Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-28
LIQUOR MAIN TOPIC.
Prohibition the Great Issue in
West Virginia.
WILL SWELL THE VOTE
Many Otherwise Indifferent Will Be
Brought to the Polls.
TALK OF THE MOUNTAINEERS
Little Interest Taken in Hampshire
County of the Fight Over Bossism
and the Watson-McGraw Row.
TALK OF THE M0UNTA1NEERs

Special From a STAFF Correspondent
ROMNEY, w. Va, October 2S.-When
the mountaineers of Hampshire county
have left their tan bark and apples at
the railroad and go back to the village
stores here to talk things over every one
of them admits that the biggest thing
West Virginia has to face is the proposed
amendment to- the state constitution
which, if adopted, will prevent the manu-
facture and sale of liquor in the state
They also agree that Wilson will be elect
ed, and many of them figure that William
j. Conley, republican, Will go from this.
the second. district to the House of Rep
resentatives. But the greatest topic or
conversation is the prohibition party's
fight throughout this state, and as it has
a direct bearing on the national and
congressional vote in this county it may
be in order to speak of 1t. John Corn
we'll, a democrat. the big man in politics
. and business here. popular all over the
state, has just completed tour of most
of the counties. He told The Stars cor
respondent today that the state would go
dry by big margin. and that the later-
est both sides are taking In this bitter
contest will bring out men who never
bothered about votin gbefore. and that
the republican ticket would be the gamer
by the increase.
Like a Kingdom Set Apart.
Hampshire county has been democratic
so long that no one can tell just when the
thing started. One of the proudest ex-
hibits in the county is the home of
Uncle Hopper, who had seventeen sons.
all of whom voted at the same time for
Grover Cleveland. The county is set
n
apart from the rest OF the world IKE
mountain kingdom. and the independence
of the hillside farmers. who have to
drive from ten to thirty miles to the lit
tie railroad. is beyond compare. They
are just democrats. l asked fully nifty
of them what they thought about the
Watson McGraw row and their preference
for man for the Senate. They are not
interested in 1t in the slightest wa. Boss
ism is SO far removed from their ideas of
politics as to be classed by them with
the daily news from the Balkans. They
do admit having heard something about
1t. but it is only the few who make
continued daily newspaper study of
events who have the slightest conception
of the terrific strife that Senator Watson
and his forces are having with the Nc
Graw democrats. They never heard of
vote buying here. except as something
that has happened away OF. This is
said to be the hardest county in the
world for a politician to spend money
in. 1t is a county where doors have no
locks. 1t is a county of pure Americans,
descended from soldiers of the revolu
ton, and retaining, along with the furni-
ture and FARMS the same gracious man.
ners. Many Of them are planting corn
from the same seed used q hundred years
ago, and are voting the same democratic |
ticket that their great-grandfathers voted, |
and it doesn't make much difference |
who's on 1t. After having mixed in the |
atmosphere and talk of vote sales and |
crookedness which is the daily talk in |
other parts Of this state one breathes |
deeply of the pure mountain air here |
abouts and hopes that the advance of |
time will make no change.