Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1916-03-25
ATTORNEY GENERAL
OPENS CAMPAIGN
IN OLD bRAXTON
THE GUBERNAToRIAL cANDl-
DATE SPEAKS THIS AFTER
NOON AT SUTTON.
MR.. LILLY PAYS HIS RESPECTS
TO OPPOSITION IN STRONG
TERMS.
SAYS HE MAKES NO APOLOGIES
FOR DISAcREEING WITH THE
ADMiNISTRATIO
Especial to The World

OU1 lON, w. va. MdFCH GU.~~ Az
torney General Abe Lilly, coming
here this morning from Harrison
county, opened his campaign in Brax-
ton county for the Republican nomina-
ton for governor of West Virginia,
speaking at Sutton this afternoon and
at Gassaway tonight.
In his Sutton speech General Lilly
referred to the election of the Repub.
/ lican ticket in Braxton county in the
i campaign of 1914 and for the first
time made reference to the registrar
'ases which went to the Supreme
Court in the campaign of that year.
He said in part:
ION this occasion ! want. to as
sure you men of Braxton county that
It gives me great pleasure to come to
Sutton. In this county in the year
/ 1914 ! considered that the Republi-
cans of West Virginia won their
greatest victory over misguided breth.
rem within and foes without the par
/ ty.
| ut was from Braxton county in
/ one instance. that the Republicans
| who realized that their party was one
| of the dominant parties of the state
and entitled to the recognition that
| It deserved, carried the battle into the
| courts and won a merited victory
| which not only resulted in Republi-
| can success in Braxton county, but
| ,aved West Virginia to the Republi-
can party. The eminent and honor
able jurists sitting on the Supreme
| Court of Appeals who wrote and
agreed upon that opinion were vindi-
Gated from the attack made upon
them when the people spoke / did
not believe then and | do not believe
now that the opinion, rendered in the
| registrar cases, was rendered for po-
| litical purposes, but in accordance
with the law of the land, justly and
properly Interpreted by conscientious
| Judges.
| The man who is now my opponent
for the Republican nomination for
! Governor was a member of that great
! tribunal when the Registrar opinion
vas handed down by the court. He
| did not agree with a majority of the
! Judges, dissenting nom the views held
BY majority of his associates.
| While | believe that ssthe greatest
Holitical party ever founded on Amer
lean soil. would have been wrecked
IN the shoals of disorganization had
| he Republican party been denied
| proper representation at the polls in
the election of that year, | do not be-
| leVe that my opponent, while a mem
Der OF that court, dissented from the
| majority opinion on account of any
! political purpose, but rather because
| ne interpreted the law differently
| rom his associates on the bench AL.
| though ! believe that the majority
| opinion was right and the Republi-
| can party later proved that it was the
| dominant political organization of the
| state, | have not attacked the Repub-
| 'lcanism OF Judge Robinson and will
not willingly permit by friends to at
| tack the allegiance of Judge Robinson
| 10 the Republican party because he
| tailed to agree with his associates on
the bench when the most vital inter
ests of the Republican party were at
stake.
! 81 concede to my opponent sin
| certify of purpose while a member of
he high court which he honored al
| though If his vision of the law had
| eeen the Interpretation of the majority
! u would have meant the humiliation
| Of the Republican party in West Vir-
%lnla for years to come. What would
| have followed Democratic victory in
West Virginia | leave to the specula-
| ton of you men of Braxton county
VINO are most competent to speak of
the stubborn resistance which is al
ways offered by the common enemy.
While | have never questioned the
| honesty or Repubicanism of nv on
ponent in this campaign, my friends
here know whether or not have been
accorded equally fair treatment.
Judge Robinson and myself have no
| quarrel, but back of my opponent you
will find small group of men. who
are living well on the public funds of
the state, who do not hesitate to at.
tack me and my Republicansm. for
which | have no apologies TO make.
My friends, ! am not running
rom their attack whether ii is made
n the open or from ambush. | did
not ask them to permit me to become
a candidate for governor. | did not
wait for their call before | decided
| that would ask you people for your
support. | did not even tell them
| they would be continued on the pay-
roll, and there, possibly, is the rea-
son for their failure, to give me their
support.
They charge that ! have attacked
he administration. Why. my friends
am the only member of the state
administration running for governor
am a part OF the administration. yet
nave not always agreed. confess,
With part of the administration. If
had, the attorney general, the chief
law officer OF the state, chosen direct
~ by the people and responsible for
them, would have been shorn of his
power in the Virginia debt suit the
most, important litigation in which
this state has been Interested in its
existence. &
Again. differed with part of the
administration on fiscal affairs. did
not believe then and | do not believe
now that we should increase the state
tax rate fortyspeE cent The Repubii.