The Progressive West Virginian. [volume] (Williamson, W. Va.) 1911-1913, 1912-11-14
WATSON WILL
Be MISSED SAYS
BALTIMORE sun
West Virginia Senator Won Esteem
Of All His Associates Of
Every Party.
CONSPICUOUS Business Ability Gave
Prestige in Solving Such
Problems.

The high esteem in which SEN
ator Watson is ned h, Tie. leading
men of the nation is shown in an
article which recently appeared in
the Baltimore Sun. The article in
question was sent TO Inc Sun from
its Washington news bureau and is
deserved tribute to one of the
best senators that ever held a seat
from this great industrial state.
Following is the article:
Washington, No 9.-Senator
Clarence w. Watson, of West Vir-
ginia, who retires from official life
on March 4, 1913, as a result of the
Republican victory in this State
will be missed from the Senate as
few Senators / his length of SER
vice have been missed.
During the two sessions of Con-
gress in which he sat he developed
wide influence among his colleagues
by consistent committee work, by
tireless study of the issues before
the Senate, and by an application of
practical business experience to mat
tiers Of legislation.
On Important Committee.
Perhaps the most substantial re-
cognition given to Senator Watson
by his friends in the upper house
was his election to the powerful
Committee on Interstate, Commerce.
This body deals with all railroad
corporation and business legisla-
ton. new arrival is rarely ever
assigned to work on that committee.
but when the Democratic minority
was casting about at the beginning
of the Sixty-second Congress for a
Senator qualified to- handle the large
legislative problems before that
committee the West Virginian was
chosen
The late Senator Stephen B. FL
kins, also of West Virginia, and a
man of vast affairs, had until his
death been chairman Of the COM
mittee, being the nominal author Of
the last railroad regulation bill to
pass Congress and become law.
Senator Watson was also named
by the Democratic caucus to sit on
the Committee on Conservation of
natural Resources, Cuban Relations,
Indian Affairs, Mines and Mining,
Pacific Islands. Porto Rico, Public
Buildings and Grounds Rail-
roads and transportation of Meat
Products.
Pronounced Tariff Revisionist
In spite of his interests in coal
mining, Senator Watson was one of
the most pronounced tariff revision
lists in the Senate. He was just as
willing that the protection on coal
and iron should be lowered as that
the duty on raw products in which
he had no investments should be
reduced
The most effective speech deliver
ed by the West Virginian during the
last session of Congress urged tariff
reform. 1t was purely tariff
speech and attracted the attention
OF the whole Senate at the time.
He declared that the business inter
ests of this country were not de-
pendent upon high protective tar
if for their prosperity and that
such a tariff, therefore, was burden
some.
Prominent in Antitrust Inquiry.
Senator Watson took a leading
part in the antitrust investigation
prosecuted by the Interstate Com
merce Committee last spring. This
inquiry took place under a special
resolution of the Senate and will
result in recommendations for
sweeping amendments to the Sher-
man Antitrust law. These recon-
mendations will be presented at the
short session next winter.
The West Virginian during his
Senate career did not waste his
time drawing general bills. He pre-