West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1915-07-08
5swAaplhc PATRIOTS

By/feason Of the appointment of for
mer State Senator A. Bliss McCrum of
Preston county, to place on the state
board OF control, and former State Sena-
tor Sam o. Billings 10 a place with the
workmen's compensation department the
Fourteenth senatorial district is now
| without representation. II should also
be borne IN mind that the appointment
oil Carleton Q. Pierce to place with the
| agricultural department likewise creates
vacancy in the legislative representa-
| ton oil Preston county. This being true,
1t appears to the Preston News that the
local county committee and the Four
teenth senatorial committee should get
busy and see that the proper authorities
make provisions for a special election
that successors might be chosen 10 these
offices. 1t is not at all unlikely that a
special session OF legislature will be called
some time within the next year, and a
district like this, with its unlimited GUAM
titles OF coal and matchless water power,
should, by all means, be fully repre-
sented. AS We understand il the Gov
ernor is supposed to issue the call for
| election to name successors, and it ia now
up to local authorities 10 insist that such
action be taken.-Preston News.
Is not this pretty dish to set before
the taxpayers of the Fourteenth senate
rial district and Preston county? Three
oil the four representatives of the legisla-
ture vacating their offices to accept other
public offices that pay large salaries. Can
n legitimate excuse he offered for Nc
Crum, Billings and Pierce vacating the
offices to which the people elected them?
The offices to which they have been APP
pointed by Gov. Hatfield could have
been filled by thousands of Republicans
just as worthy and competent as the leg
islative trio. Right here in Preston
county we have hundreds of Republicans
whose party work and loyalty Git party
service and loyalty are the controlling
factors in the Hatfield appointments) are
ten times more deserving than McCrum
and Pierce. No doubt Tucker county
could furnish a like number who are
more deserving than Billings.
But we must search farther for the
reason OF the appointment OF members
OF the legislature. We learn from our
exchanges that other members of the
| legislature who were as painstaking as
our representatives to vote for the Hat
Held policies OF increasing the state tax
from 10 cents to ii cents and exempting
coal, oil and gas from like increase.
have been rewarded by appointment to
office like our representatives.
The average taxpayer, regardless of his
political affiliations, will naturally con-
clude that the appointment of members
of the legislature is largely due as a re-
ward for their loyal support of the Hat
field policies, which policies consist in
the increase OF the state tax from 10 cents
to ii cents and the exemption of coal,
oil and gas from additional taxation.
| In such appointments Hatfield evil
IDENTIFY imagines that the members of the
legislature carry the vote of their respec-
tive counties in their vest pocket. 1t is
Il NN'N W aNNAoS AAit IONtAuOT lllaL III tie
members wore gnat's vest the pocket
would suffice to hold the votes that the
members control in this neck of the
woods. Such is the influence of the leg
islators that he has appointed.
| The ARGUS is emphatically opposed to
| the calling of a special election to elect
successors to McCrum, Billings and
Pierce. The people are already bur
dened with taxation, and to impose ad-
ditional taxes upon them by holding a
| special election is crime upon the
| people. Besides, THE ARGUS believes
that the people Will be greatly benefited
by not having such representatives to
| represent them. What legislation did
| McCrum, Billings and Pierce vote for
was beneficial to the whole people? Did
| they not vote to increase the state tax
| from ten to fourteen cents on the one
hundred dollars valuation. the tax that
falls so heavily upon the shoulders of the
farmer and the workingman2 Did they
not vote to exempt coal, oil and gas from
additional taxes? Did they not vote to
create hundreds Of worthless and unnec-
essary public Offices with large salaries
attached? Did they not vote to increase
the salaries Of hundreds Of the old public
officials? Then why burden the tax
payers with additional taxes to elect sue
cessors who in all probability would vote
just like McCrum, Billings and Pierce,
who have been so generously rewarded
by Gov. Hatfield for their loyalty to his
state house machine. No, the people can
well afford to dispense with such public
servants. The less they have Of such
machine-made servant creatures the bet
ter of they are.
THE ARGUS hopes that the Preston News
after mature reflection will heartily agree
with il that special election would only
work hardship upon the taxpayers
without any special benefit 10 them.
What a pity our foresight is not as
good az our "hindsight." Some years