The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-12-16
REPUBLICAN TAKES
DEMOCRATS PLACE


tive Thomas w. Harrison (Democrat)
of the Seventh Virginia district was
ousted today from the house on the
ground Of Irregularities In the 1929
election in his district.
After ousting Harrison by a vote
of 202 to 100, the house seated John
Paul, Republican contestant, who will
serve until March a.
In a parting shot at his Republican
foes just before they ousted him late
today from the house of representa-
tives on the ground Of election irregu-
larities, Representative Thomas w.
Harrison, Democrat of the Seventh
Virginia district, charged that the life
of the Republican party in his state
was based on patronage, and then
proceeded to read letters which he
declared proved incontrovertibly"
that patronage had been sold there.
Amid the utmost confusion in the
chamber, Mr.. Harrison declared that
Representative C. Bascom Slemp of
the Ninth Virginia district, and Re-
publican national committeeman, was
the dispenser of all patronage. Then,
holding aloft handful of letters and
cancelled checks, Mr.. Harrison ex-
claimed:
"The people of the country do not
altogether understand Virginia Re-
publican politics. It is a pure mat
ter of patronage, and a question Of
how they can feed at the public
trough. Why, I have been hearing
all over the district of matters about
the sale of patronage. I have been
hearing that Offices were sold for
what money there was in it, and I
have right here the incontrovertible
proof that that is the condition we
have been facing in Virginia"
"Mr. Harrison asserted that "the
head of this whole business is the dis
tinguished member from the. Ninth
Virginia district" "He is the dis
burser of all patronage" he added.
"He is the man who has to give his
Endorsement to anybody that applies,
not only in my own state but also as
l understand in other states.
81 picked up few checks-checks,
gentlemen, by the bushel. They are
indorsed, some of them by Mr.. Slemp
and some Of them by Mr.. Howard, as
his secretary" !.
SserAps,- futess,Ssps sassaanasd
the date and Mr.. Harrison replied
that they seemed to run over q year,
from December, 1920, to January,
1922. The checks were not read into
the record. Mr.. Harrison said most
of them were drawn to Mr.. Slemp and
Mr.. Howard and signed by B. R.
Powell, whom he later described, in
answer to questions from the floor,
as a patronage referee. Most of the
amounts were under 500, he said,
and several went to the Republican
national committee.
While he made no reply in the
house, Mr.. Slemp, in a statement to-
night, said that neither Powell nor
anybody else had been authorized to
connect collection of money for the
party organization with the promise
of Office, and if this had been done
it was without his knowledge, or ap-
proval.
The first of the letters read by Mr.
Harrison purported to have been
written by Mr.. Slemp to Powell in
answer to letters Gin regard to the
collection of money for postoffices."
Zone must be very careful about
this" the letter said. ut will bring
the party into disrepute, which would
be bad for everyone. We must pre-
serve our stand with the people and
the administration"
1t was on the heels of Mr.. Harri-
sons speech, which Republicans de-
scribed as an effort to attack Mr..
Slemp, that the house shut of debate
and voted, 2O2 to 100 to declare his
seat vacant. With this done, it vot-
ed, POI to 90 to seat John Paul, Re-
publican contestant, who was immedi-
ately sworn in to serve until March
4. Mr.. Harrison was elected in No
vember and will return to his old seat
IN the :.Sz cSnSrSSs