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RH. Was the proposed severance tax a surprise to you?
CU. It was his major proposal, and he made an all-out effort to get
it passed. I opposed it because, at that time, the coal industry
had the highest rate of taxes for any industry in the gross sales
tax. They accepted those high rates in the earlier years in lieu of
a severance tax, and I felt that the government was going back on
its commitment to the coal industry.
RH. Did Marland's proposed severance tax result in the falling
out that Marland had with former governor Okey Patteson?
CU. That may have had some bearing. But I think that Governor
Marland's wholesale, ruthless firing of people who had been there a
long time — many of them were Governor Patteson's friends
— probably ruptured their relationship.
RH. The failed severance tax proposal seemed to set the tone for
his administration. He received little cooperation from the
legislature.
CU. Governor Marland was a brilliant lawyer and he loved
confrontation. I don't think it was particularly partisan; he just
liked to confront issues. And I think that kind of combativeness is
what caused his problems with the legislature.
RH. What were some of the successes of Marland's term?
CU. In my opinion, his major contribution to history was the way he
handled the school integration issue. The day after the Supreme
Court decision, he held a news conference and said that it was the
law of the land and that West Virginia would proceed immediately to
implement the decision. We had a few minor incidents here and
there, but there were no major racial confrontations. I came into
office shortly after the decision, and my first Southern Governor's
conference was during the weekend that Eisenhower had to send the
troops into Little Rock.
RH. As you know, Marland ran into some difficulties with
alcoholism and eventually ended up in Chicago driving a cab. Had
you kept in contact with him during this period?
CU. No, not after he left the state. But I could tell you that
during those morning conferences, at 9 o'clock in the morning in
this office, that he was lacing his coffee with bourbon. And I
think that was his downfall, but you have to admire the way he got
hold of himself and pulled back together.
RH. What was the overall reaction when the news of Marland's
plight first broke?
CU. There was pretty widespread awareness of his alcohol problem.
During the 1956 campaign when he was running for the senate, he and
Senator Revercomb had a televised debate. I don't know if he had a
drink before that debate or not, but it certainly appeared that
way. So, I think the perception was pretty broad that he had a
drinking problem. And the general opinion was that a lot of
Marland's dismissals were made late at night and perhaps influenced
by alcohol.
RH. The experience seemed to change him. He seemed like he was
more gracious and humble afterwards.
CU. That was definitely noticeable in the few times that I saw him
after he returned to the state. He seemed to be perfectly adjusted
and he looked well physically, but, as you know, he succumbed to
cancer not long after that.
RH. Does anything stand out about the transition from the
Marland administration to your administration?
CU. I've said both publicly and privately that the recent
transition from the Caperton administration to the current
administration was probably the smoothest one ever. Shortly after
the election, he invited me to the mansion to review briefing books
that he had prepared for each agency of state government. That was
a tremendous help. In 1956, there was no offer of any office space
or any help with the transition. I got one phone call from Governor
Marland, and he said 'If you want furniture in this office, then
you better order it because I'm taking every damn stick of it.' And
the only thing he left was one worn-out pink couch that was over
there where you are sitting.
RH. How do you compare your second go-around as governor
compared to the first term?
CU. It's so much different now. In my first term, the coal industry
was moving toward mechanization and 25% of the work force in this
state was displaced in a little over a year. That's an economic
shock that no economy can absorb, and I spent the last couple of
years just trying to dig out of the quicksand and diversify our
economy. At the time, the major corporations viewed our work force
as a strike-happy bunch of people, and most of them had us
blacklisted and wouldn't even come to look at a site. Now, the most
competitive advantage that we have is the quality of our work
force. So, everything is much more positive, including my
relationship with the legislature. Governor Marland had them in
such a habit of fighting with him that they thought that was what
they were supposed to do. Governor Caperton established a model of
cooperation, which the current legislature has become accustomed
to.
RH. Governor, is there anything you'd like to add in
closing?
CU. I remember I was having some confrontation with the
legislature. I saw Marland at a reception and he said 'You've got
to expect these things, but you can always take comfort in knowing
that the Kanawha River is right across the street from your front
door!'
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