The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-06-24
Watson Element Blames Him
for the DR.. Thomas Hodges
FiasCo Now.
CANDIDACY OF FRENCH
In the Fifth District Is Also Laid
at the Door of Senator
Chiffon, Too.
az Charles BROOKE smlth.l


Virginia continues 70 manifest itself
here from day to day IN the colony OF
that party which feeds from the pat
ronRge crib here, or fits n and out
from the home state whore many Of
them 1etcherize the official plum pud-
ding provided for them at that end OF
the line. 1t is significant and enter
tanning to hear these sleek and we'll
fed follows WELD the anvil. One would
think that as they are themselves we'll
provided for they would be satisfied,
,bnt they are not, They arc among the
worst critics Of their party and its
LEADERS. Nothing is going to suit
them.
or recent date, It seems 10 be the
fashion among good many OF them
to take a fall out OF Senator Chiffon.
Banging Bill is their bully pastime.
When in doubt blame " on William
Fleetwood is their motto, What with
his mining investments and tho pro-
noting of the same by careless cler-
ical staff as II the senator did not
have enough troubles of HE very own,
without getting hammered BY mem
bers Of the organization.
Just now he is being blamed for the
Hodges "fasco." The word ID applied
by these Democratic critics, They
charge him with stirring up q muss
with It, and with forcing q situation
on. the party that was quite U Reces-
sary and bound to leave It's scars.
They tell you that he started with Hal
Depue and that he became scared
that the Roane county man could not
be put over, then threw him. They
charge him with disloyalty TO Watson
by not accepting Beall, whom Wat
son, they say, favored from the outset
to the day the convention convened.
And the interesting phase OF all this
criticism is that those who are blam-
ing Brother Bill for all those things,
and more, as will be hastily zketched
later on, have not q harsh word to
ray against G. w. Watson, On the
contrary, 1t is all praise for this par
ticular Gold Dust Twin from these
hangers on and dependents Of the ma
chine. Watson, they tell you, has
developed" He has broadeped and
grown big in his skill as o leader, He
is all to the CONNECTION, Is Watson.
Which appears significant as showing
that the majority stockholders in the
drm Is not Chiffon, but Watson. Chill
ton is the Carranza and Watson 10 the
villa in this drama, and CarranER, SO
we are told often enough ID figure
head, and there seems to DO plenty OF
evidence to prove it
Again, Senator Chiffon ID found
fault with for stirring up trouble in
the Fifth district, for bringing out q
candidate against George /. Neal in
the person of D. E. French when there
would not have been a contest at all
had not Chiffon caused ono. 1t 10 a
nasty mess down there to be sure, and
marks the renewal of an old feud be-
tween Neale and Chiffon when the
former at Denver voted for McGraw
Instead OF Chiffon for national COM
mitteeman. Chilton's Democratic
critics land Watsok's psalm slnEcrs)
charge him with ''littleness" In not
long ago making up with Neal for the
good OF party harmony, when he had
years of opportunities in which to
restore more or less cordial friend
I ship.
Here, again, If all this be OF verify,
Chiffon is accused or being In the
position Of oposing the wishes and
whatever influence he may have in
the southern part of the state, OF
Watson. whose choice is Neal, This
fight is in Chilton-MacC orkle-Helly
Stephenson territory. That District
Attorney Barnhart should be brought
into it, or rather that he should butt
into it, is natural enough, since he
was Chiffon and not Watson APP
pointee. Neale was to have been ap-
pointed to that position. according
TO the Watson followers An un-
Outstanding to that effect had been
made by the two bosses, and Watson
sailed away for several months stay
in Europe. During his stay abroad
Chiffon had Barnhart and not Neal
appointed. That was the beginning
of the breach between Watson and
Chiffon, which has been widening
ever since. Barnhart took a hand In
behalf Of French to help Chiffon cut.
His "pernicious activity" brought a
broadside from Neal in the form OF
a letter that contained sensational
charges, which If true may come near
losing him his office. AS soon as the
letter was published Barnhart
rushed TO Washington, but the
charges made by Neal have not been
formally made at the Department OF
Justice. Not yet. But they are
likely to be.
Again, these Democrats who are
hammering Senator Chiffon continue
their anvil chorus with still another
verse to the effect that he Is wholly
responsible for stirring up the
trouble In the party "a the Third
district. They say that had he not
brought out John Dice for the nomi-
nation, there would be no trouble
there, and now there Is trouble OF a
very serious sort. II he pulled Dice
over and Llttlepage under, there is
not the least chance of defeating
Representative Avis. Then, too, Dice
being brought out against Little
page induced several others to get
into the contest with the result that
a bitter fight Is on that means any
thing else except united and har-
monious party in that neck OF the
woods In this contest, 1t Is claimed
that Watson feels under obligations
TO Dice and has taken no particular