Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1911-10-12
No Ilsnkey Business For Us.

3
2 Under the above caption, Marse
Henry Watterson, the ablest POI
1itical forecaster and writer of to-
day, has this to say:
Just returned from the conference Of
Governors, held two weeks ago at
Spring Lake, New Jersey. Gov. Angus
tus e. Wilson. Of Kentucky, is report
ed to have said:
Southern Governors who attended
the conference favored Judson Harmon,
Of Ohio, for the Democratic presidential
termination. The opinion at that con-
ference was that. the Democratic ticket.
viii Be Harmon and Wilson, and it was
conceded that thu latter, the Governor
of New Jersey, Nould accept the sec
ond Mace on the ticket. Gov. Harmon
was the choice Of most Of the Southern
Governors, said Gov. Wilson. He
seemed to loom up rs the biggest figure
AZ the conference. Wherever there
was crowd Harmon was the center of
II. and at such times he showed the
qualities that will make him the lead
ar. Coy. Woodrow Wilson is a great
man and aslearned one, but he does not
size up az the vOte-getter that Gov.
Harmon is.
Without accepting our Republican
Governor as authority on any aspect of
the Democratic situation, we may yet
take the foregoing for a pointer and
consider it as casting a suggestive light
upon the scene.
If majority Of the Governors Of
the Southern States at Spring Lake ex-
pressed themselves in opposition to the
Presidential pretensions of the official
colleague, their immediate host, tley
violated well-established principle Of
civility, if not Of propriety. But they
also betrayed alack Of prudence. Such
conspicuous absence Of an ear to the
ground is not common among the pro-
fessional politicians of the period,
Two things seem tolerably sure to the
surmise of the Courier-Journal: II
Woodrow Wilson is nominated for
President it will be through the force
Of an irresistible pressure Of public
opinion; and, if he is defeated for the
nomination, it will be by some organ
lied agency, we'll backed with money.
No Democrat of modern times has
come into the running, Samuel J. Til
], den alone excepted. with half at once
of the equipment ard the claim of the
eminent Governor of New Jersey. He
may be fairly described as the intellec-
tual, not to say the moral, light of the
Democracy of the new day which is
dawning upon US. 1t was Tilde2,
another Wallenstein. who assembled
the broken forces into the desolate
camps of Democracy after the ruinous
campaign of 1872. II We are to have q
Recrudescence, and not mere Revival,
it will come at the hands of Woodrow
Wilson. 1t will not be possible at the
hands of some nondescript crossing the
dead line of the two-thirds rule at tie
end Of self-seeking decker and barter.
These have far too often discreditedth
National Conventions of both our
parties. Let US hope they will not
cheat Democracy in 1912 of an actual
leader and great victory.
When the time arrives for action the
Courier-J Journal win insist that the
South at least shall take high ground
and refuse to submit itself to be de.
bauched either by the money of Wal
street, put up so layishly TO control the
Conventions of each party, or the am
bition of local politicians, who may find
it easiest to make terms with some un-
known quantity, having everything to
gain and nothing to lose.
These sentiments we most cor
daily endorse.
If the crooked corporations and
their lackeys (and these constr
tute a decided minority of the
great legitimate business inter
ests of the country keep hands
off, and let the Democratic voters
of West Virginia select delegates
to the National Convention with
out resort to unfair manipulation,
or the corrupt use of money to
pack district and state conven-
tions, etc, we'll and good. The
people will stand by the result
whatever it may be, and none
more Loyalty than the supporters
of Woodrow Wilson.
]. But just as certain as the first
show of skul-duggery of any kind
appears, so certain will come the
revolt against those guilty of at
tempted subversion of the will Of
the people, and any party crooks
behind such a movement will
thereafter Be found in the poll
! teal morgue.
Mdrtinshnrg Apple Prices Unsettled.
Maftinsburg. ". Va. Oct. Sat nc
time il the history Of the apple indus:
=. =