Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-10-31
Hilton Tour
Is Successful.

I Is uCCGSS1u
The tour through the state OF Wal
ter B. Hilton, Socialist candidate for
Governor of West Virginia, though ar
ranged on short notice, and allowing
each place but a day or. twoato adver-
tise, is proving wonderfully successful.
At every town large crowds turn out,
larger in every instance than have
been secured by the most gifted and
most prominent of the old, party ora.
tors. and the deep attention paid by
the auditors at every meeting proves
an interest that is most encouraging
to those who are trying to unite the
working class and. have the workers
take possession of their own govern
ment.
Predicts Big Gain.
Hilton predicts great gain for the
working class vote in this state.s "If
the working people of this state
thought the Socialists could win this
time" he said "they would win, be-
cause a vast majority of them would
vote the ticket without that assurance
these weak ones will switch from one
old party to another and thus con-
tinue to vote for what they don't want
and get it. But the number that
have their eyes open is surprising.
Many thousands can no longer be
fooled! The Socialist vote in West .
Virginia will show an increase of 500
per cent next Tuesday, and Socialism
will be the dominant issue of the next
election in this state"
Hits Four Corners.
Hilton's tour, though brief, hits all
four corners of the state. 1t began in
the northern part, touched the eastern
pan handle, headed to the extreme
southern end, and will wind up in the
Western extremity at Huntington.
Morgantown was the scene of the
first meeting, where Hilton spoke out
side the court house and got the crowd
from DR.. Hatfield and his bunch of
spell binders, who, with brass band,
held forth inside the court house..
At Parkersburg the next meeting
was so successful that even the old
party papers admitted that several
hundred" were present.
At Cameron an open air meeting on
the coolest night this fall held bet
ter crowd than the Republican meet
ing that. followed. in the auditorium.
ShiAnston told the same story, and
in some respecs this was the most sue
cessful of the meetings held, such .
large proportion remaining TO- ask
questions, ~
At Fairmont on the following night
a great crowd stood for two hours in a
drizzling rain. -
At Salem the Socialists simply took
the town. With brass band to help,
the French and Belgian window glass
workers, who are SO per cent Social
lists, were in their glory. They are
confident of carrying that town.
Though the Grafton meeting was
held on Sunday afternoon in the court
house, and without extra inducements
the crowd beat the old party and Pro-
gresslve crowds SO far.
1he Martinsburg meeting was
wonder From the band stand in the
public square Hilton spoke for an
hour ard half to crowd that refused
to leave after it was over.
At Davis (named after Henry g. it
was the worst possible weather, cold,
with a heavy rain, and the streets
torn up, making a sea of mud. There
was also a rival attraction in town, in
the shape of a local talent Ministries,
ut the largest political meeting OF
the campaign was held in Firemen's
hall. Tucker county is going for, So
ciaHsm, if not this election, then at
the next.
At Elkins,, where the Davis and Ell
kins families own everything but the,
air andesunshine,Na good crowd gather
ed in the court house and seemed loath
to leave.
At Bluefield the crowd, wing to the
fact that the meeting had not been
we'll advertised, was not g 5 large as is
nigh have been, but th ere were at
least 200 in this, corpo ration-curseds
community who drank : i Socialism,
and they made upAin interest what
= they may have lacked il numbers In
this region where men are beaten up
for talking Socialism or Unionism, 1t
takes. courage to fight for working
class solidarity, and the boys in Mer-
Ger. Mingo and Mcdowell counties are
pioneers now deserve more credit than
thew will ever receive from their fellow
workers. Il
! 4 brass band enlivened things at
Williamson, where Hilton spoke from
stand erected in the court house
sourae to a crowd of at least 400. The
speaker was introduced by Thomas
West, who is making wonderful cam
paign for prosecuting attorney OF