The Washington times., 1936-03-05
SEN. HOLT FOES
SURE NEELY
WILL WIN
BY RANDOLPH BLINN

NEW AL NOoO ~
wondering whether democracy got
the better of the bargain in the
long and finally successful fight
to seat Rush" Holt in the Senate,
have about decided that the youth
full Senator is something Of an
enigma.
Despite recent forages con-
Quoted against the Administration
in West Virginia, Senator Holt
still has his followers, largely be-
cause of his declarations on the
floor of the Senate that he is
100 per cent for President Roose-
velt." But adherentS Of Senator
Matthew M. Neely made no secret
of their disapproval Of the conduct
Of the youthful Holt.
These attacks of Senator Holt
have had one immediate result:
They have welded the friends OF
Senator Nicely into a band which
has two main objectiveS, the re-
election of Senator Nicely and the
political determination OF Senator
Holt.
While it is true Senator Holt
has four more years OF his pres
ent term to go-and much may
happen in politics in four years
there is a way whereby the Holt
opponents might be able to dis
credit him or try to. That way
lies in the election of delegates
at-large to the Democratic Ma
tional Convention.
The Sheriff Speaks
So confident are Hollis antago-
niSts he would be showed under,
that they have in recent days ex-
pressed the fervent hope he would
announce himself as a candidate
for delegate. Here is what Homer
c. Toothman, sheriff of Marion
county and follower of Senator
Nicely, had to say:
"HOlt carried my county by
$500 votes in 1884. If he runs
for delegate this year he will
not get 500 votes in ALL"
Marion county is the home Of
Clem Shaver, one-time chairman
of the Democratic national com.
mittee.
Shaver ran against Holt in
1884, but lost his own county,
political wiseacres say, because
Toothman, who is mot without
influence in Marion county," de-
cided Holt more nearly repre-
sented the political philosophy of
President Roosevelt. These same
observers declare now that what
Toothman has done before he
can do again-with the reverse
English.
Naturally, all this has a bear
ing on the candidacy of Senator
Neely to succeed himself. The
attacks which Senator Holt has
made upon the Administration of
WPA affairs in West Virginia
are declared by Holt's opponents
to have but one object, the elm
ination of Senator Nicely. They
point out the chances are about
one in a hundred that Senator
Nicely could be beaten this year
for the Democratic nomination.
and so, they intimate, there can
be but one other end in view and
that is the election of Republi-
can Senator, which would make
Senator Holt not only senior Sen
ator from West Virginia. but the
sole dispenser Of patronage in his
State in the event President
Roosevelt is reelected.
This. the Neely supporters say,
Is wild dream. They assert the
Senator will be reelected by ma
jority greater than he had in 1880,
which was in excess of 10000.
Labor Support
To support this contention, they
point out that he will have the
undivided and ardent support of
John L. Lewis, president of the
United Mine Workers of America,
and Van Bittner, president of the
West Virginia coal miners union.
In addition. they assert, Senator
Neely's position on the holding
company bill and the IVA, both
Of which he opposed and voted
against, has made friends for him
among the more conservative vot-
ers. 1t has been charged that the
iva costs West Virginia the loss
Of the sale of 100000 tons of
coal a year. On this issue, then,
the operators and the miners seem
to find themselves in complete
agreement
In the meantime, Senator Holt
goes right on wading into F..
Witcher McCullough's administra-
tion of WPA in West Virginia. 1t
is understood he has another col
lection of charges to present to
the Senate soon.
1t was reported Holt intended
to make speech in Logan county
this week, in which he would pay
his respects to Van Bittner, but
the Senator said today his next
appearance on the West Virginia
platform would be in Huntington
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