Republican politics there has
been dominated exclusively by Sherman
c. Denham, postmaster, and virgil l..
Highland, both of Clarksburg. They
have stuck close to the state. county,
congressional and city organizations.
Nothing was too big or too small for
them to connect up with, from delegate 10
a national convention to a seat IN the
town council. Both are at present MEM
They have had the reputation of being
bosses without serious opposition, both
because of their tireless political activity
every day in the year and because they
managed to avoid fights. For instance
when the Dawson-Teter contest four
years ago tore up every other county
Highland and Denham headed off any
trouble by getting Dawson and Teter to
agree to a division of the county delega-
ton without a contest. This year they
rio1 CIV 1pyla hU
putting up Stewart F. Reed as a candi-
date for secretary of state. he to name
the delegation, with the assistance OF the
county committee, which they controlled.
1t was their intention to deliver the coun-
ty to Swisher. but they had dickered
with Scherr over division.
Strong on Tactics"
In former congressional fights and in
other like contests in which the county
was a part action in Harrison was de-
!ayed until the band wagon he .ded In the
other counties. They had no superiors in
West Virginia in band wagon manipu,a-
ton. The storm first began to threaten
them seriously two years ago when they
threw down Capt. Dovener. notwithstand-
ing Dovener while in Congress had al
lowed them to dictate the post office
patronage in their county. Their part in
Dovener defeat was generally COM
mented on.
No sooner had Hubbard secured Dow
ener's seat than they began to get busy
with opposition to him. Stranger STILL
they attempted to fiirt with Dovener
agasn, but finally centered their fire on
Haalett. who has for years cherished a
congressional ambition. HaZett was not
inclined TO make the race, but they beat
down all his objections. They pictured
to him the sureness of the path they
marked out and declared emphaticaily
e. he fn;1n a H.
portunity they would select a man from
Harrison TO make the race. and Virgil
Highland himself would be that man.
Listening to their counsel and ignoring
the circumstances of personal and politi-
cal friends of years in his own COM
munity. Hazlett entered the fray fully
confident of the Denham-Highland ability
TO deliver to him Harrison Wetzel and
Marion counties. Denham and Highland
were evidently sincere They took an
ever. that they must first show him.
and to satisfy him they agre ID to pull
off the battle in Harrison county the first
day allowed within tEe congressional
call, April 6.
Fails of Realization.
In Wheeling and other parts of the
district Hazlett victory in Harrison
was considered virtually certain The
potentiality of the Harrison county ring
was conceded. The betting was - to l
on Hazlett what there was of IT. since
| the Hubbard men were shy. Even Hub
bard himself did not expect over 100 ma
jority at the outside, and would hot have
been surprised at a majority of five or
six times as much for Hazlett. But most
people overlooked the fact that it was
the first time the ring eve1 aced a
straightout fight, both the issues stand
ing out clear as the horizon line 1t was
HIGHLAND la
feated by democra: on a ring cry when
he tried to be re-e.ec:ed county clerk,
and that Denhams o-.lcial honors had
all come to him by appointment since
election once as sheriff.
Not only did the ring lose the con-
gressonal issue, but they lost control of
the county committee in an overwhelm-
ing defeat. The particular Significance of
the committee loss at this time lies in the
fact that the committee is to appoint the
state convention delegates, and an anti
ring committee is not going to appoint the
kind desired by Denham and Highland.
Instead of a deliverable quantity it is
likely the delegation will go foot-free a
thing that will be a SwiSher loss, al
though not an assured Scherr gain.
To show defiance TO the congressional
committee the Harrison ring included in
the primary call the election of a member
ton was taken because the congressional
committee had decided that the nominee
for Congress should have the right to
name the committeeman in each of the
eight counties.
Instructions for Taft
Taft got instructions and two delegates.
Gen. George w. Curtin Ind John II. Lin
iger. in the fourth district this week. at
kersburg. and Representative Harry
c. woodward was named again without
opposition. AS Gaines district continues
to bubble with Talf talk the chances are
| against any more Cannon booming from
Gaines and woodward. which means Taft
sentiment will have full sway two weeks
hence, when the state convention meets to
name the four delegates-at-large
Swisher and Scherr added &c their
strings this week. and Swisher's addi-
tons were in Scherr's own second dis
| trict. which the Scherr boomers had
promised early in the game would be for
| him solidly. The fight for the state sem
ate between Sam B. Montgomery, the re-
| firing member, and James w. Flynn,
both of Preston, is exciting more than
| local attention. Montgomery beat Flynn
four years ago after Flynn had got the
! best of it with the home delegation. but