West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1914-04-30
"Bunkoed, B'Gosh"


On Saturday We called meeting of a
personally appointed county committee
together, we acting in our capacity as the
member OF the state committeeman from
the county of Preston, for the Progressive
party, and proceeded, as foreordained to be
swallowed up, head and heels, by our
old friend, the aforementioned Republi-
can party, without even a respectable
show OF resistance, thereby bringing
about the much talked of A-M.A-L-G-A-
NATION, amalgamation.
True, we have the privilege of present
ing such names as may be desired on
parallel ticket On the primary ballot
and some who profess to be Progressives
may be nominated for county offices,
and some who profess to be Republicans
may be nominated, and at the general
election the voter will be permitted to
walk up and vote for his choice of Re-
publicens and Progressives on the Re-
publican ticket and Progressives and Re-
publicans on the Progressive ticket. If /
don't like Tom Jones because he Is NOT
Republican, / can scratch him by voting
the straight Republican ticket and vote
for Tommy Jones who Is a Republican
If that old rock-ribbed standpatter, Bill
Thompson, is on the Republican ticket,
| can get next to him by voting for Mr..
William Thompson, the only and oiigi-
| nal Progressive, and dyed-in-the- wool
Bull Moose. So there you are, il by
chance haven't sense enough to arrange
| my ticket as per individual, | can take a
long chance on the party leaders, fixing
| it so j can make sure OF cutting out all
of the Moosers by voting her straight as
| have done ever since / was old enough
| and dad had succeeded in making me
| recognize the fact that good existed only
I'm the q. O. Z. Or perchance / am n
Progressive, l can still "clean OFF, on
those old standpatters; Pll just voter 'er
straight from top to bottom. No won't,
either, for there is that measly old Jack
Wilson, one OF the most notorious ring
sters in the county. I'll just fix him; I'll
vote for Mr.. John b. Wilson, so will.
| won't let anybody hoodwink me.
No, Sir!
But seriously, Mr.. Progressive, how do
you like it, anyway? The Journal, the
News and the Republican have one and
| all been open to candidates for announce
ments for months, having published their
rates, think, in February, and what a
harvest they have reaped! Possibly five
or six, all told, who had the courage TO
stand up and be counted for what they
profess to be, out OF possibly fifty to one
hundred who have been waiting and
longing for something to turn up" but
too cowardly to get out in the open.
THE harvest truly was plenteous, but
the laborers few" Not so now. The
above quotation may well be paraphrased
to suit the occasion, something like, "The
laborers are plenty, but the harvest will
not suffice"
Candidly, Mr.. Voter, don't you think
a man who is too cowardly to be counted,
who has not the courage of his convic-
tons, but tries to straddle the question.
is poor timber for an official? Many will
be Republicans when talking to Republi.
cans and Progressives when soliciting
Progressive support.
Two years since this same thing oc-
CURED, that is, both parties supported
one state and county ticket, and no man
except the candidate knew what said
candidates principles were, and Inc
rather doubted himself. III the county
leaders of the Progressive party had been
true to the party and to themselves the
party would have had full ticket in the
field and could have elected it as a whole.
| cannot see why a combination of the
Republicans and Progressives is any
more consistent, from standpoint of
party principle, than a combination of
Democrats and Republicans, and not
nearly as consistent combination of
Progressives and Democrats.
The Progressives in their platform two
years ago condemned everything Repub
lican and the Republicans recprocated.
even to the extent OF spending thousands
OF dollars every week i'm ron partisan
periodicals for advertisements directed
especially at Progressive idea Even at
this time Taft, Cannon, Mann and others
are using up gray matter at great rate
in an effort 10 prove TO their own salts
faction that Progressive principles are
wrong, and that the leaders are untrue.
and they are each and all supported in
this by the men who expect TO ride into
office on the strength OF the Progressive
vote. VIII the Proprc.sives stand for
this double cross?
The writer Is and has been a Pro-
gressive, but the rinR-ruled Republican
candidate cannot secure his support by
any such hodge -podge as was carried out
at Kingwood last week
Can yOu, Mr.. Progressive, support peo-
pie who are reactionaries OF the worst
type? Men who profess acquiescence in
your opinion; solicit your support under
false pretense; approve Of a combination
that will benefit only themselves. and
condemn your national leaders as only a |
narrow minded partisan can?
Call you that backing Of your friends2
a plague upon such backing"
PRooResHve.