100 Years Ago Today
by Brandon Woolum
Huntington News Network Writer
Huntington (HNN) Charleston – From present indications the session of
the legislature just beginning will be the stormiest that body has held for
many years. Already the Republican brethren are up in arms against each
other, and the little cloud no bigger than a man’s hand that appeared on the
political horizon at the beginning of the last campaign and continued to
grow until it almost cost the Republican party the office of governor, seems
to be still getting larger and darker, and now threatens to overwhelm that
party in utter defeat. The chief house of contention just now is the
prominent committee ship of the two houses. The administration, it seems, was so hard put that it was necessary to give these desirable places to persons who had been formerly supposed to reside outside of the administration’s camp, and thus threw down those gentlemen who have always been its most ardent supporters.
Among the giving out of chairmanships, which made it is reliably reported, will be made early this week are the following:
In the senate Senator L. J. Foreman will be made chairman of the judiciary committee. Senator Alex McVeigh Miller will be made chairman of the finance committee; Senator McDermott will be given the chairmanship of the committee on railroads and Senator C. W. Swisher will be made chairman of the committee on mining.
Now it is well known that it was the ambition of Senator John Shertuan Darst to be chairman of the finance committee. Mr. Darst was an original administration man. He stumped the state in the company with Mr. Dawson and was a Northcott man form the time that gentleman’s name was mentioned in connection with the presidency of the senate. Mr. Miller, while a republican who did everything he could for the ticket, was not known as being so warm in his support of the administration, yet he got the chairmanship and Mr. Darst got the snow water.
Now some Republicans are indiscreet enough to say that Clark May and Charles Swisher fixed up the committee for Mr. Northcott.
In the house Mr. McCamic will be chairman of the judiciary committee. Mr. Powell will be chairman of the finance committee and Mr. Maxwell of Harrison County, will be chairman, of the committee on railroads. It is well known that Mr. Thomas W. Fleming thought he was laid aside for the other man. And so the fight goes merrily on down the line nearly every man who wanted a place and thought his services to the distributing power entitled him to it, and in fact almost felt it within his grasp, has been turned down for a new man.
All of these disappointed men have good, long, sharp knives up their sleeves for the pet measures of those who are responsible for their failure to get what they wanted, and they will be much in evidence on the floor of both houses during the remaining forty days of the session.
Uncle Aaron Morgan, the venerable representative from Wetzell County, does not believe in impromptu speeches. He was one of the guests at Senator Scott’s banquet at the Ruffner the other night and was called upon for a toast. The old man refused point blank and said later that if he had been notified he would have "gotten up a little piece,"but that he never talked when he had nothing to say.
Senator Kidd will introduce his dispensary law again. "I am at work on the bill now,"he said, "perfecting some of its provisions that many of its friends desire to see corrected. One of the new provisions will obviate the objection to it made by counties that are prohibition. It will apply only to the counties that vote in favor of having liquor sold within their boundaries."
"And you really mean to introduce this bill, senator?"
"Assuredly yes. It showed much strength in the senate two years ago and was only defeated on its third reading in that body by the hardest effort. The Republican Party leaders were forced to take hand to prevent its passage finally. When will it be introduced? Well it will drop some day when least expected."
That Senator Kidd proposes to renew his state dispensary bill is plain to be seen but there isn’t any strong sentiment apparent for it.
--- It develops that D. S. Mahan, the man who is now in jail here on an insanity charge, is also charged with forging a check at Charleston.
Lieutenant Pridemore of the Charleston police force is here looking up the case and should Mahan be acquitted on the insanity charge, it is probable that he will be taken to Charleston to face one more serious.
The forged check which he is alleged to have passed was cashed by the Hotel Washburn, where Mahan made his home while in Charleston. Mahan is a member of one of the most prominent families of Jackson County.