The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-03-11
WEAVER BITTERLY
ATTACKS KEEzELL
Tells House He Would Have
Been Sent to Prison If Member
of United States Senate.
REsENTs CHARGE IN LETTER
Valves Immunity to Reply, and
Revives Allegation Made
in Libel Suit.

Rising to question OF personal
privilege in the House OF Delegates
yesterday morning. Aubrey G. Weaver.
chairman OF the House Finance Com
mtttee, bitterly denounced former State
Senator George b. KeeAeli, OF Rock
ingham County, accusing him Of I'm
proper actions whilo a member OF the
state Senate. OF using an ollice OF pub
lie trust for private gain. and declar-
ing that IL the same laws applied to
the Virginia Legislature that apply to
! the Congress of the United States, the
former Rockingham Senator would
now be behind prison bars.
The denunciation was one of the most
bitter ever heard on the floor OF the
House. Mr.. Weavcr's desk WAS piled
high with law books. journals OF the
House and Senate, and Acts or the
Assembly OF former years. aud he an
nounced that he had the facts to prove
his statements.
The controversy grew out of n de-
bate on the floor of the House last
week. when the general appropriation
bill was under consideration by items
y motion was made To strike out the
allowance OF S+00 each. made in the
bin To the ''unsalarlcd" members of
the state Commission of Fisheries Mr.
Weaver spoke In favor OF this motion
referring to the allowance as "politi-
cal pap and the item was stricken
from the bill.
keexelPs Letter to Cox.
On Sunday Speaker Cox received the
following open letter, which has ap-
peared in many newspapers:
keezletown. Va, March Z.
Hon. Edwin p. Cox, Speaker OF the
House OF Delegates. Richmond. Va. 3:
MY Dear Sir.-Papers of to-day bring
TO my attention an unwarrnntcd at
tack on me in the House OF Delegates
yesterday by Delegate Aubrey O.
Weaver. OF Warren. If he is correctly
reported In referring to an allow
ance Of S400 each for the up-country
members of the Commission of Fish
erieS. ho said in effect:
The only reason the allowance has
been made In previous years was pe-
cause one of the members OF the board
had been chairman of tho Finance Com e.
mittce of the Senate, and had taken
this method of paying himself off,
If Mr.. Weaver had taken the trouble
to inform himself, he would have found
that the allowance TO the up-country
members was made from the begin
ninG-eight years before I was chair
man of the Senate Finance Committee
The statement that l ever. when chair
man OF the Finance COMMITTEES or at
position or that of member OF the
Senate to pay myself Off" is unuuali-
fedly and inexcusably, if not malicious
L., false.
Upon tho contrary. when this ques-
ton came before the committee 7
asked my associates to strike my name
from the list of the three men who
would DO benefited by this appropria-
ton This they declined to do upon the
ground that services rendered by me
were ms valuable as those rendered by
any OF the other up-country members.
and II was notefair to expect as much
enumeration AZ was given by the other
up country members.
Never at any time have ! asked n
single member OF either house to vote
for or favor the appropriation for this
purpose. Five Governors have seen tit
20 name me as member OF the Board
Of Fisheries. and ] am tho only mem
Der who has served tho body since its
creation. I have never asked for or
sought the rlace. and havc%only served
because urged to do 50 by friends,
both in and out OF the Tidewntcr sec
tion.
] know my SIN was grievous In sccur-
ing for my own senatorial district an
institution so much coveted by the nome
town of tho Delegate from Warren
Possibly this and my refusal when Il
! candidate for tho House of Delegates
To tie my hands with pledges about
| bank legislation, in which the Delegate
form Warren was taking and has
taken so much interest, and my we'll
known opposition to tho farcical rate Of
taxation on money on deposit. pro-
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