The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1912-10-24
PRlGIGESlGI


measure TO strengthen the Corrupt
practices Ac4, which IN many partic-
julars Is loosely worded and can eaAiiy
be evaded by those who would corrupt
conventions. primaries or caucuses.
Until the question Of primary legis-
lation could be disposed Of no con-
sideratiOn was given to the proposed
amendment OF the Corrupt Practices
Act. However, on May so, after the
I primary legislation had been killed
Senator D. B. Smith, OF Cabell' was
insistent upor some action being taken
by the Senate on Senate Bill No. 3.
the Corrupt Practices Act, he had In
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 eIpend-
ed by Candidates for public ONCE and
disfranchising those who sold their
votes to the highest bidder. It also
provided forfeiture Of once by the
candidate in whose interest fraud had
been committed.
This bill was finally gotten 70
vote and passed the Senate by vote
of % to . It VAS about this time that
Senator Maccorkle gave utterance to
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 Prae-
tees Act is recorded as follows:
For-Hatfeld CPresidenD, Bland.
CoRman, Craig. England, Fisher.
Flynn, French. Grimes. Hearne. Hood.
johnson, Kidd, Meredith. Peterhin.
Phillips, Preston. sa1mons. Shinn,
Smith. of CabeIl, Smith OF Raleigh.
Smith. OF Roane, Sutherland. White
and Zilliken.-25.
Against-MacCorkle and Woods-22.
Not Voting-McIntire Silver and
sIemaker-3.
Another bill passed in the concIud-
ing hours Of the session was the
Fisher bill, known as Senate BIZ No.
! 8, bill defining the offense OF bri-
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 were
allowed to die in that body without
being considered
Consideration OF the Smith Corrupt
+, Practices Act in the House was pre-
cluded a 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, similar bill,
and Indefinitely postponing the con-
sideratiOn OF the same. BY these tao
tics the Watson-Chilton Democrats
expected TO have Wetzel rule that the
Smith Corrupt Practices Act couId~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 tho
! Corrupt Practices Act and his own
part in these infamous proceedings.
No effort was made by the House OF
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 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 Greenbrier county. the
House OF Delegates adjourned sine die
in violation Of the State constitution.
, The constitution prohibits one House
of the legislature from adjourniug for
more than three days at time wit;I-
out the consent of the other House.
Yet Speaker wetzel. after once re-
fusing entertained the motion OF Del
egate smoot and adjourned the House
OF Delegates sine die before the an
nouncement had been received from
the Senate that it was ready to adj
journ. And then. TO cover up the vfo-
Iation of the constitution and his oath
OF Office the Journal OF the House OF
Delegates was falsihed to make It ap-
pear that the proceedings OF the House
had been regular.