The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1912-10-24
CORRUPT PRAC1IGESACI
WatsOn.C Chiffon Democrats Also IA
feat Measure Aimed to Defeat
Corruption at the Polls.

Governor VIM. L. Glasscock in his c,r
/ for the special session Of the I.epIs,
ture was the consideration Of n.
measure to strengthen the cOrrua
Practices Act, which in many par,I,
ulars is loosely worded and can easll,
be evaded by those who would corruM
conventions, primaries or caucuses
Until the question of primary lerl,.
lation could be disposed Of no con.
sideration was given to the propO,a
amendment OF the Corrupt Practlcs
Act. However, on May 30, after Is,
primary legislation had been KILLED
Senator D. B. Smith, of Cabell, was
insistent upon some action being taken
by the Senate on Senate Bill No. 4
the Corrupt Practices Act, he had h.
troduced early in the session.
This was a measure carefully DE-.
signed to prevent the Illegal use Of
money at primaries, conventions and
elections, limiting the amount expeud.
ed by candidates for public office and
DISTINGUISHING those who sold Their
votes to the highest bidder. 1t also
provided forfeiture of office by IL.
candidate in whose interest fraud had
been committed.
This bill was finally gotten to
vote and passed the Senate by vote
of Is to 2, 1t 1'as about this time that
Senator MacCorkle gave utterance ia
his remarkable statement in urging
the Senate to adjourn that at Is
known that the House will not pass
any legislation"
The vote on the Smith Corrupt prac.
tees Act is recorded as follows:
For-HatHeld (PresidenD, Bland
Coffman, Craig, England, Fisher
Flynn, French. Grimes, Hearne, Hood
Johnson, Kidd, Meredith. Peterkln
Phillips. Preston, salmons, shlnn,
Smith. of Cabell, Smith of Raleigh,
Smith, of Roane, Sutherland. White
and zilliken.-25.
Against-MacCorkle and Woods-2s
Not votlng-McIntlre. Silver and
Slemaker-3.
Another bill passed in the conclui.
ing hours OF the session was the
Fisher bill, known as Senate Bill No.
5, bill defining the offense of br.
berry in party nominating primary
elections and conventions, declaring
the same unlawful and prescribing
punishments and penalties for The
violation thereof.
This bill was passed by the same
vote as the Smith Corrupt Practices
Act.
Both of these measures were report.
ed to the House Of Delegates and we're
allowed to die in that body without
being considered.
Consideration of the Smith Corrupt
Practices Act in the House was pre-.
cluded few minutes before Senator
Smith reported the bill to that body
through the action of the House in tax.
ing up House Bill No. Z, a similar bill
and indefinitely postponing the con,
sideration Of the same. BY these tao
tics the watson Chiffon Democrats
expected to have Wetzel rule that the
Smith Corrupt Practices Act could not
be considered by the House OF Dele
gates. Delegate seibert, who moved
to take up the House Bill, also voted
to indefinitely postpone the measure
thus exposing the scheme to defeat Ih'
Corrupt Practices Act and his own
part in these infamous proceedings
No effort was made by the House 0.
Delegates to consider either the Smith
Corrupt Practices Act, which would
have forever eliminated corrupt cleo
tons in West Virginia, or the Fisher
bill defining bribery in party caucuses
which would have made the men who
corrupt a party caucus as the Demo.
cratic senatorial caucus was corrupt
ed, amenable to the law, or any Bill
of like character.
Instead. on the motion of DELEGATE
smoot, of Greenbrler county The
House of Delegates adjourned sine de
in violation of the State constitution
The constitution prohibits one HOUSE
of the Legislature from adiournlug f0f
more than three days at time With
out the consent Of the other IIOu's
Yet Speaker wetzel, after once re-
fusing, entertained the motion Of Del
egate smoot and adjourned the HOas'
of Delegates sine die before the an
nouncement had been received from
the Senate that 1t was ready to 3D.
tourn. And then, to cover up the ya'
lation of the constitution and his oan
of office, the Journal of the House o.
Delegates was falslfled TO make It 'p'
pear that the proceedings of the HOu's
u. 4