Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-20
SAW THE COAL MINERS
Cannon Visited Heart of West
Virginia's Big Industry.
REPUBLICAN SECTION
SPEAKER STRONGLY URGED ELEC-
TIoN OF DAYTON AND DAWSON.
"Uncle Joe's" Exciting Ride Over
Mining Road - Dawson's Estimate
on State Election Results.
Special From a star Correspondent.

| Special From a STAFF Correspondent
| GRAFTON. w. Va, October oo-The
! country through which Speaker Cannon has
| passed in the last twenty-four hours Is of
| special interest in this campaign II has
been In the heart of the coal industry of the
| state and within the district of Represen-
! tative Dayton. This part of the state is
strongly republican. but Mr.. Dayton has
some complications which threaten 10 cut
| down his last majority of 1000 In the first
| pace, when the campaign for the guberna-
torial nomination was begun the principal
candidates Were Mr. Dawson who was sue
| cessful in securing it, and Mr. letters who
| for many years had been the chairman OF
Mr. Daytons congressional committee.
| Unfortunately both of these candidates
| lived in Mr. Dayton's district but he plung-
Ell into the contest in favor of Teters. He
was also opposed to Dawsons program for
| taxing property The result was when
Dawson and his tax scheme won out the
| representative and the nominee for the gov
| ernorship were widely separated. This in
| cident is the chief reason why 1t was de-
sirabe for Speaker Cannon in the role of
| peacemaker in the interest of the party to
go into that district. Today the prospects
| for harmony are very bright.
The Kingwood Meeting.
| At the meeting addressed by Mr. Cannon
yesterday at kingwood Mr.. Dayton spoke
in behalf of the election of Mr. Dawson. and
| Mr. Dawson. who arrived during the day to
| address practically the same people in the
| evening, spoke in favor of the election of
| Dayton. Kingwood beautiful town spread
over the mountain side. is the old home of
Dawson. Dawson stills retains his MEM
| bership in the little Presbyterian Church
| there. and the town and the county of
| Preston, in which It is located are full of
| Dawson's friends. who believe in him and
| in his tax law.
Yesterday the town was full of litho-
| graphic portraits of Roosevelt, Fairbanks
| and Dawson, but the features of Dayton
| could not be seen except at the speakers
stand and in front of the Office of the re-
! publican newspaper that is supporting the
entire ticket. A bundle of Daytons pic
| lures was gradually gathering covering
! of dust in the headquarters of the local
committee, but the friends of Dawson
through the town didn't care to display
them. This condition has made it probable
that Dayton would lose at least two or
three hundred votes in that county. but as
an understanding has been secured between
Dawson and Dayton for mutual support it
at least, be overcome.
Cannon's Exciting Ride.
Speaker Cannon's private car was taken
to Kingwood under difficulties yesterday.
II was run over a coal road with such
narrow curves that it escaped by a hairs
| breadth being run against the rocks and
down SO steep a grade that within dis
tance as far as from 7th to 18th street
in, Va cbi
$50 feet, about the height of The Star
building.
Mr. Cannon is feeling the effects OF the
tremendous strain of making two speech
es a day for over month and living on
his private car, where at times sleep is
difficult on account of the noise in freight
yards where the car is sidetracked for
the night when not being hauled over the
road. The attention of local committees
and the constant demand on his strength
have been enough to wear out an athlete.
He usually speaks nearly two hours at
each meeting and holds his audience in
rapt attention. Each speech is delivered
with conscientious effort to make IL
effective as possible. At this place the
local committee attempted to have the
speaker deliver two speeches in one
evening to two separate audiences, but
Mr. Cannon's friends came to his rescue
and pointed out the danger of such over
taxing of his strength.
Dawson on Election Prospects.
Mr. Dawson was seen by your corre-
spondent today and asked in relation to
the prospects in this state on election
day. Mr.. Dawson probably knows more
about the state of West Virginia than
any man in it. He did not hesitate to say
that his own majority would be less than
that of Roosevelt by 1000 or 1900 votes.
He declared that President Roosevelt's
ma jority in this state would be at least
%, 900.
He calculates that $500 gold democrats
voted for Mckinley four years ago and
that they will to a large extent go to
Parker. He believes the increase of vot-
ers in the state during four years has
been 5000, and that 1t will be largely re-
publican, as such new voters are mostly
from Pennsylvania and have been repub-
licans. Mr.. Dawson's figures are not ap-
proved by careful observers of the situa-
ton in this state.
1t Is quite generally agreed by republi-
cans and democrats alike that Roose-
velts majority in West Virginia will be
anywhere from 10000 to 25,000 the exact
majority depending upon the pending
fight over the tax question. There will
be an enormous amount of scratching of
Dawson on the republican ticket. and it
cannot fail to cause many ballots to be
thrown out on account of errors in mark
ing.
Roosevelt's Majority 10000.
There is nothing in the condition here
to prevent Mr.. Roosevelt from getting
majority of 10000 If he does not lose
marking the tickets. If the condition in
this state is such as to give any other re-
suit 1t is now deceiving every one.
Unexpected complications may occur to
make this result impossible, but inquiries
addressed to republicans, democrats and
business men who take but a side interest
in politics In the large towns in the west
ern and northern part of the state secure
practically unanimous replies to the effect
that Roosevelt will receive the full repub-
lican vote, together with the votes of a
great many democrats. He will probably
lose 2 500 votes of gold democrats who
voted for Mckinley and in that way the
Mckinley majority of 10000 will be re-
duced by 5.000, but he will get some votes
of democrats who voted for Bryan. On
account of the scratching Of Dawson on the
ticket he will lose votes-how many no one
tell.
What political strategy on the part of the
democrats may accomplish in the last days
of the campaign cannot be foreseen, but as
the situation is today Mr.. Roosevelt has
the state. Whether or not Dawson will 10