The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-04-27
LABOR A FACTOR,
SAYS IL. G. DAVIS
Former Vice Presidential Candidate
Points Out That Workmen Hold rs
the Balance Of Power. M

the Balance Of Power.
81 NEW! YORK, April 27,-tIenry Gas,
snway Davis, former Democratic can.
didate for Vice President who is now
iii the city, believes thelaborng men
hold the balance Of power in the pc.
.litlcall situation,
Mr. Davis IS not taking part in poll.
tics now, for he lis engaged In fol.
lowing out the projects which he
temporarily dropped TO bear the stan.
dard of his7partysi He spoke Of pres.
ent conditions only in Observation
made by the way when asked for his
views.
There Is not likelyz,to be much
change" he said, Gin tic political be-
liefa of the merchants, the capitalists
and tile farmers, but there are i'm.
portant movements going on among
the laborIng classes. | can sca II
everywhere. In local elections the Ia:
boring classes areEnaming their own
candidates and often state and ma.
tional officers are elected, while the
party TO which they belong does not
carry the local ticket. The laboriag
element Is shifting about and It's i'm.
ions are becoming factors ii poll,
ties"
rs there tendency among thom
toward socialism," was asked.
Yes was tho reply, Il think there
is. think, though. that at the pres.
ent time the laborlng men are inclln.
ed toward the Republican party. They.
like the President with d chip on his
shoulder. In Massachusetts there
was q good example OF the influence
OF the labor element. The State
went for Mr.. Roosevelt, yet elected a
Democratic governor by 5000 major,
lty ! saw Douglas afterwald aid
asked him how he did3it, and he re-.
piled, worked withjthe laborlng Gle.
ment.' ills so everywhere. Now.
In Chicago-well, but It was d differ.
ent issue there s.,
Mr.. Davis. since he left the pollti.
cal arena, has been busy building tile
Coal and Coke Railway OF West Viz.
ginia, which Will 60 over the noun.
tains from Elkips to Charleston. two
hundred miles. He has fifty miles Of
1t yet to build, and by fall he hopes Is
have It in operation. The corpora.
ton controls 100000 acres OF coal
lands along the line. His present VS. Us.
tito New York is largely in connec.
ton with this enterprise. &
The former Senator arrived here
on Monday night and went 10 the
Fifth Avenue Hotel He spent Tues.
day morning at his New. York Offices.
No Broadway. where he had confer.
enees with his grandson and his neph.
ews' and walked three miles in the
afternoon. as5s His eighty.two years
bear lightly upon him. and he is. il
anything am hlll more alert and ylrlle than
ne ne. was was: IN the campaign. TO him his
last appearance in the political arena
Is now only an incident. He plans
to leave leave New York for ElElhs tlla
evening. ,s;B
He Intends TO go to Washington on.
May 4, TO attend a meeting Of tho In:
ternatlonal Railroad Conference, ut
which he will appear as the acciredis
ted representative Of Peru. Mr.. Davis
has never visited Peur, but he is IA.
miliar with the industrial conditions
and the transportation problems In
all South American countries. He
is also taking much interest in the AZ: III.
fairs Of the :lnterconunental Railroad lii, al
Commission, Of which he Isl a mem en-
Der.