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c H A p T E R s E v E DIVIDED REPUBLICANS PREPARE FOR THE WAR OF 1912 "We could all get together, call each other names, 'cuss' a little . .."1 N SINCE THE 1908 ELECTION, Governor Glasscock and other top Republicans concluded that the Republican State Committee needed a complete reorganization because they had lost confidence in its ability to lead the party to victory and to do its duties fairly. After all, the governor knew firsthand the inner workings of that group and, in fact, was a member when they selected a compromise gubernatorial candidate in 1908. The severe defeat in the 1910 election convinced Governor Glasscock that a complete overhaul of the central body was necessary in order to prevent defeat in 1912.2 While many people at that time sang a new popular refrain "Cuddle Up Little Closer, Lovey Mine;' others were also singing, "You're In The Right Church, But The Wrong Pew:' Glasscock, for one, felt that some members of the State Committee were also in the wrong pew. In his opinion, they had been too biased and too conservative in the past; he believed it had been too easy for some party members to influence committeemen because most of them were federal and state officeholders.3 This usually meant they owed their jobs to a higher political figure who could later call in debts. Glasscock wanted to put an end to that practice. 1 U.S. Senator Nathan B. Scott to Glasscock, 28 March 1911, Glasscock Papers. 2 H.C. Ogden to Glasscock, 18 February 1911, Glasscock Papers. 3 The State Committee was composed of sixteen members. In 1908, at least nine ofthese men had been officeholders. In 1911, the committeemen were O. A. Petty of Charleston; W W Whyte of McDowell County; S. v: Matthews of Charleston; Sherman Denham of Clarksburg; Howard Fleming of Fairmont; James E. Doyle of McMechen; W R. Messervie of Ritchie; Sam Dixon of Fayette County; J. E. Noel ofFayette County, the one African-American member; Robert Hazlett of Wheeling; HarryWoodyard ofParkersburg; L. G. Forman ofParkersburg; Amos Bright ofWeston; Virgil Highland of Clarksburg; J. M. Sanders of Bluefield; and E. K. Martin of Buckhannon. us CHAPTER SEVEN Following the election of 1910, Governor Glasscock sought the aid of President Taft in an attempt to secure the resignations of the federal officeholders on the State Committee. Taft agreed with Glasscock and delegated the responsibility of obtaining the resignations to Senator Scott. For his part, the governor planned to persuade the state officials to vacate their postS.4 Governor Glasscock knew it would be no easytask to remove some members, fearing they would rather disrupt the party than retire. Yet, some were also ready to resign for a price. Sherman Denham of Clarksburg and Howard Fleming of Fairmont indicated their willingness to retire if reappointed postmasters in their respective cities.s After all, President Taft's Postmaster General, Frank Hitchcock, considered the prime dispenser of federal patronage in the administration, could easily make that a reality. Bringing peace to the Republican Party in West Virginia in exchange for job security did not seem a bad deal in order to satisfy the factions.6 In addition, insiders informed the governor that Democratic Senator Clarence W Watson of the Fairmont Coal Company had influence over other committee members. Glasscock wrote to Judge John W Mason of Marion County, "I want to suggest that one of the greatest troubles in your county is that the Republican party, as well as the Democratic party, is dictated to by the Fairmont Coal Company and its officials:'? With his own party divided, and with alleged Democratic influence on the State Committee, the reform governor faced difficult times.8 Many Republicans advised Glasscock to bring party members together in some type of meeting. Some, including Senator Scott, supported the idea of a general convention , where they could meet and work out their problems. As Scott told Glasscock, "We could all get together, call each other names, 'cuss' a little, if it helps anybody, but thresh out all our differences before we have a Convention or primary, so that when we meet to nominate candidates we will all be together:'9 Governor Glasscock, however, preferred to have the State Committee convene first and then issue a call for a state convention. The committee would authorize 4 Glasscock to President Taft, 9 December 1910; Senator N. B. Scott to Glasscock, 28 March 1911, both in Glasscock Papers. 5...

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