The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-05-25
APPOINTEES'
FIGHT WACED
Speculation Grows Hotter
as to Whom Ehring-
haus Will Name
By J. c. BASKERVILL
The Times-NcUS Bureau
Sir Walter Hotel

NoN'S III liA1l SeNSAAAS HuIlUSIS cow
day urging the = appointment of
certain individuals to certain jobs,
while many delegations are also
appearing in behalf of various
ones, despite the fact that Gov
ernor Ehripghaus has given no in
dIcatlon of what he intends to
do. In fact, the governor has al
ready indicated that he does not
intend to announce any appoint
mentS of any kind until next week
at the earliest ad that it may be
considerably longer than that.
The two appOintive jobs in
which there is the greatest inter
est right now and about which
there is more speculation than
any others, are those of chair
man of the new state highways
and public works commission,
which will combine the state
highway commission and the
state prison under a single board
and single executive, and the
post of commissioner of revenue.
1t rs agreed that these are the
most important appointments
which the governor has to make.
The battle of endorsements
now going on between the friends
and supporters of Chairman F..
b. JeffresS of the state highway
commission and Superintendent
George Ross Pou of the state
prison, is serving to focus more
attention upon the new Job as
chairman of the highway-prison
commission than upon the reve-
nue. post, for the time being, at
least. Within the last few days
the governor office has almost
been deluged with kilograms and
telephone calls. letters and visi-
tors urging the Appointment of
JeffreSs or Pou as head of the
new consolidated highway-prisOn
commission. Until Tuesday, JEFF
fress seemed to have the edge on
Pou in the number of endorse
ments. But within the last IS
hours. indications are that POu
has gone into the lead as far as
the number of endorsements is
concerned. And they are con-
tinuing to pour in.
The apparent cause of this sud-
den interest in the highway-pri-
son appointment and the deluge
of endorsements for both JEFF
fress and Pou, but especially of
POu. was the rather lengthy news
story in the Greensboro News of
Monday morning. from its Ra-
leigh correspondent, indicating
that Pou was conducting a per-
sonal. high pressure campaign
for endorsements for the appoint
mcut, while Jeffress was sitting
tight, attending 10 business and
making no effort to get any en-
dorsements at all, preferring to
stand or fall on his record of the
past two years. 1t indicated
clearly. according TO observers
here, that while Jeffress was in
a receptive mood to be reap
pointed to the highway job, that
he was not seeking it and was
not going to make any campaign
for it.
This story has had the same
effect upon the friends of George
Ross Pou that a red flag is sup
posed to have upon a gentleman
COW. They maintain that the in
timation that Pou has been MAX
ing a campaign for the new APP
pointment is entirely imaginative
and that instead of seeking en-
dorsements. he has been trying
to prevent his friends from doing
anything in his behalf. Many of
those close to POu maintain that
he positively does not want the
appointment as chairman of the
new consolidated commission, that
he has not and is not making any
effort to get it. They also main
tain that the Jeffress hackers
have been and now are conduct
ing a systematic campaign to get
endorsements for JeffreSs. that
this campaign was outlined at a
meeting Of district highway en-
gineers last Saturday, that it is
being engineered" from within
the highway commission and by
its employees. Charles Ross, chief
counsel for the commission. and
credited with being it's political
brains, is regarded as the leader
of the movement to secure en-
dorsementS from all sections of
the state for the reappointment
of Jeffress. ..-...- ....
1t is generally agreed here that
until a week or so ago it was be-
ing almost conceded that JEFF
fress would be reappointed, and
for two reasons, despite the fact
that he has become very I'M
popular with certain elements
over the state. One of those was
that Jeffress is conceded to have
done an excellent piece of work
the past two years as chairman
of the highway commission as re-
organized by the 1881 general
assembly and in spite of his per-
sonal unpopularitv with a large
element. The second reason was
that Jeffress was politically
fright" in that he supported
Ehringhaus for governor and is
credited by many with having
done more to bring about the
nomination of Ehringhaus than
any other one man in the state.
Still another factor pointing to
the reappointment of Jeffress
was that no one with sufficient
ability to run the consolidated
highway and prison departments
either wanted the ior or was will
ipO 70 take II There are several