Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-24
IN WEST VIRGINIA
The Tide Appears to Be Setting With
the Republicans.
ATTITUDE OF THE LABORING CLASSES
No Test as Yet in Mr.. Wilson'S
District.
MIR. ELKINS' CAMP AIGN

Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.
CHARLESTON. W. Va, October "a
| few days ago Chairman BaDcock of the re-
| publican congressional committee at Wash
| ington told the writer that Indications fore
| shadow the election of three republican
| Congressman out of four In the West Viz
ginia delegation. of two or three in Nir-
| ginia, of two at least in Kentucky and
| similar gains in North Carolina and Ten
nessee. Personal observation thus far tends
| to show that there are some good grounds
| for Mr.. Babcock's prediction.
| While 1t Is not the purpose of these dis
| patches to venture opinions, but only to
| state the facts of the situation gathered
! from fair and impartial investigation of
| the conditions surrounding the campaign
ana let the reader draw his own conclu-
| sions, 1t may not be amiss to say that the
| tide appears to be setting with the re-
publicans In this state 1t NAV be taare is
an ufderfiow of popular feeling which viii
only come TO the surface election day
but II Is doubtful If 1t exists to the extent
OF stemming the republican torrent.
The main source of danger to the demo-
cratic candidates for Congress in this
state Is the blind, unreasonins attitude OF
the laDorlng classes. They have suffered
priVation and poverty during the general
depression in common with the rest Of the
country though 10 a more general extent
probably, than in many other sections Re.
PUBLICAN campaign speakers attribute their
ueplorable condition to democratic admin
lstratloh ana they are prone To accept the
explanation. There must De some excuse
LOT III, they say, and the democrats are
IN power and the republicans charge them
Win being to blame. why, ii must be- SO.
west virginia has large proportion of
lts population engaged in Industrial pur-
suits, and the coal mines, lumber plants
ana iron, glass and steel factories have i'm
more prosperous times in connection with
.he lnree great trunk railways which span
the state, probably furnished employment
10 more men and supported more families
and business than the agricultural pursuits
of the people. All these lines of industry
have been crippled, and the republicans are
threatening the voters with a further de-
preston In some lines on account of demo-
cratic legislation alleged to be unfavorable
thereto.
Conditions of Democratic Success.
Democratic success depends upon wheth-
er they can throw off the burden of re-
sponsibility for the condition of the times
which the republicans are SO assiduously
placing upon their shoulders. They are at
tempting to shift the load, by vigorous
campaign of oratory and enthusiasm, of ex-
PLANTATION and education and the arousing
of the old furore attending the campaign
which resulted in the landslide of 1882. The
republicans are just as busily engaged in
talks to the workingmen, at the mouth of
the mine, on the sawdust heaps OF the mill
and at the gatherings around the stores.
In the agricultural sections the democrats
talking about the cheapened cost Of
clothing and articles of necessity, while
the republicans point to the low prices OF
farm products as an instance Of democratic
administration. The republicans say the
new tariff law is the product of periidy,
dishonor and trust domination. while the
democrats retort that it is - per cent bet
ter than the Mckinley law.
The manufacturing cities of Wheeling,
MoundsVl.e and EeEwUCd, ana the indus
trial communities of the country bordering
on the Ohio river, west of Mr.. Wilson's dis
trict and Eorth of Mr.. Capeharts, comprise
the first congressional district now repre-
sented in the House by Mr.. Pendletcn. He
had hard time to pull through at the last
election. receiving a majority OF 2bG out of Il
total vote of 40 GOJ. He is rot candidate
this time, Mr.. John ID. Howard Of Wheel
ing posing the Ajax v no will defy the
republican lightning Capt Il. Is. Dovener,
the republican who gave Mr.. Penuleton such
a tight pull in 1892, has decided to try il
again, and is making an energetic canvass
OF the district. He is talking hard times
and tariff, and making promises of pros
perity and more money If the republicans
are permitted to win. The democrats i
their moments Of highest enthusiasm do n }
bring themselves to really believe tnat the
can carry this district. although they som =
times let hope become father to the thouS
that perhaps they may yet pun through.
With a constituency composed almost en-
trely Of workinGmen and others dependent
upon the depressed industries of the dis
trtct, II seems almost impossible to serious
ly entertain hope of democratic success.
Along the Ohio.
The fourth district, Mr. Capeharts, TAX
ing in the rich farming lands of the loamy
river bottoms along the Ohio and the fer
tile uplands of the hills beyond, furnishing
largely agricultural community should,
and does, yield the brightest hope to the
democracy, but, explained in the dis
patches of last Monday, there are qualify
ing conditions even here to rufle the smooth
complacency of the democrats and to pre-
sent vulnerable points in this their last out
post against republican encroachment.
The democrats needs must quarrel among
themselves about the senatorial situation
still long ways off, squabbling over their
chickens before they are hatched The bad
feeling produced by this extends to the con-
gressional fight as well, and leads some of
the factions to declare that they won't play
any more, and Mr.. Capehart refused to run
again. Moreover, there are in this district
also some depressed industries and over
300 lille workingmen. who are hearkening
to the republican bugle call. If the demo-
Gratis could but gerrymander one little cor
ner Of this district and throw these discon-
tented wor<ingmen into MIR. Alderson's dis
trict they might make a job lot of all the
| dissatisfied labor votes and tell the repub-
| Hcans to take them.
Another rich field for sowing republican
seed in the present campaign is the third
district. comprising all of that portion of the
state lying south of Mr.. Wilson's district
and east of Mr.. Capeharts. 1t takes in the
two principal coal fields of West Virginia
the Kanawha and the Flat Top or Focal hon
tas. The latter field has had daily output
| of over 5000 tons of coal, with innumerable
coke ovens in blast. a great deal of the
Kanawha coal goes down the Ohio river in
barSes, and for this reason the democrats
have claimed that the tariff on coal does
not affect the situation in this section. The
Pocahontas coal goes almost exclusively by
rail- to the Atlantic coast and will meet the
competition of the Nova Scotia product let
| in under the new tariff. This district also
! includes an extensive lumber region. The
dissatisfaction with the democracy is known
| to be extensive among the labor classes, and
| the republicans are trying to infect the
farmers with the same distemper Mr. AL
derson is making a good fight. and the re-
| publican candidate, Mr.. Huling, Is following
the lead of Mr.. Elkins and working a quiet
and business-like campaign.
Mr.. Wilson's District.
OF Mr.. Wilson's prospects, obstacles and
general outlook enough detail has been
Il