The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-10-16
'llHY HAS V|NSON
JUMPED INTO THE
DEMOCRA1|CFOLD
Assuredly it Is Not Because
of the Reason He As
signs.
THAT AMUSING EXPOSE
Is Grant Hall Ashamed Of
the Part He is Called
~ Upon to Play?
BY Charles Brooks Smith


WASHINGTON, D. C.. Oct. 16.-
The Hon. Taylor vinson, Of Hunting
ton. has at last succeeded IN getting
out Of the Republican party. accord
ing to the view of It taken here, and 1t
appears to give much satisfaction to
those Republicans who hold to that
view. He has zealously knitted every
candidate for governor nominated by
the Republican party, since he join
ed that organization about the year
1900, they say. Usually, he has fought
under cover, being much better quail
fed for guerilla warfare than for
struggle in the open. II their tale be
correst. By keeping in the background
and pretending to be for the ticket.
he has enable to render most efhcient
service to the opposition to the Repub'
lican party. By personal solicitation
he could thus direct his few friends
and control them In voting for the
OPPOSITION candidates, and by appar-
emily being in favor Of the Republican
candidate, he thereby drove q much
larger number OF Republicans to sup.
port the opposition In the hope that
they were thereby expressing their
disapproval Of Vinson and his meth.
DDS He, in fact, got them both going
and coming, they say.
In the present fight, however, he
has not only climbed on the top Of
the fence, but over into the Democra-
tic pasture field, his Washington cri.
tics say. 1t is not the fact Of his
going, or that he has gone. that in.
terests them. but the purile reasons
which he has given for making the
Journey. In a movement engineered
by him, and fathered by his friend,
Marcum, which eliminated in the pub
lication Of letters from Vinson, Mar
cum, Grant P. Hall, T. e. Houston.
William Nickel and A. A. Lilly, erst-
while Honest Abe" the public is
handed the reasons why Vincon and
his immediate following cannot sup.
port Judge Ira E Robinson
Marcum outlines what he alleges to
be the terms Of an agreement reached
between Judge Robinson on one hand
and the "sore six" on the other. 1t
divides the thing into seven sections.
or, II we follow the printers methods
In subdividing the Bible, lone chap
ter" composed of seven verses" con.
tanning all OF the terms Of this alleged
agreement, and submits the same to
Hall, Houston. Mcell, Vinson and Lii
", and each one in substance writes
q letter to the yearning Marcum, and
says "Me too"
One Of the funny things that will
strike the man who looks beneath the
surface in order to know what is real
.ly' transpiring, Is the fact that Mar
cum who was not present, was enabled
to tell each person present at the al.
legged conference retail Of what trans
pored. Could 1t be possible that Tay!
Tor vinson wrote this chapter and
merely induced Marcum to play sort
of stepfather to It, and sign his name?
West Virginians here arc asking.
No matters how the child got into
this world, 1t is here. fully grown.
and ready to be tested for all vote
getting purposes, for the Democratic
party; It should be taken into the fold
and worked to the limit. Let us look
It over for a little while and see. IL
possible, what the Watson combina.
ton have really received for their
money:
The first verse provides that Rob.
inson was to publish q card OF thanks
thanking Lilly and Lilly's supporters.
and promising that they should receive
the same consideration at the Judges
hands as his own friends. This card
has certainly gone forth to the public,
decorated like a high school girls Dip
Iona, with red ribbon, and we know
OF no supporter Of Honest Abe" who
now claims he is short on thanks from
of the "vinson Quintette" feel that the
same have not been handed to them
IN accordance with their great deserts
Verse number two" stipulates that
patronage Of the governors office
Bhould be equally divided between the
supporters Of Lilly and the supporters
OF Robinson. Up to the present, Judge
Robinson has not been disbursing any
patronage Of the governors Office, but
insists from the stump that he will
recognize no faction in the Republi.
can party IN making appointments, but
will look solely to efficiency and the
best interests Of the state. To the lay
mind It Is hard to understand WHY
five' eminent lawyers would accuse
Judge Robinson, an ex.members Of the
Supreme Court Of the state, Of max.
ing promises in distribution Of patron.
age, which. II actually made, would
disqualify him from holding the of.
fice OF Governor, and furnish the basis
for conviction Of a felony.
II viii he somewhat difficult to make
the thinking people OF West Virginia
Ibelive thst Judge Robinson went any
further in tho patronage matter than
he has himself stated. The statute
docs not entirely overlook the party
|Who induces a candidate for office to
violate the corrupt practice act, and
81 the implied promises charged
aEriist Judge Robinson were really
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