The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-02-24


them on every moral question IN the;
future as In the past The West vir.s
|gintan took up the tight for prohibt.
tion In Fairmont when such q move
ment was not sconsid ered popular and
at q time when &c cost the paper hun.
idreds of dollars per year IN the loss
of subscriptions and liquor adyertis:
ing. Long before the law stepped In
and made tia crime to publish q liquor
advertisement itSthis state the West
Yirginian had refused all this bust.
ness. It needed the money to meet
payrolls and to keep It's plant in repair
and abreast OF the times, and It look.
ed for a while that some lean years
were before the paper, but It stood
firm and 1t was instrumental In max
ing Fairmont dry for one year before
the enactment Of the Yost law.
On. various questions the West Wiz.
glnian has spent It's own money and
devoted many columns Of its space to
the support Of movements in which
the preachers took a leading part.
Under these circumstances, Of
course. this paper feels that the min.
listers made an honest mistake in sign.
Ing petition which was effectively
used as q protest against the new
charter. Some OF these men we know
were actuated by personal prejudices,
but the most Of them acted from i'm.
pulses created by the grossest kind of
misrepresentation, and one OF them
had the courage of his convictions
when he found that he had been mis-.
led he sent telegram to Charleston
stating that he had signed the petit.
ton under Misunderstanding Of It's
meaning and the use to which It was
to be put. l.is.
His telegram came like mama drop.
ped from heaven and at critical
time. when Senator Lowe was de.
nouncing the people who were advo-
eating the new charter as back
room committee OF disgruntled politi.
clans and disappointed office seekers
TO prove his case and make his argu:
ment stronger he read the names OF
all the ministers who had signed tho
petitions against the charter and as.
serted that the churche people were
united In their protest against the
change. He had the floor all to him.
self and no one who was posted on
the conditions OF Falrmont had
chance to reply to him and any asser.
ton he made. OF course, went unchal.
lenged and no doubt had greater
weight from this reason, but the wind
was taken out OF his sails to a great
extent when the telegram OF this fear.
less preacher was read. From tho
speech made by Senator Lowe, "a spec.
tator who did not know the men who
composed the new charter commits.
sion would have formed the opinion
that the new charter was the fiendish
work of the criminal element OF Fair.
mont, against which the churches were
allied In solid phalanx.
Two other ministers representing
large congregations have also admit.
ted their error and stated they signed
the petition under a misunderstanding.
and now we have the ministers repre.
senting more than half the churct,
populat ion OF tn city standing for tho
plan which provides more econom.
ical city government and fair election
provisions. 7
1ntlamatory articles were publish.
ed in the Times and in the Charleston
newspapers. stating that the governor
was going to be given the power to
appoint the first commissioners for
iTFa1rmont under the new charter, and
that the people would not even be
permitted to vote on their public ser.
wants. No Republican in Fairmont
and no. friend Of the new charter ever
suggested such plan nor entertained
LOT single sccon dany such ideas,
This faisehood was manufactured
wholly out of cloth furnished by tho
Democratic Office Holders Trust and
sent broadcast by those who knew 1t
TO be false in every particular.
we want the ministers OF Fairmont
TO read the new charter. We want
them to form their own conclusions
about 1t, and after they have exauin.
ed 1t we think It no more than their
public duty to correct the impression
that has been made by the use OF their
names from their pulpits.
This Is no more than fair play. and
we believe that most Of .htem are good
enough to do this. As It now stands,
they enormously appear as eudorsers
OF the Salary Grabbers. They are
placed in the. attitude Of standing for
tho open gambling that has been per.
mitted to exist In the city. There are
number Of Joints that have been
running continuously without molesta,
tion from the city officers. We have
the evidence OF detectives who have
gambled in these places. We are pre-.
pared to furnish a directory Of these
places. We pointed out last fall tia
location Of one negro gambling dive
that was being operated at the rear
OF the court house In full view Of and
within a few feet OF the prosecuting
attorneys office. We have the eyf.
dence in black and white Of a detec.
tive who gambled In this Joint. We
do not believe the ministers want 10
be put in the light OF endorsing these
things. In fact we know they do not.
We are for teh preachers. We stand
for the upbuilding Of the churches,
and we ask the ministers to give ID
their support when we are right. we
do not ask them to support the West
Virginian on all political questions,
but upon any question where morality
and good government are the issues.
we do expect their support, az tie
church people Of Fairmont know