Evening star., 1928-10-21
HATFIELD IS OUT
TO DEFEAT NEELY
Republicans Apt to Retain
Advantage in West
Virginia.
Special Dispatch to rh. Star.


CHARLESTON. w Va. october 90.
The congressional outlook In this
State Is favorable to retention Of the
present Republican advantage and. in
lesser degree. to the election Of solid
delegation from that party. II such
solidity is attained Senator Neely and
Representative O'Brien of the third
district must be defeated. a harder task
in the first instance than in the second.
II Senator Nicely was not pitted
against the redoubtable Or. Hatfield,
who was elected governor in 1912 when
Wilson won the electoral vote of the
State, his chances for reelection would
be as good as even despite the heavy
normal Republican majority. Neely Is
by far the strongest man in his party
in West Virginia since former Senator
Chiffon announced that he had no fur
ther ambition for Office. His public
record on the whole has been satisfac-
tory to his constituency: he is in the
good graces of the railway brotherhood:
and the American Federation OF Lapor
and his status as an unComproniSlnL
dry has not been seriously impaired q,
his stand for the wet head of his ticket.
Defeated Sutherland.
The senior Senator in 1922 defeated
the popular Senator Sutherland by H.
S07 votes. and in doing that he receivuA-
1885 fewer votes than did Chiffon NJ
his unsuccessful contest with Senator
Goff in 1924. The latter won by 49,
l9S plurality.
In one respect Senator Neely's cam
Daign has fallen down. He was bank
ing largely on his work In the lake cargo
freight rate controversy. There will be
4 split in his favor in the coal oper-
etors'. vote. heretofore practically uni.
fed f'r the Republican party but tts
break will not measure up to the pronn-
ise before the campaign opened an6
when partisanship was submerged. Sec
rotary Mellon taking a hand to dis
prove the charge OF administration
| favoritism for Pennsylvania coal in
| terests Gid much to bring about collapse
! Of this issue
The third district for a long time
/ had been dependably Republican until
Judge O'Brien two years ago defeated
the then Representative Wolverton by
2.235 votes. In 1922 the first and the
third districts were the only ones in
the State to stay in the Republican
column. The O'Bricn off-year victory
was due to a combination of unusual
circumstances and would be dificult to
repeat in presidential year. Wolver-
ton IS likely to regain his seat In
1925 Judge O'Brien received 10672
fewer votes than were polled In 1924
BY the Democratic candidate defeated
! oy Wol"ertcn.
Shot Seen Ahead.
Hugh Ike Shott. Bluefeld publisher,
unoppcSed in the primary in the fifth
district for the Republican nomination
to succeed Representative Strother, ap-
pears to hare much the best Of it in
his contest with former State Senator
John Kes. This district with one ex-
ception. has gone Republican since its
! formation. in 1915.
| Representative Bachrlan, first; Bow
| man. second; Hughes. fourth. and
England. sixth district, seem to be
| reasonably assured of reelection Eng
land had close call two years ago,
but he was running against the best
Democratic vote getter in the district
former Representative Taylor. now
candidate for governor. Mayor Joe l..
Smith of Beckley, locally popular, is
the opponsnt this time.
Co" Smith probably will get more
Republican votes in the first tWheeling)
district than in any other district In
the State. but this shift is not ex-
pected to endanger Representative
Bachmann's candidacy. In the second
district Representative Bowman has a
| strong competitor in State Senator Ben
H. Hinsr. Harry H. Darnal, Hunting
ton attorney. Is battling with the vet-
eran, Representative Hughes.
LYNN KIRTLAfID.