Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-03-16
OLD STATE MACHINE
HAS FALLEN APART
Two Factions are Battling for Con-
Z troll so Long Victorious Here
Rank and File Not Consulted.

! Washington d. c., March a.
Realizing that machine rule has been
very largely the cause Of republican
defeat in West Virginia, the Taft man
ayers are causing it to be given out
in Washington that the fight in West
Virginia this year Is between the old
bosses, representing the Roosevelt
element, and the new leadership hav-
Ing the interests of the party at heart
rather than their own and represent
ing the Taft side in the controversy.
The absurdity of such a proposition
Is apparent to every West Virginian
who knows the situation, but 1t shows
that the Taft people realize the weak
ness of machine campaign and are
trying to give the impression at least
that they are opposing the old re-
publican machine in West Virginia.
The truth of the situation is that
there has been a split in the machine
which worked so we'll together under
the guidance of the late Stephen b.
Elki1s for many years, and that there
are two elements, formerly united in
the old state machine, which are row
trying to assume undivided authority
over the party affairs in the state 1t
is apparent TO any one who observes
conditions as they exist that whether
the Roosevelt or the Taft forces win
out in West Virginia the party will
remain under the domination of the
same old machine leadership and thst
its nominations and patronage will be
dominated exclusively by one portion
or the other of the old machine.
What difference can Il make to the
republicans of West Virginia. who
are called out at every election to.
vote the ticket straight even though,
as Senator Scott suggested, 1t is
necessary for them to hold their
noses when they do so, whether the
nominations are made under the die
tatio1 of w. NJ. O. Dawson or y. b.
Scott. On the one side we find
battling for party leadership and the
control of the machine the old fami-
liar bosses, w. NJ. o. Dawson, Charles
ID. Elliott and others who have fought
with them for years to maintain the
supremacy of the party machine men
whose names for years have been on
the list of state committeeman, who
have controlled conventions, manag-
ed primaries. such as the famous
Dawson primary in Kanawha county
and dictated nominations. On the
other hand, working to secure conn
plete control of the party machinery,
we find N. B. Scott, boss of the party
for so many years that one almost
forgets when he came into control;
Davis Elldns, who aspires to be sue
cessor to his distinguished father,
not only in the senate, but in the con-
troll of republican politics in West
Matthews, Harry Woodward, H. c.
Ogden and many others who have
long been allied with them in manag-
ing the party or aiding those who
have been in control
1t is true some of the members of
the republican state committee re-
signed their positions and that new
men were put in their places. but
that was a joke. Everybody under
stood when Sherman Denham resign
ed from the committee and named
Virgil Highland as his successor and
when other committeeman acted in a
similar manner, that there was little
sincerity ia the reorganization of the