Atlanta Georgian., 1914-02-26
BY JAMES 3. NEVIN.

Taking off our hat to-day to one
| w. C. Vereen. of Moultrie-the great
unknown" in the beginning of the
| Senatorial race, as concerns the ad
| interim appointment, and about the
| best known gentleman in the bunch
! in the finish!
No matter what else happened We
reen certainly has been put on the
political map in large, red and engag-
| ing letters!
| Entered s a business mans" can
didate, and doomed as such, he soon
became the talk of the hotel lobbes
| and the deliciously uncertain factor
| in the Senatorial situation.
And his booster bunch was the real
article! Headed by Thad Adams of
The Moultrie Enterprise, it never
slept.
1t was on the job all the time
morning, noon and night. 1t never
missed an oppol .unity to buttonhole
any promising person in sight and ask
him, DO you know Vereen?"
At first most folks didn't But that
| lasted only day or so. Pretty soon
everybody who was anybody'l<new the
Moultrie man, and knew what it was
his friends were asking in his be.
half!
Vereen-well, Nereen's all right!
That much has been written in the
stars, anyway. Never was candidate
for position of high honor more in
telligently, more earnestly, or more
effectively exploited by his loyal and
| loving friends.
The John T. Boifeuillet boom, which.
while it lived. lived in clover, appar-
emily was spontaneous, and had no
sectional hackers From all parts of
the State came willing and voluntary
| indorsements-by the hundreds.
There isn't more popular man in
| the whole State than the clerk of the
House of Representatives. and his
| thousands of friends stood by him
stoutly. He never was an active as
pirant for the position, and his boom
was started without his knowledge or
| consent.
He didn't win, but he must be glad
| his name was entered as a prospect
| i've appointee. If nothing else, il
served to show the quality of enthu
| siasm behind him.!
As for the new Senator:
| William Stanley West was born in
Marion County, Georgia, August %,
| 1S49, and was educated a Mercer
| University. After leaving college. he
engaged in teaching, and later stud
| led law, gradua ting from the law de-
| partment of Mercer University. He
entered the practice of his profession
at Valdosta, and quickly attained a
high standing at the bar.
Colonel West has long been prom-
nently identified with the sawmilling
| and lumber industry in Southern
Georgia and Florida, and has varied
| other business interests, being one of
the most successful farmers in the
/ State. He has always taken a keen
i interest in public affairs, and has for
! many years been recognized as one OF
j the, ablest Democratic leaders in
/ Georgia He was a member of the
Estate House of Representatives from
/ 1892 TO 1897, and in 189S-99 was a
j member of the State Senate. In 1902
| he was again elected to the lower
| house of the Legislature, and served
until 1904. In 1905-0 he was return
ed to the State Senate without oppo-
sition, and was elected President of
that body. AS President of the Senate
he displayed marked ability,s dignity
and impartiality, his administration
| being, regarded as one of the most
notable in the history of the State.
| During this session much important
| and far-reac ching legislation was en-
| acted.
| In 1908 Colonel West was sent as =
| delegate-at-large from Georgia to the
National Democratic Convention at
Denver.
Colonel West introduced the bill
| providing for uniform system OF
| text books in the Legislature in 1892,
which, despite stubborn opposition,
was finally passed in 1903 He is
| properly regarded as the father OF
| the present admirable schoolbook
| law He took great interest in the bill
| esta tablshing the State Normal College
at Valdosta, and after it was passed
was one of the largest contributors
| toward purchas sing the splendid site
now occupied by that institution.
| While in the Legislature he intro
| duced a bill looking to the erection
| of a new passenger station for the
| Western and Atlantic Railroad in At
| lanta, which, though defeated, he re-
garded as a most important one for
the safeguarding of the States most
valuable property. Another measure
| in which he took great interest was
! the bill looking TO the leasing of the
| Western and Atlantic Railroad after
| the expiration of the present lease.
| Colonel Vests political career, like
his professional and business life, has
| been marked not only with ability and
| courage of conviction, but with un-
| usual candor and honesty of purpose.
| He has not hesitated to oppose vigor-
ously those things which he consid-
| cred wrong, or to eSpouse whole
hesrtedly the measure he believes
| right.