The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-06-16
B(llI(III IlI.l ton
WITH SHOES
How FlYEsc1TIZENS Q e MiSSo1U
- x 0EREB REED RllT:Ho Ut
4 Elf KIN OWING 49, s..
~ HING asO Gt7

Tic MIDI e :ot the las century
Ssorl 81 .pri ber5s. was not
used With the horror that 1t is in
8 3 Mis- soiIri now says the. New York
s. san. rs c.a1di dates thought nothing
Il OF putting sbarrel OF wiliskey ct
some convenient place for the voters
OR even ief,dinG hem few dollars
aT&i ON MOODY, Of Macon coun IS;
MO. tells OF an election; in is3i ~
s ss%ssVii lie Il a8 ndidate Won his way into
S tate Legis Stature by \ iudictoas
gtributiorI of plough shoes.
Z n Iliarn e aIcberly and John Hal
stead were the rival candidates
ass SAID ali MOODY. Bloom in ton, the
eounty scar. vas the only voting
lii made a long trip Tor some
voters. and they We're noE fos
famed for failing 10 exercise tf,etE
mt 81 sn ffrase nnless the men ~"
wed tshsir votess made It worth
lie.
ttobelr.iy was WING aud HaIstead
an ard ent Democrat. was helping
aIobegly. Iaia dag aeF5se election
we iiad ia long and earnest conssslta-
ton assto the best way Of getting the
remote voters TO the polls. The in
sdicat ions Nv ere the yote would be
355sssclose Both candidates We're Dopu-
ar III; they had made a thorough
canvass
1T hapnened that when ! FIRST
came here I located in the eastern
part of the county, and knew NUN
B Der of theIn there. That is where
n we looked for the greatest apathy. on
accountsof the distance from Bloozn-
Ing on. BIZ they would he willing 20
vote for eth er candidate who would
lrIIi sh the way TO get to the polls
IN those days most Of the farmers
work ed in their bare feet in warm
4 sweat Their btItsof course they wouldn't
go to town that way. That gave us
s AMI efea. Cold weather would soon he
on. and sSth e farmers would be need
ing shoes.
.ssaIoberly went TO a general Nor
Il en- andise store and bought a sack Of
ss5t the red leather variety. They cost
90 cents a pair and We're daisies. as
shoes went then They we're as
sorted sizes. but al large. TO make
the campaign complete I took along a
couple of horses for the more decreDit
to ride.
started so as to he on hand at
aybreak. First L sent four men over
4 to Bloomington on the horses. riding
double with rs tructions5 10 get back
time for another trip OF course
sSa4t hey understood that they Were in
efeDted to NIoberly's munificence for
q a trip TO town.
Then Il shouldered my sack and
circ1ed around through the country
The red leather shoes did the bust
mess. When I'd strike a member of
& ~ me advance guard of civilization.
II he'd hail me:
What We got in the sack. neigh
bor2s
q " Kickers
tas:Naw sellin' em?'
}.5s 9 tGivin' 'em away
&s.Honest? Let's take a look
ID drop the sack, and after he'd
clean the dirt off his feet he'd try on
"a pair about his size and strut around
q in them.
Like emp I'd ask
Eye bet!'
9Th eyre your'n if you'll take
little waly.'
:. Tn yours. Where do go?'
= Bloomington
Then he'd whistle, for in some
cases it meant from 80 to 40 miles
to the round trip AS he hesitated l
would tell him what time they
were having there; all the bands
We're out, speeches We're being made
and at night they'd have a bonfire.
All he had to do was to walk over and
I vote for Moberly, and the shoes were
Z his-besides having a gay time at the
county seat with nothing to pay for
lit.
1T fetched EN- in every instance
f Nosother guarantee of the perform
5ance of the contract was required |
b than the simple wore! of the voters |
Ito be. and not a man went back on |
& his bargain. Their sconsciences We're
entirely clear in the deal |
Before the afternoon came /
found men that would fit every pair
of shoes in the sack, and a line OF
patriots was strung out all the way
from Salt river TO Bloomington to
east their ballots for the man with an