Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1912-02-16

revenue from the saloons and exhibit
Ing itself as veritabIe mockery upon
good government.
WHAT LICENSE HAS DONE TO WHEEL
| ING
Wheeling is made up largely OF con
sentative people, steel men, who year
ago sold out their properties to the
Steel Trust for more than the properties
were worth. They are now taking life
easy.
But the misruie of the license eity
became eventually so rank that the
Trust began operating their Wheeling
steel works only Extraordinarily. Life
aud property became unssfe. The steel
workers became sodden In drink, under
the license policy, and became less eff
fective. The partial closing down OF
! the mills was a result.
! so systematically wretched has been
the license rule Of the city that the
better people, as a matter ofsafety nd
policy, moved outside Of the city limit
to make their home and incorporated
other municipalities for their protection
Only about or half of the population of
what is the real Wheeling resides with
in the city limits.
Last sprIng delegation from the
+, Business Mems Association went to
Wheeling and appealed to the steel
magnates to operate their Wheeling
mills regularly. the delegation was
natly informed that the misgovern-
ment of their city was SO rank that life
and property was unsafe, that their
labor debauched with drink and that
unless they cleaned up the rotten city
that they would close up their Wheel
ing n.ilis entirely and dismantle their
plants. They intimated that their
Wheeling plants would be moved to
New Castle which had just had a
Billy Sunday campaign resulting in
the closing up 1896 saloons.
The delegation was panic stricken
and fastened home to form tho Civic
Fedora ion and "clean up" The brew
ers join in, OF course, and, in great
hullabaloo, about 1900 citizens Join
ed" but such great numbers of grafters
and liquor man 'joined' that the Fed
GRAFTON found that if they started in to
prosecute criminals, they would have
to conduct their prosecutions largely
among their own mem bers. So thew
decided net to prosecute anybody and
that ended the activities Of the Fedora
ton.
The Good Government Club was the
first attempt, some years ago to clean
up the municipality, to elect decent
man 10 office, and to oppose the cleo
ton Of grafters and brewers. The Club
held many meetings and failed of it's
purpose. But a beginning WAS m AIDE.
Then the Business Mems Assoeia zion
was organized to promote good govern.
ment. The toughs and brewery scared
the Association away from its original
purpose and nothing Is now done to |
injure the brewery interests in any
way.
Following close upon the failure Of |
the Business Mems Association TO get
anywhere came the efforts CT George
A. Mclaughlin, a retired steel man.
Mclaughlin was president Of the COM |
pasy publishing the "ln elieener,u |
the local daily paper. 1t was then a
"dry" paper and opposed to brewery
misrule.
But Mclaughlin was outvoted by
his fellow directors and the paper went
ever to the liquor side Mclaughlin
resigned in disgust. He organized a |
"Law and Order Committee" viii cb |
employed detectives at its own expense
to gather cases against the saloons for
selling on Sunday. SO persistently did |
Mclaughlin do this that the saloons
are fairly well closed on Sundays. The
Sunday selling IL done through spea K
essies and fake clubs.
The business interests of the CITY are |
looking forward to Novemberleleclien,
hoping that the people will come to |
their reseue with statewide prohibition.
In the meantime, they have launched
a "Biliy Sunday Campaign" AZ pre-
liminary.
Wheeling, after rs years Of wretc he'd |
re~eiy license misruIe may yet be re-
,ieeDed.