West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1909-07-29
Know Thy Strength.

NnoW my strength.
Events which have transpired within
the past fortnight are reassuring TO the
of Preston county that their
Efforts for clean politics and a square deal
are destined To DC crowned with success.
This success cannot h. attributed 10 for
tuity. Neithcr.is it due wholly 10 the in
dividual efforts of any particular man,
but to the combined efforts of the rank
and file OF the party. Many Of the wiser
heads, however, have realized for years
that the party management had fallen
into the hands of few gentlemen who
we've using the party name 90 further
their own individual interests and those
who were satisfied to stultify their man
hood 10y becoming the willing henchmcn
OF Il political ring. The man who rebels
against bosssm and ring rule i'm his party
finds 1t herculean task To overcome po-
litical bias and prejudice, for political
bias and prejudice in the hands of "A po-
litical ring and machine is a powerful
weapon TO WELD against those who have
the courage of their convictions. Aimed
at the man who has rebelled against the
ring and the machines methods il places
him at a disadvantage by the false cry of
kicker" traitor" and "disrupter" of
his party.
This is the history of all attempts at
reformation within the party lines Pres
ton has been no exception TO this rule. 1t
has taken years of hard work TO convince
the Republicans of Preston that they have
been the unconscious victims of politi-
cal ring and machine that has been mo-
nopolizing the public offices since the
close of the civil war.
In the early history of the ring it had
smooth sailing by keeping alive the Sec
tional feeling which ran rampant among
the people at the close OF the war. When
the sectional cry became ineffective politi.
cal bias and prejudice was resorted &c
to keep the party members in line. When
some one with the courage of his honest
convictions rebelled the party lash wa:
brought into play TO whip him back into
the traces. IL this failed he was charac
terized and stigmatized rs "kicker,'
traitor" and "disrupter" of his part,
and the members warned by the boss Il
shun him as they would some poor Great
ure afflicted with leprosy, and it is NJ
credit TO the intelligence of the Republi
cans to say that they were caught in tn,
rings web. But the deception could not
last always and gradually the light began
to dawn upon the rank and file that they
were the victims of a cunning and design
ing political ring, and instead of support
ing the Republican party, as they honestly
and conscientiously believed, they wer'
simply voting to retain in power lot o
men who had built up the ring and ma
chine. And it is an undeniable fact tina
these men have been holding public oflic
anywhere from fifteen TO thirty years oil
the prejudice OF the Republican voters.
No one has been more surprised thar
the gentlemen at the head of the ring ant
the machine that they have been able l.
deceive the Republicans so successfully
by the appeal to bias and prejudice. NJ
one is better aware of the fact that tin
insurgents have been largely in the ma
jority in this county than the same gen
tlemen who control the machinery of tn
party organization. They have been pleas
antly surprised to know that they hav
been able to browbeat and bluff the in
surgents every time they hold primar
and convention.
Now that the insurgents must know
that they have the ring and machin
beaten they should make short work o
them by a unanimous assault upon then
and forever place them beyond the pal
of resurrection. Let the insurgents mott
from this time forward be, know tn,
strength