Hatfield’s Hidden Agenda: Corruption Clouds Republican Meeting

In the sweltering heat of Charleston, West Virginia, on February 20, 1914, a gathering of Republicans and Progressives convened, shrouded in secrecy. The meeting, meant to discuss the future of the party, quickly turned into a platform for self-serving speeches. Thomas J. Sherrard of Wellsburg, a man with a questionable reputation, emerged as the new chairman of the Republican State committee, replacing J.S. Lakin, who had grown too comfortable with the truth.