The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-08-16
Politicians Specializing on Ef-
feet of Katherine EIkins'
Marriage to Duke.
FATHER MAY BE DEFEATED
HILLBILLiEs OF WEST VIRGINIA
NOT USED TO HIFALUTlN PEo-
GOSSIP.
BY Ralph M. Whiteside.

by Hdiph NJ. "ntIeSioe.
Washington, Aug. 15.-The West
Virginia politicians who are import
ant enough to have their headquarters
in Washington and to live at the New
Willard or the Raleigh when in town,
are specializing now upon very i'm
portant question. 1t is nothing more
nor less than the effect of the mar
rage of Miss Katherine Elkins to the
Duke of the Abrizzi in October, on the
much-bemuddled political situation in
West Virginia, from which State Sen
ator Elkins is sent to Washington to
sit In the Upper House of Congress.
The wise ones among the politicians
fear that the newspaper stories of the
marriage, OF the millions which the
house of Elkins is heir to and the &C
counts Of ancient lineage will have an
evil effect upon the plastic minds Of
the hilbillies in the Utmost recesses of
the little mountain State.
The folks who wouldn't know Steve
Elkins II they met him, but who have
been voting for Steve's candidates for
years and years, may give up the party
with the hifalutin' masters and go over
to Democracy or Prohibition, fear the
men higher up. The supplemented
folks In West Virginia are not used to
dukes and earls and lords, and in that
region in the southern end of the COM
monwealth, where Kenova marks the
boundaries of Kentucky and people
tote guns, it might prove disastrous to
the ticket.
The Elkins family is mighty well
thought of in West Virginia. The
people who make up the bulk of the
population are not given to many airs.
They would rather see candidate ride
to town wearing boots than to have
him borne in a special car, and when
1t comes to marrying into the royal
circle, they cannot comprehend what
1t all means.
Miss Elkins may have the honor to
report the State for Bryan, but the sit
uation is precarious at any rate, with
two State Republican conventions and
two nominees for Governor. In Wash
ington the thing is being talked of in
mighty serious tones.
During the hot days, when the Pc
tomac looms blue and cool in the
shady valley between the Virginia hills
and the dog wagon is chasing home
less and wifeless ours across the
broad asphalt ways for which Wash
ington is famous, the Ship of State is
frequently left to drift along for few
days with no one at the tiller. She
floats like derelict, with perhaps
Luke Wright In command for space,
and then Mr.. Root may run over, but
generally speaking. the good barque
is left to the tender mercies of the
winds.
Never yet has a low, rakish craft
suddenly doomed into shape on the up
permost rim of the horizon and borne
down upon the good old State ship, for
there is always someone near, and Mr..
Roosevelt is only as far away as Oys-
ter Bay.
On Thursday, General Wright, the
new Secretary of War, who succeeded
Mr.. Taft, arrived back in Washington,
after period of three days, during
which the helm was utterly unnamed.
Every member Of the crew was away
somewhere. Some were in New Eng.
land, seeking the coolest zephrys that
zeph through the Green Mountains.
Others were in the north, and others
elsewhere The cabinet meetings, as a
matter of consequence, were few and
unimportant.
Everybody in Washington is talking
politics, and those who are not, are
willing to. There are Just two topics
of conversation: politics and the
weather 1t has nearly got to the
point where the man who says: rs 1t
hot enough for you9" may be showed
into the same class as the man who
says: well. who's going to be elect
ed?'
Generally speaking, it is pretty well
settled in Washington who is going
to fill the presidential seat.
The Washington correspondent who
has never met Bill Butts, the Oyster
Bay sage and friend of the president
has missed one of the opportunities
which come only to fortunate men
The correspondents. save those who
are regularly employed in Washing.
ton. have drifted away. some north
and others south, all watching witt
eager interest the great political bat
tie which is already at the skirmish
Ing stage. Several of them get over te
Oyster Bay for brief space and there
they had the opportunity to see the
friend of the president, William Butts
Esq. aged in appearance, wise in hi:
generation, and an ex-clam digger b,
occupation.
Bill follows the trend of events in tn,
local paper, and in the pleasant sum