The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-11-18
Trying TO HooowINk THE PEG.

capital out OF the fact that the. steel
plant at Gary has put large force Of
men back TO work. The West Virgin.
ian more than a week ago under the
captain IAN Optimistic View" stated
that the steel business was th ebarom.
eter OF trade and that this business
was reviving owing to the fact that
the U. S. government had placed a
large order forSsteel and two foreign
nations had done likewise. This we
stated would start some of the idle
coke ovens and help all along the line.
We also stated that 1t was our belief
that conditions would improve because
OF the war and In spite Of the tarlff
reductions which plunged this country
into its present industrial condition.
Why should we not have a revival Of
business when our farm products as
well as our manufactured goods will
find a ready sale in Europe where all
commerce has been practically stopped
on account OF the war? Why should
our factories and mills not resume OPP
Grafton when the imports from Euro
pean manufacturers made by cheap la
hor are practically stopped, situation
that a protective tariff has always
brought about and maintained?
The Parkersburg Sentinel and the
Wheeling Register, both dyed in the
wool" Democratic organs and both
tanned with allegiance to the Demo-
cratic machine in West Virginia, claim
to be so obtuse in their understandings
that they can not understand the kind
Of reasoning the West yirgintan ad-
vances for its belief that times will be
better.
The West virginian has always
maintained that the present business
depression was brought about
by tariff tinksring and not by the war
and nothing will go further to strength
en- that argument than the revival Of
business in spite OF the tariff.
The Democratic press attempted to
prove that the. war was responsible
for bad conditions, and not the tariff.
The business statistics of the country
show that business failures had begun
TO pile up in an unprecedented manner
before the war began.
Failing In their attempt to Justify
their meddling with the tariff now the
Democratic press attempts to discred-
It Republican newspapers by abiding
to them as "croakers and calamity
howlers" for no offense other than tell+
ing the plain unvarnished truth about
business conditions which the Demo
cratic press is now admitting from day
10 day since the election, and blaming
these Republican newspapers for
them.
Yesterday the Times stated that
there were more poor people to be
cared for this fall in Fairmont than
ever before and this morning it says:
Gust now there Is a little hull in bust
ness. Some OF the agencies that en-
ploy labor are not running as full
as desirable, but the condition is Meth
or unusual nor alarming"
Preceding this statement the Times
SAYS that business has been flourish.
Ing during the past year in Fairmont.
1t says further
work has been abundant in every
trade and calling and wages have been
good"
Still in spite OF these statements It
has the audacity to state that there Is
nothing "unusualY about the business
depression and the fact that the agen-
cies employing labor are not giving
work to their men. II that is not an
unusual condition in Fairmont we have
failed to see or hear Of one.
Following this contradictory line OF
reasoning the Times goes on to say
that the merchants are complaining
about dull business and again it re-
sorts to its despicable methods of
journalism by trying to put the blame
upon Republicans and Republican
newspapers which have had the frank
ness to face these conditions, and to
tell the people about their presence
and to sound an alarm that they might
be corrected before they become ruin
GUS
There are very few, II any mer-
chants, in Fairmont who will be mis-
led by any such methods as this, or
deceived into believing that the Mo
nongah Glass plant, the B. & o. Rail.
road Company, and the mines have
been laying of men by the hundreds
Gu account OF anything the West Vir-
gilman has said about business condi.
tlons. We know that newspaper has
its Influence in any community, but
v, do not take credit for being so in
fluuntial that such big business insti-
tutIons as these would close down or
lay on their men because the West
Virgnian said conditions we're had,
If they were not Just as represented.
The merchants OF Fairmont have BIZ
blessed with better conditions locally
than most communities during the
past year. They are all sensible men
no natter what their politics may be.
They are successful business men.
They read the newspapers and do not
contine their reading to one narrow