Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1916-04-27
FARMERS ASKED TO
VOTE FOR BOWERS
Robert Gerstesl Issues Statement TO
Voters Of the Second West
Virginia District

keyser, w. Va, April IT,
Robert Gerstell, Jr., prosper
Gus farmer and prominent Dem
ocrat oil this county and chair
man Of the Rural Credit League,
ltor the Second congressional
district Of West Virginia, issues
4 statement today urging the
farmers to vote for the Repub-
lican candidate fer congress,
Geo, M. Bowers, at the special
election on May 8, to fill the va
cancy caused by the death of
Junior" Brown. Gerstell was
/ chosen one Of the delegates from
the county to the Democratic
convention which nominated
/ Samuel v. Woods for congress.
His statement follows:
/ Il urge every farmer to vote
for the Republican candidate for
congress at the special election
ION May 8 ! am Democrat,
but in view Of the fact that |
/ was selected as a delegate to the
| convention which nominated the
/ Democratic caadidate for con-
gress, though this compliment
was unsougnt by me and bust
ness prevented my participation
| IN the convention, it IS due my
! Democratic friends tl'at | make
a plain statement of she reasons
which actuate me in this stand
'At the Iri-State Rural Cred
it conference Of formers in
/ Cumberland last January ! in
troduced Il resolution severely
criticising the record Of the
Democrats in Congress on rural
credit, charging them with per-
hitting tie formation Of a clique
Iof prominent Democrats to
block an effective investigation
of the subject, and concluding
with the statement that the per-
nicious influence OF that clique
would be destroyed if congress
would create a commission TO
conduct hearings ia the man
ner provided BY the Sheppard
Gambler Doolittle- tlelgesen re-
solution introduced in the 63rd
congress. My resolution was
unanimously adopted by the
farmers attending that confer
ence.
Shortly after the death Of w.
G. Brown, ! issued a call for the
farmers Of his congressional dis
: trict to assemble in Keyser Oh
March rs to take such action in
securing pledges from the can
didates from this district on the
rural credit as they saw fit
: Some Of the leading farmers and
! orchardists Of this district sent
r ne proxies to represent them in
! that convention. That conven-
( tim adoDted the resolution
e which I introduced at the Tri-
State Rural Credit conference
2 held in CUMBERLAND last January
!. and was chosen to organize
! this congressional district to
! cary out the voice of that con-
i. vention.
!. "The resolution which was
G unanimously adopted at that
farmers conference and con-
r vention was presented to the re-
9 solutions committee of the DEM
2 ocratic congressional convention
: held here last week and was re-
!, Jected. 1t was also presented to
!. the Republican congressional
! convention held in Berkeley
n Springs last week and was adj
s opted. In all the rural credit
$ conferences and conventions
held by the farmers of this sec
= ton during the past three
months politics was never mem
:, toned. We merely asked for q
!. fair trial and opportunity to
g properly present this important
e subject to congress. There
IS could be no politics in that. The
r raeanest criminal in the land is
u entitled to a fair trial, but no
e informed person can claim we
have had fair trial in this
:, matter.
4 There is but one thing for
!. the farmers Of this congression-
al district to do. Vote the Re-
29blican ticket at the special
lection on May 9th. If the
Democrat is elected TO congress
from this district the member of
that congressional rural credit
Investigating clique will con-
tend that they have been sus-
. taine5 IN tlai1. d0-u0thinv nOIicv