Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-10-30

A1cIo 10 FleuG0 E1luS6lI OQcOQQl-
tionally to Vote for Mark Hanna
Tor United states Senator.
Chhaces of the Democratic Leg
islative Ticket in Belmont County.
The Trouble at Bellaire.
Columbus, O., October 29-Among
The many wei known people in the
city the past week was T. l.. Lewis,
president of the Ohio Federation of
Labor, and prominent official in the
miners association of the State. Mr..
Lewis is a Republican and brother
Of w. T. Lewis, who was commits
sioner Of labor under Mckinley for
four years.
Some time before the Republican
county convention Mr.. Lewis an
nounced himself as candidate for the
Legislature from Belmont county.
Prior to the announcement of his can
didacy, Mr.. Lewis was one of the
popular men in the county of Belmont.
1t has long been the desire of the peo-
pie of Belmont county to express in
some substantial way the feeling OF
regard they entertained toward him,
and when they ascertained that he
would be willing to accept a seat IN
the Legislature they were glad. The
mere fact that Mr.. Lewis wanted to go
to the Legislature was sufficient to
indicate that shis nomination was as
good as secured. 1t was just a ques-
ton of waiting until the day of the
nomination. But before that day ar
rived Mr. Lewis and the rank and file
of the Republican party there learned
something they did not know They
found out that the common people dia
not have much to say in the nominal
Z ton of a candidate for seat in the
Legislature while Mr.. Mark Hanna
was a candidate for the Senatorship.
In the midst of his dreams as a states
man, Mr.. Lewis was rudely awakened.
He was called upon by the self-consti-
tuted leaders Of his party in, Belmont
county and invited to conference.
The substance of that conference was
that before they would allow the work
ingmen of Belmont county to name a
man after their own kind he must first
agree to do as they wished him to do.
Among other conditions they exacted
of Mr.. Lewis, he was required to ac-
knowledge that Mark Hanna was a
supreme being in the ranks Of the Re-
publican party and that everything
he did not approve Of was little short
of PROCLAMATION. IN other words, MI.
Lewis was told in SO many words that
III order to crafty his ambition for
political hOnors he must bow the knee
to the Hanna Baal and pledge him.
self in advance to support the Cleve-
land millionaire. Mr.. Lewis, it. APP
pears, had never thought of this be
fore, and he was astonished. His as
constituent increased until it reached
the stage of indignation. He got
very mad, and the more he thought
of it the madden he got. Finally lie
got so mad thinking about the situa
ton in his own county that he decided
there was nothing in craftsmanship il
he had to surrender his freedom or
thought and action to obtain election.
Bridgeport is to this day the residence
of Mr.. Lewis. He can always be
found there when he is not taken
away by the demands of his official
duties. 1t was on one of these official
trips that Mr.. Lewis was seen and
asked for an expression of the feeling
in his own county 'on the Legislative
ticket
1.-THE chances are against the Repub-
lican legislative ticket" he said. Last
year the Mckinley ticket had about
1,400 majority in Belmont county.
This year the Republican ticket will be
lucky to get any at all. There are about
$4,000 voters in the county. The Re-
publlcans have been having MAORI
ty Of about 700 all the time. A change
of five per cent. will elect the Demo-
cratic ticket and l would not be as
tonished to see a greater change than
this. 1t cannot be denied that there
is great disaffection among the work
fngmen of Belmont county. You I'M
derstand that the greater part of the
voting population is made up of organ
lied labor. We have at least fifteen
hundred miners, and there are not less
than three thousand iron and steel
workers in the county. Besides these,
the glass workers number five hun
dred.. So you see, at least five thou
sand men are more or less influenced
by prevailing conditions. To make
matters worse, there is a strike on at
the Bellaire steel works which involves
six hundred men. A year ago they
were shown contingent orders by the
firm. These orders were to he filled in
the event Of the election Of Mckinley.
III CcSC LII SIOC4ti ne 6ltCl6u tuS or
ders were not to be filed. The men
were deceived by this artifice McKin-
ley carried the county by 1,400 MAORI
ty. The men were promised more work
and better pay. Instead of getting this
they were given the opposite
1.-THE mill closed down and the men
were told that improved machinery was
to be used. AS soon as it could be plac-
ed they were to be made prosperous
Finally the mill was reopened. The
men were told that the new machinery
would make up for apparent disadvan-
tages to them by increased output.
They did not find it So Finally a new,
scale was presented to them. 1t showed
reduction of anywhere from 80 to so
per cent from the scale of last year.
The scale submitted to them by the
company, as l have said is from 80 to
so per cent. lower. In consequence the
men are on a strike. There are enough
men disaffected in this mill to make a
big change in the political complexion
of the county I think it is very i'm
probable at this time that the Republic
can legislative ticket can be elected,
and all on account OF the unpopularity
Of Hanna among the laboring element.
And l,o1ioy-a that thi, feeling pyictc