The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-10-31
The Situation as Seen In the Lille
Mountain State.
RAILROAD MEN TO VOTE FOR Mr.. BRYAN
instances of Coercion = Republican
Free siiverits Thinks Young n
Winner-wise ON wise-Not Too
Well Satisned-sorry That He
Spoke-Politfcal Notes.


situation in West Virginia." said q gen.
tleman who has just returned from
trip through the little mountain State,
would indicate that the Democratic
majority would not fall below 5000 Hon.
w. A. Ohley, chairman of the State
Democratic Committee claims the State
by 1900. while Others place the figures
even higher. The Republicans are, of
course, claiming everything. but the
most they will get will be possibly two
Congressman, though probably only one.
The Gubernatorial contest Is too close
to be comfortable, and General G. c.
Watts, the Democratic nominee, will
have hard fight to down his opponent
on the Republican ticket. Hon. yves"
Atkinson. The latter is immensely pop
ular, particularly among the laboring
classes, while the former, owing to his
former position of United States District
Attorney, has made many enemies.
However. If one may judge from CONVEX
sations with several ithousand voters, /
think he will pull through"
You KNOW" continued the speaker,
"a fusion has been formed between the
Democrats and Populists, who are quite
numerous in West Virginia. In this
deal, Bryan will get the Peoples party
vote In that State, but there Is little rea-
son to believe that any of 1t will be
thrown to THE Democratic candidate for
Governor"
1.-The people of West Virginia have
gone politically mad. They neither talk
eat, or write about anything else, and
the vote polled Tuesday will he the
largest ever cast IN the State. While his
attitude has been a conservative one,
Governor McCorkle has been doing some
good work for Bryan and Watts, and the
per centage OF detection to the gold
ranks has been smaller by a great deal
than down in the old State. On the
oher hand, free silver Republicans are
comparatively numerous and very ac-
tive. For instance, Mr. Abraham Bur-
lew, one of the most prominent Republi-
cans in the State, on Monday night pre-
sided over one OF the largest Demo-
cratic mass meetings of the campaign
in Charleston. This was addressed.
among Others, by General st. Clair, an
ardent free silver man, but better known
as n corporation lawyer. The mining
vote. for the most part, will go to Bry-
an, and also an aStonlshingly large part
of the railroad vote. / talked with a
number of employees of the Chesapeake
and Ohio and Ohio Central systems, and
they all told me that while they were
wearing Mckinley buttons, and whoop-
ing things up for the Major, they were
going TO cast their ballots for Bryan and
Watts. though they would not care to
have the fact generally known. Some OF
these men are openly working for free
silver. At a recent meeting addressed
by General Watts, twerty employees of
the X. & NJ. railroad came up to him
and whispered that they were with him
ut the polls"
You talk about coercion in the old
State. you all don't know anything
about 1t down here. The issue in Virgil
MIA is not doubtful and all the coercion
in the world would not change her vote,
but in West Virginia. where the result is
close, one finds coercion not only among
the large corporations, but in private
concerns. For example. we'll known
shoe house two years ago employed a
very valuable salesman, securing him
from an establishment with which he
had been connected for many years.
This salesman developed free silver
symptoms in the beginning of the cam
paign and was discharged wlthou, no.
tice or specific reason. In the large
wholesale and retail houses the clerks
who are sensible are keeping their
mouths shut and holding their jobs
THINKS YOUNG A WINNER.
Hon. George E. Bowden was in the