The Progressive West Virginian. [volume] (Williamson, W. Va.) 1911-1913, 1912-10-03
Republicans Remove Them From
All Committees.
IS A WAR OF DETERMINATION
Followers Of Roosevelt Forced From
All official Positions and Even
From Places on the Ticket, Because
the Reactionaries Want Full Con-
troll.

Nothing short of the complete de-
struction of the Progressive party in
West Virginia will satisfy the Repub-
icans of the State, if one can judge
by appearances. 1t is war of exter-
mination in the State, just as it was
at the Chicago national convention.
President Taft took the, stand before
the Chicago convention that the nomi-
nation of Theodore Roosevelt meant
the destruction of the Republican party,
and 1t was an open secret among his
friends and hackers that the fight for
his nomination was made more with
the hope Of maintaining the party or
ganizatlon intact than with the hope
that Mr.. Taft could be elected. The
tight of the Taft people was not so
much to elect Taft as it was to exter-
inmate Roosevelt and those whom they
regarded as the disorganizers Of the
Republican party, who were protesting
against the steam-roller methods and
the bossism of that party.
In West Virginia the fight at the
present time seems to be the same kind
OF contest. 1t is not that they care
so much about the election of the State
ticket, but that they want to retain conz
troll OF the political machinery. And to
do this every Progressive who sticks
his head up in the midst Of the re-
dictionaries must lose it. 1t is not
proposed to let the Progressives have
anything in the State, and the so-called
Progressive leader, w. M O. Dawson,
has assented to the plan and is not re-
sisting the attempts of the reactionaries
to decapitate the Progressives.
Scott To Succeed Edwards.
First of all, William Seymour Ed
wards, who financed the Roosevelt
Campaign in West Virginia and at Chi
cago, and was made member of the
Republican National Committee for
West Virginia, has lost his political
head. He was kicked bodily from the
National Committee by the reactionary
members, who could not countenance
Progressive on their committee, even
though he were in hopeless minority.
Senator Nathan Bay Scott, for six
teen years member Of the National
Committee for West Virginia, was
slated for Mr. Edwards successor, but
the State Committee was afraid to
name him before the November cleo
ton, lest the Progressives desert them.
Mr.. Scott was the man who assisted in
seating the contested delegates to the
Chicago convention, resulting in the
nomination of Taft and the declaration
Of Mr. Roosevelt that the delegates
were stolen and the nomination. OBJ
tanned by fraud. If there was fraud,
Senator Scott was party to it, for he
was member Of the committee and
voted to seat the Taft delegates
Mr. Scott was to have been made
member of the National Committee at
the last meeting of the Republican
State Committee, but the committee
feared the result and deferred action
till after the November election, when
it will be too late for the Progressives
to protest against him. And he will be
on the committee to repeat the same
tactics four years hence should there be
another fight over the delegates.
Other ProgressNes Fired.
In Mineral County Silas Arnold,
chairman of the Republican County
Committee, who had served in that
capacity for many years, has been re-
moved from the committee by 1.-THE Re
publicans because of his support of
Theodore Roosevelt for the Presidency.
He was replaced by strong supporter
Of President Taft, the change being
made solely on account of Mr.. Arnold
entertaining Progressive views.
In Calhoun County, Beeman Wright,
nominee for member of the House of
Delegates on the Republican ticket, was
removed from the ticket because he
entertained Progressive ideas and was
supporting for one Office man who
was not on the Republican ticket.
In Marshall County the nomination
of a Progressive county ticket, re-
quested in writing by hundreds of
voters, was prevented by persons OPP
posed to letting the Progressives obtain
a footing in the county.
At every political turn the enmity of
the Republican reactonaries for the
Progressives is showing itself, and the
result is, the Progressives are being ex-
terminated as rapidly as possible. Still
the reactionary candidates on the Re-
publican ticket are still asking for the
support Of the members of the party
thew are irving RI exferminate