The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-01-31

INVITED. 49,
NO COLLECTION.
pleased with being dubbed a leader
Of the Progressive party IN his state
|'srrives in town lie imme diately
hunts up the Democratic members or
the congressional delegation and IS
Iswined and dined. /, and ,motoreds by
them as long. as hislvisit lasts! There
ts nothing too. good for him; nothing
too expensive, AMI, he is a hale fellow
we'll metz Very well met, indeed.
There has been and in continuing 10
be too much of it to allay suspicion.
while care is-al@ays taken to ex-
plain, when 1t is deemed necessary to,
that I'VE are old friends, and poll
tics never interferes with our devot-
cd friendship" anybody~who is wise
to the game knows that it is all bunk
and piffle. Within the last ten days
there has been greater influx Of
these so-called Progressive party
leaders, here, and there have been
conferences behind closed doors and
plans laid to make sure that a third
party ticket is forced on the voters
| in West Virginia. The combination
of Democrats aid Progressiyes is
about as complete and as satisfactory,
as money will make 1T. Everybody
here knows, has known all along,
what is being done. The names OF
the men who have been selected to
run for congress on, the Progressive
district are banded about where
West Virginians in, the capital gath.
or to gossip. In one district, it's al
ready settled and sealed, according to
all reports, and the man who is to be
the, third party candidate, for, con?
gress in that district, Is already on
the. pay roll. In other words, hess
soften his'n. Not all Of 1T Of course,
bpt enough to make worth his
while to go through, with II, But
none Of this is anything new, either
here or at, home Months ago, and
time after time. itswas touched upon
in this correspondence, The Den,os
cratic machine here while most Of the
time feeling happy in the assurance
that all is well and that tbs! plan will
go through as laid, which will deliys
er over to them more NOR ngressmen
and the next 4 legislature, and most
likely the bulk Of county offices ,ocs
casiqnally hears rumors that some
honest effort IS being made by pa
trietiet Republicans and equally pa
trtiotic Prog essi.y,ee7 epublieans to mi
rpen aSplan to insure only one tick
Ell. in: the field against the D Democrats
apdswhen they Do hear; suchSrumoFs
they proceed to threw ,conniption
fits. + such "a thing gould he ffeet7
ed by the factions they know; that
two Demoeratisi cong ressnien, brown
and Nicely will step aside for Repubtt
lieans and that a solid Republican,
conc ressional delegation would befass
sured beyond much doubt. They say
so. They will also tell you that, in
tuch an event, with the Democratic
party split as 1t is in West Virginia,
they wouldn't have one chance in a
thousand of securing the legislature.
And let me impress on my readers
that grabbing the.next legislature is
one ofthe machines big plans. 1t is
to be gotten and turned over to the
corporations. These interests are now
the allies of the al linant party.
They always are. or try to be. Take
the appointments that have been
made by the Watson Chiffon machine
and eyeryonesof them is a corporation
man. He has been placed there for
a purpose. He is an Important cog in
the machinery Of organization. The
whole thing is the highest lineup
between politicians and corporate in
terests THAT West Virginia has ever
seen-and she has seen a, few such.
Governor Hatfield's hands are to. be
tied. redistricting the state and dis
franehising eolored voters, are imS
portant OF course, but not very much
50 to the corporations. The import
ant thing to them is to have a lotyof
things undone that have been done;
and to fiv up matters more agreeable
to their tastes. Let no one in west
Virginia think lightly Of this matter
Of the next Legislature. It Is more
important to the individual West
So