The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-03-08
In Letter to Speaker Cox Fish
cries Commissioners Denies
He Ever Attempted to Pay
Himself OF.
Never Made Such
Use of Position
Weaver's Statement. Says Kee-
zell. Is Unquali6edly and In
excusably. IF Not Maliciously
False$4OO Allowance the
Cause.

HARRISONBURG, VA. March TN
d letter addressed today to Speak err
Cox Of the house of delegates. George
b. Keczell, OF the State fisheries COM
mission. takes to task Delegate Aubrey
@. Weaver. Of Warren. for reported ut
terance against the allowance OF s4oo
each for the up-country members OF the
Bakeries board.
Senator Keexell, In his communica-
tion to Speaker Cox, declared that the
statement that zone of the members
OF the board had been chairman OF the
senate finance committee when the al
towanca Was first made and had taken
this ms.hod OF paying himself of" Is
unqualifiedly and inexcusably, IL not
maiiciously. false.
The letter to Speaker Cox Is a. fol-
lows.
-Keexel.own. va. March Z. 1914.
sHon. Edwin r. Cox,
Speaker of the House Of Delegates.
Richmond, Va
my Dear sir:
Papers of today bring to my At
tcntion an unwarranted attack on me
IN the house OF delegates yesterday by
Delegate Aubrey G.. Weaver, of War
rem. III he liz correctly reported, In re-
Earring to an allowance OF $500 each
for the up-country members Of tho
commission of fisheries, he said In cf-
feet.
.s.Tne only reason the allowance has
been made In previous years Was boz
cause one OF the members OF the board
had been chairman OF the finance COM
ffaittee OF the senate and had taken
this method OF paying himself on"
Made Eight Years Before.
'If Mr. Weaver had taken the
trouble 70 inform himself he would
have found that the allowance to the
,t,<.v~
the heginning-eiEht years before l
was chairman Of the senate finance
COMMITTEES. The statement that
ever, when chairman of the finance
committee, or at any other time, I'M
dertook TO use that position or that
OF a member OF the senate to pay
myself or is unqualifiedly and mex
cnsably. II not maliciously. false.
Upon the contrary, when this
question came before the committee.
j asked my associates to strike my
name from the list OF the three men
who would be benefited by this ap-
prppriasion This they declined 20
do upon the ground that services rem
dered by me were as valuable az that
rendered by any Of the other up
country members. and 1t was not fafr
10 expect as much time to De gwen
by me without remuneration as was
-
berA
On Body Since Creation.
Never at any time have asked
single member OF either house to vote
for or favor the appropriation for
this purpose Five governors nave
seen At to name me as member OF
the board OF fisheries, and am the
only Ynember who has served the
body since its creation. ! have never
asked for or sought the place and
have only served because urged to 90
70 by friends. both in and out OF the
TdewaAer section.
II know my sin was grfevous IN
securing for my own senatorial dis
trict an institution so much coveted
Nv the home town Of the delegate
from Warren. Possibly this and my
refusal when a candidate for the
house OF delegates to tie my hands
with pledges about bank legislation.
ii which tho delegate from Warren
was taking and has taken 80 much
interest, and my well known OPPOSE
ton 10 the farsical rate OF taxation
ON money on deposit, proposed in his
bin may have rendered me persona
non grata to him.
yours very truly.
GEORGE B. KEEzEL4IA