West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1905-02-09
THE RAMBLER
Finds a Great Deal Of Grief Among
the Pieme1 in Charleston.
MAS NOT ALWAYS FREE
FROM THE MALADY HIHSELF.
Charles Elliott and the Standard Oil
Company Causing the Grand Old
Party Untold Misery.

II is an admitted fact that there
is a great deal of grief among the
army of pieman at the present time
and it is growing every day. am
free to confess that / have not
always been free from the malady
myself. Being an ardent piemau
for years my grief at times has been
poignant and Of tie genuine sort.
fear that / would have succumbed
long ago were it not fo- the many
and oft time promises OF the Bosses
that my name was in the grab bag
and was likely TO be drawn az any
moment. There is nothing that
can recall that prolongs a pieman' S
life like expectancy. ] have been
living on il for forty two years, and
from the army of piemen who are
assembled in Charleston | bid fair
to put in forty two more years on
the same diet. This is not encour-
aging to the young men who have
chosen the avocation of pieman. l
know of but five piemen in the State
of West Virginia who have not been
without pie since they joined the
army of piemen. They are Steve
Elkius, Nathan Scott, Bill Dawson,
Gordon Dayton and Black Doyeuer.
believe am safe in saying that l
have followed louder and longer for
the Grand Old Party of Piedom
than the whole quintet put together.
While have been following they
have been devourlng At this juno
ture | can see no prospect of chang
ing the program. They seem TO
have been born with pie in their
abdomen aud cannot subsist with
out it.
1t IS gratifying to me, however, to
tell my friends back in old Preston,
where our chief boast is Republican.
ism and buckwheat cakes, that at
the present time l have no reason
TO complain and l am not suffering
from grief | am still doniciled at
the Hotel Ruffner without bag or
baggage and SO far / have not been
called upon to pay in advance. l
am perfectly contentcd to remain
the guest Of Gov. Dawson so long
as the excitement keeps up aud the
Bowery and the red light district is
not closed to strangers seeking in
formation and amusement. To a
Prestonian Republican, whose great
est ambition has been to vote the
straight Republican ticket, because
our fathers and grandfathers did
likewise, the sights which / have
seen in the Bowery and red light
district is something which 1 would
not exchange for Republicanism and
buckwheat cakes. II It were pos
sible for Comrades Shaw, Menear,
Messenger, Hayden and Morris to
come down and spend few days
with me they would return home
convinced that there is more solid
fun in the Bowery and red .ight dis.
trict than there is in lighting the
Jim Committee. realize that
about all the fun we old comrades
can get in Preston is to tickle the
crazy bone Of the Jim Committee,
but the tickling process is losing its
effect upon the jim Committee.
! am glad to report that the Dis.
pensary bill which threatened to de.
stroy every saloon in West Virginia
has been laid on the table indemnity
while the legislative members are
ordering up their high balls and
mugs Of beer at the expense Of The
saloon men. am assured by sew.
eral members of Che legislature, had
the State gotten control OF thC
liquids and beverages that an cleo.
ton to the Legislature would not be
so profitable. They say If is nee.
essary to introduce such bills tc
discover who your friends are.
They say that professions OF friend.
ship does not liquidste lhc incidcn.
tai expenses which the social life oil
Charleston exacts Of them during q
session Of the Legislature. one
member, who was formerly a min
lister Of the gospel, told me conf
denually that he had seen more o
the long green floating around Char
lesion than he had taken out Of th,
contribution box 10 his thirty ycan
Of devil scolding. lie confded G.,
me that his main object in breakin,
into the Legislature was to get rail
road passes, attend State Hous,
functions and locate the gold min,
in legislation From my last con