The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-06-16
Watson and Chiffon Are Con-
niving to Use Him for Their
Own Advancement.


WASHINGTON, d. c., June 16.-
More and more additions have been
made to the story OF the under
taking of Watson and Chiffon to
nominate Thomas E. Hodges for
congressman-at-large at the Demo-
cratic state convention to be held at
Parkersburg June "a, which taken
In connection with what has hereto
fore been given in these dispatches
about the plan makes the story fair
ly complete.
Two things-are given which ac-
count for the rather plain sailing
getting Hodges to look wit hfavor
upon a nomination from their hands,
viz: 1, the promise of the guberna-
torial nomination in 1916, and CD
Hodges's belief that there is an eff
fort on foot to GUST him from the
presidency of the university. Those
are the potential reasons given why
the bait held out was deemed tempt
ing enough to swallow.
Why Hodges? 1t was asked of one
who ought to know. Preceding the
nomination of 1908, when Hodges
was looming up large as a guberna-
torial aspirant. much was said of his
great popularity with the university
"grads," the student body and with
school people generally. That argu-
mem had no weight with the ma
chine politicians then, but, from the
talk now, 1t appears to have perme-I
ated their skulls and found accept
ance at this late day. At least, that
is the strong reason now given why
they have suddenly spotted Hodges
as the man who should be nominated.
Friends of Hal Depue and Wylle
Beali are wrathy over what is on the
program OF the bosses TO do to those
two enterprising patriots. a friend
of Depue has this to say, that if they
are looking for man who has pop
ularity among his assets, Depue has
it.; that he may not shine among col
lege graduates, but when it comes to
getting the horny handed sons OF the
soil to come out of the bushes to vote
he's more successful than any high
brow that ever delivered a baccalaur-
cate addresses or bored the very life
out of an institute of county teachers
at the end of year of hard and
devitalizing pedagogy. Bells friends
say for him that he is banker and
business man who stands high, and
that his personality contains the
golden grains Of popularity to very
large extent. And the friends of
both declare that both had been
promised square deal from Watson
and Chiffon; that they went into the
fight with that understanding, have
spent their time and good money,
and that eleventh our plan to take
up new man, who has done neither
of these things, and try to hand him
the nomination on silver salver,
was piece of low down politics
which would not do the party much
good on election day. They say that
the scheme will not be put over with
out . fight. but they are not so rash
as to predict that they can beat the
machine.
Depue was the first to become a
candidate. He didn't start on the
enterprise until he paid a visit to
Senator Chiffon and got assurances
from that party dignity that he
would take no hand" Later,
Wylie Beall got the bug, but before
he allowed his ambition to become
violent, he. too. saw Chiffon. Then
he hiked to New York and saw Wat
son. Then he came back here, called
in the correspondents. and with an
ng-is-all-right-boys Jared the
armament with the announcement Of
his candidacy. Then, as they say in
sporting circles. they went to it,
that is, Wylie and Hal did. and they
have been fighting every inch of the
way since. everybody looking on and
enjoying it expecting to see about
as nifty fight between them when
they clinched in the Parkersburg
convention as has been pulled OF in
West Virginia for quite while.
Now, that expectation is somewhat
interefered with by this Hodges
movement from Watson Chiffon
headquarters There viii probably
be q a~st oil tipht. hnt Il "a more
.