Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-08-21
CAPITAL CITYGOSSIP
State Primary Laqu--" "Disfrancbisng" The
Negroes Paying Board BaLs--EMns
and the Virginia Debt, ETC.. Etc.

choked on these bills were paid by
railroad and other corporations in.
terested in keeping things as they
were. and are. One hotel bill
amounting to $500 was paid at the
end of one session for prominent
member OF the sennte committee
that strangled the employers l.abil-
ity bin at that particular session,
Rotten? Why the West Virginia
legislatures OF the past few years
smell to heaven and beyond--it
there Is any further country.
The tax commissioner office Is
rapidly growing into what the Dem
ocrats have all the time said II
would become--the chief part OF the
state machine. There is so much
elasticity about that office that
there Is always room for one more
CRATER. no matter how crowded II
may seem before he gets in. Sam
Montgomery is the latest acquisition
to the collection OF political freaks
housed under its roof. Sam, you
will remember. was one OF the most
persistent and outspoken opponents
to the Dawson machine. For four
years he fought on the floor of the
senate almost everything the admin
istration wanted, and there were
those who looked upon him as in
corruptible. free from guile. and
warranted not to fade away But he
faded just the same. Al the prima-
ries held in his district. he was de-
feated for denomination. Then, all
of sudden, or suddener, he saw
great light. lie had been, up TO thai
time, great Scherr man. The
chiefest among ten or twH've thou
sand. But defeat either soured or
sobered him. and from that tine on
he was Swisher man. Few days
later-July Is, TO be absolutely ac-
curate-he got his scat at the PIE
counter. and on August drew his
first pay-s5O for half month s
work as field agent OF the tax com
missioner's office" whatever tha'
may mean. If II had been set down
as "aeld agent of the Swisher cam
paagn department" II would nave
besn more easily understood. posi-
bly,.
What kind of an administration
ia n that creates an office for po'
litical heelers and forces the people
to pay for their party servicesE
Surely the gang that now contro's S
the Republican party OF West Vir-
ginia should he kicked out and the
government restored to the hands
of party that will elect honest and
capable men to administer the state
affairs.
Swishcr has returned from Hot
Springs. Virginia, where he hung
about the neck Of the national chair
nan, beseeching him to recognize
the machine ticket as the regular
Republican outfit in West virginia
From the air of satisfaction that
holds sway about the secretary Of
states office Mr.. Hitchcock must
have held out hopes to the candl-
date, though whether hands were
actually laid on and blessing given
does not yet appear. Scherr, too
has returned from the same place
and says he is still running. SO IT
yet appears that we are to have
three cornered race.
Your Uncle Stephen B. Elkins is
scared The Sam Mathews etter
brought him to book with the dec
laratlon that he was for Swisher
first, last and all time He might
have added that was for the full
payment OF the Virginia debt for
the same length OF time. IL is hard
to tell which scares him more. con
temptation of his own possible de-
feat for reelection, or OF the
scheme for making West Virginia
pay an enormous portion OF the
Virginia debt. Your Uncle Stephen
is a foxy old guy, and nobody has
ever yet been able 30 tell what he
is thinking about by what he says.