The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-11-20

ing their gossip on the party fu-
.ture. It is the party corpse in their
own native commonwealth, the
stage OF its decomposition and
what, II anything. can be done to
'resuscVitate It. The giSt of their
views Is that former Senator VIII
liam E. Chiffon is in u~ndisputed
custody Of the remains, and it Is
wholly up to him to make whatever
disposition Of the same he may de-
eide is best. What remains OF the
party organization, 1t is pointed out,
is his in its battered entirety, and
that It is such a hopeless minorito-
rious minority that 1t isn't likely to
appeal to either former Senator
Clarence w. Watson or Governor j.
,Cornwell as an asset either now or
anyways soon in the future. In fact,
according to the conversation OF
those Democrats who are suppOs-
ed to be in the know. Colonel Wat
son gave Democratic politics in
West Virginia the cold, disinterest-
ed go-hy some months ago, and
Governor Cornwell, by accepting a
dictatorship with the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad company, has taxi
en- himself out Of the reckoning.
That leaves nobody except Mr..
Chiffon. 1t Is all his 10 have ana
to hold and to do with as he
now and forever, or words to
that general effect.
The politicians Of the party at
tribute large Significance to Govern
or Cornwell's election to the B. and
o. board. They constrne it to mean
that he is done with politics, and
that those quite numerous Demo-
Gratis who were looking to him to
be their party's candidate for
United States Senator In 1922 may
read their disappointment in the
announcement Of his election to
the railroads directorate. That it
is a disappointment to these numeT-
Gus and ardent admirers, no one
will hardy question. for Govern
or Cornwell Is undoubtedly the
strongest man. from the standpoint
of personal popularity, In his party.
He would have been a hard man,
the politicians r agreed. for Chill.
ton n anybody else to beat for the
nomination in the primary. and he
would have worried the opposition
party more thany any other Demo-
crat who may be nominated for
the Senate two years from now.
Cornwell and Chiffon have been re-
garded as very probable rivals for
the senatorial nomination. as rivals
for party leadership. but since the
election of Cornwell to the B. and
o. board that view is entirely
changed. Gov. COrnwGll is look
ed upon rs out OF the game" now.
and to have switched the course OF
his are into the channel where
on the craft OF large business rides
the shifting tides.
The retirement of Governor CnrO-
well and Colonel Watson from act
i've party politics and leadership is
regretted by other and lesser DEM
ocratic leaders as a great loss to
their party. Especially ~regretful
are those partymen who have new
er taken kindly to the leadership
of the Chiffon or Kanawha county
group of leaders, whose unchalleng.
ed control of the Uhrty organization
from now on, these men say, does
not argue well for the party's flu
ture. They have a long list CT faults
to find with his leadership. and
one of their freshest grievances is
that they charge him with the
course that the party took in he
recent State campaign, which was
such that thousands OF the better
element of Democratic voters would
not stand for It and scratched their
tickets for the benefit of certain
of the Republican nouinees. They
qiute generally expect Mr.. Chiffon
to be the senatorial nominee two
years hence. probably unopposed
for the nomination.