Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1910-12-17
COLONEL M'GRAW
SAYS He WILL WIN
Democratic Aspirant For West Virgin
ia senatorship contdent Of
Being Elected.

Grafton W va, Dec. 12,-"Public
sentiment will settle this contest;
| will win" are the words attributed
to John T McGraw by his friends in
Grafton. where he lives.
| Colonel MeGraw is the only self
announced candidate for the seat in
| he United States Senate now occu
| pied by Nathan b. Scott, Republi
can, whose successor will be elected
by the Democratic Legislature which
meets in January.
Colonel McGraw hasn't anything
Ike a clear field. Clarence, w. Wat
son. the Goal Baron and the largest
individual contributor to the Demo.
cratic campaign fund in West Vir-
ginia, also desires to succeed Senator
Scott. Others may announce Their
cand dacy later, and most prominent
among these is William e. Chiffon OF
| Charleston, leader of the Democra s
| in most of the counties in the south
ern part of the state and Colonel Nc
| Graw's rival for the Democratic lead
ership in the state. Former Senator
Henry G. Davis is a 'favorite son
| lurking IN the background.
Friends of McGraw admit that he
has the fight of his life on his bands.
As they see it. q is McGraw against
| he field, but they have not lost faith
in his ability to win. They declare
: his superior political generalshir and
popular recognition of his ability and
capacity will save the day for him,
| AS matter of fact, McGraw is a
wonderful product of these West Vir-
gi' ia hills. He is "self-made star
ing out early in the process by work
ing his way through Yale University
He was graduated in law and began
The practice of his profession in West
Virginia, quitting il in few years to
devote all his attention to industrial
i enterprises. He is interested in the
coal and gas fields, in timber tracts
in real estate development and in
financial institutions of every k;nd
His wealth is known, and so is
Watson's, whire Chiffon is by nc
means poor man although he is not
as rich as the other figures III this
fight, This has suggested the idea
| that these captains of industry" may
make things hum when they get fairly
started in the fight.
Colonel McGraw is even now a busy
man. He is communicating by mail
with his friends, gathering them about
him for the big contest. His business
activities are so general that he has
powerful allies in every part of the
state. Still he faces the danger OF
| Watson winning from him some OF
his troops here in the northern coun.
ties and with Chilton's aid in the
southern part of the state the coal
king may control the Democratic eau
Gus
This is more than "a possibility. It
I is a probability. This defeat if il
should prove such, will not be the
first for Colonel McGraw. Twelve
years ago the legislature was Demo
cratic by one majority and McGraw
was the choice of the caucus for the
United States Senate. The Republi
cans contested the seat of one of the
! Democrats in both the House and
Senate. While decisions pended they
stepped in and elected a Republican
Senator. Colonel McGraw accepted
his defeat phlosophically, but for Il
years he has camped on the trai
of the Republican party. Under these
circums, ances his friends declare
that his defeat now will wreck The
Democratic party in West Virginia,