Evening star., 1900-10-02
Representative Freer Reaf6rms Re-
publican Victory.
BRYAN'S TOUR LOST him VOTES
A Lively Campaign is Arousing the
People to Action.
INTERESTING LOCAL ISSUES


| through this city yesterday, and in an in
| terview at the Varnum with a Star reporter
| expressed the utmost confidence Of the re-
publicans carrying the state in November.
| Il spoke Saturday night at Charles
| town, in Representative Dayton's district,
and we were exceedingly gratitied at the
fine showing made by the republicans In
| this heavily democratic town." said Judge
| Freer. This Is the second district. so long
| represented in Congress by former Post
| master General William l.. Wilson. Twelve
years ago republican speaker would hard
| ly have been tolerated there. while now he
| is listened to with respect by large audi
| ences. This indicates the remarkable
change of sentiment which Is rapidly and
| steadily making West Virginia for good
| republican state. Charlestown is in Jeffer
| son county, and. with Hardy and hamp-
| shire counties, the democrats have about
! $500 majority, as it is the democratic
| stronghold of the state. As Preston, Mo-
/ nongala ana Grant counties have about
| 5000 republican majority, l look upon Mr..
DaytonS return as certain.
Mr.. Wilson's letter in which he
nounced his intention of voting for Bryan
| fell fiat. and without political effect.
| L is my impression that one of the Charles
| town papers ignored it altogether, saying
| that he was no longer political factor in
| the state If IL is thought in Washington
| that 1t had weight in West Virginia such
| Would Welcome Bryan Again.
Instead of fearing Bryan's tours in our
| state, we wish him to visit US again. If he
| does We will roll up majority of 5000 for
| Mckinley. We want him to stay with us
! for week. He is a good republican vote
getter in West Virginia. AT Clarksburg,
| the boom town in the state, where the in
habitantS making lots of money and
| are as busy as bees, his speeches We're
| laughed at by the people and ridiculed by
the democratic press. In every town in
| which he spoke he lost votes. AT " neeling
| he said We We're enjoying prosperity,
| that the Workingmen We're not getting their
| dues and the farmers were struggling for
| their lives, when as a matter OF fact Wheel
/ ing has never known such industrial activi-
| ty, its population IS employed at good
wages and the farmers have been having
| splendid seasons. His calamity talks in
| prosperous West Virginia proved boom
| erangs
THE republicans are making great prep
| arations to receive Col. Roosevelt who will
| spend two days in the state and speak at
| Wheeling, Parkersburg, Charleston and
| otner places We are going 10 give him
| rousingiy enthusiastic reception which will
| wake the state up from one end to the
| other.
In fact, our campaign is warming up in
| the most satisfactory manner. and will con-
| tinue to boil as the day Of election ap-
| proaches. On last Saturday probably 200
| republican speakers We're addressing meet
| ings, while 1t is arranged to hold at least
! one big meeting a week in most of the
| counties.
| There will be no repetition of 1892 in
| West Virginia this year. The republicans
| Were too sure then. and they did not make
| the eXertion necessary to carry the state
| and get the voters out. We have had
| enough of democratic rule in our state As
| an example of what We doing | will
/ cite that the state committee alone had
| twenty-five prominent speakers under its
| control on last Saturday speaking from
| the stump
| The Republican Poll Accurate
| What would be the probable source OF
| republican weakness in the state?" was
| asked.
| "A great many sound money democrats
| are at heart with us, as they are thorough
| ly opposed to the issues Bryan stands for
| They consider that Bryan's election Is i'm
| possible, but they will vote for him in or
| der TO be restored in good standing with
| their party, feeling that the Senate would
| check any free silver legislation even IL he
| were elected.
| Il notice IN the press dispatches this
| morning that Chairman Miller of the demo-
cratic state committee claims the state by
| 800 majority for Bryan. the result, as he
| says, of an accurate poll. / cannot con-
| ceive uDon what he bases his figures The
| republican poll made carefully by school
] districts shows the state to be republican
by 2l,HD. / fancy that WaShngtonians
| have thought the claims OF the democrats
\ are somewhat erratic in view of existing
| facts. and can account for them only upon
/ the basis of the Legislative vote. They
! think they will elect the legislature and
SO they claim the state on national and
state tickets. / believe most empha tically
| that will have a legislative majority of
| from 10HD to 12.9D. Furthermore, our
pol, was not based upon the census returns,
/ as the democrats charge, but upon actual
| figures from school districts
The Drift Toward Republican Su-
premacy.
| "Now let me give you an Illustration OF
| the way things going in West Virginia
| which is official authentic and convincing
| In Preston county in a new voting pre-
| cinct established this year the poll showed
| les republicans to democrats. In four
precincts In Grant county the poll stood
Ill to 2, 125 to 2. ia to and 1o1 to 3, re-
pubicans and democrats, respectively. The
| county is republican now by 1000 majority,
| whereas twelve years ago 1t had large
democratic majority.
| Another important point. In some of
| the counties where there are no mines or
| industrial enterprises and into which no
| outside population has flowed and where
| twelve years ago three-fourths of the voters
| were democrats, the sentiment has veered
| around to the republicans, proving that
| these republican votes have been evolved
| from the native population and are not i'm
| ported The drift among the young men
| in these counties is toward the republican
| party.
Now for the other end. OF the oil vote
| three-fourths of the operators and labor
| ers come from western Pennsylvania, and
| are solidy republican. l estimate this vote
| at from 5000 to 5000. There $1,000
| more voters in the state than in 1893, ac-
cording to the report of the labor commits
| sioner. and of these three-fourths for
| the republican ticket. The colored vote,
too is with us this year without the least
disaffection. and 1t is very important
factor.
LAS for the democrats locally, they are
all split up In a bitter fight over the legis-
latiye ricket, the warning factions being
led by Ex-Governor McCorkle and John T.
McGraw, respectively. Each man wants
to be senator in the event of the legisla-
ture being democratic, and 1t is fight to
| the death with the knife going in to the
hilt at every jab. In the republican camp
all is harmony and concerted action.
New Mines, Mills and Railroads.
1.-THE political and material conditions In
my state may be better understood by
] those who live out OF 1t when say that