Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-07-12
"CIem" Shaver of CIarks-
burg, West Virginia, Con-
Quoted Letter Campaign
Against Nominees Wishes
BY THEODORE TILLER
Journals Washington Correspondent

JOurnaPS Washington Correspondent
NEW YORK, July 10.-If John
w. Davis is elected president the
Davis administration no doubt will
have it's own Colonel House-a quiet
little man from West Virginia who
five years ago had vision about
the Democratic nominee of today.
A few hours before the nomination
Of Mr.. Davis this man was practi-
cally unknown, retired West Vir-
ginia lawyer, who likes cattle rails
ing, fancy chicken farming, fox
hounds and fox hunting. From now
on the white light of publicity must
play upon him.
This man is C. L, Shaver, of Fair
mont. They call him "Clem" in
West Virginia. He is a quiet-man-
nered, modest and unassuming type
of man, with a head full of brains.
He is a man with the characteris-
tics of Colonel House, who figured
so prominently in the Wilson admin
istration.
"Clem Shaver, about fifty-eight
years DID, fairly wealthy had his
Davis vision. five years ago when
the Democratic candidate was am
bassador to England. He talked
about it during the day and dream
ed Of it at night. He took into his
confidence c. f. Smith, editor of the
Fairmont Times: Louis Johnson, of
CIarksburg; Scott G. Lowe and Hor-
ner Davis, a cousin of John w.
Davis.
Club Launched
These men became infected with
the Shaver "Davisitis." So on Au-
gust 10, 1919, the without Mr..
Davis knowledge or permission,
launched THE Home Club of
Clarksburg." This club with quick
thinking but mild-mannered Glen"
Shaver as its commander-in- chief,
began the Davis boom in a quiet
way, and at a time when many of
the leading political figures of West
Virginia openly sidestepped it.
THE Hometown club" engineer
ed the Davis movement entirely
from Clarksburg. There it nursed it.
from there it sent letters to all the
prominent Democrats throughout
the nation; there it kept card in
dex of the men to whom the Davis
idea" was sold; from there it sent
out small, modest pamphlets telling
of Davis life story, of his record as
country lawyer, of his achieve
ments in congress, Of his work as
solicitor general, of his fame as am
bassador to Great Britain. 1.-THE
Hometown club with "Clem"
Shaver, ED" Smith, the newspaper
man; Horner Davis, did all this in a
dignified way that was compatible
for the man they were booming for
president. This club was formally
organized on August 10, 1919. 1t
doomed Davis for the 1920 nomina-
ton at San Francisco. 1t then plant
ed the seed for the Davis movement
in 1924. 1t never lost heart; it never
got DISCOURAGED Glen" Shaver. it's
commander-in-chie always kept
the spirits of coworkers high by de-
claring, Boys, something tells me
Davis is bound to win; let's keep
at it,
Moved on to New York
THE Home Town club" kept plug
ging away at Clarksburg until about
four days before the Democratic
convention convened in New York.
Mr.. Shaver came to New York ten
days before the convention, and
weeks later he opened THE Home
Town club headquarters in the Wal
dorf hotel. There the Davis presi-
Dental campaign quietly functioned.
1t didn't make much noise, but it
worked.
Upon arriving in New York, two
new leaders were added to THE
Home Town club" forces. They
were Frank L. Polk, former under
secretary of state in the Wilson ad-
ministration, and former United
States Senator Clarence watson, of
West Virginia. Senator Watson and
Mr.. Polk, with Mr.. Shaver as the
commander in chief, constituted
themselves the Davis strategy COM
mittee. They had complete direc-
ton of the Davis movement from the
time the convention opened until Da-
Wis was nominated.
The campaign to nominate John
w. Davis for president has cost
less perhaps than any other similar
campaign Of recent years, including
1 believe, the Bryan nomination in
1896" said Mr. Shaver after the
West Virginian had been nominated.
Mr.. Shaver. in true Col. House style,
was reluctant at first to talk about
the Davis movement.
All the money spent in the long
five years we have been working
was put UP by the Clarksburg peo-
pie. We didn't get a cent from the