The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-10-16
MONDAY EVENING. OCTOBER is, 1916.
"Amcricc First and America Efficient
LIQUOR AND THE ELECTION.

T.HAT the booze interests entertain hope of being
able to make West Virginia wet again admits
Of no doubt. They watch conditions through
but the state with painstaking and unremittng
vigilance, and when they think the time is ripe they
will strike. 1t will then develop, beyond doubt
that all along they have been prepared in every
way for campaign of considerable scope and the
utmost aggressiveness
We do not believe that such a campaign would
succeed but it would cost the good people of West
Virginia much money and effort and be the source
bf an endless amount of heartburning and anxiety
vt would in short, entail travelling again over most
pf the road which was traversed slowly and pain
fully in the struggle to put West Virginia where
els today with regard to the liquor question.
y Now about the only argument that the booze in
terests can use in campaign of the sort they have
w contemplation is summed up in their contention
That prohibition does not prohibit. As long as
conditions are such in West Virginia that the Yost
Isw keeps down drunkenness and lawlessness and
4here is less want and misery there will be no &C.
ton on the part Of the booze crowd. But if the
bootleggers ever get the upper hand-then there
will be another story to tell. The booze people will
point to the evidence Of bootlegging and say eff
NE must have liquor let's have it right out in the
open where the sale of it can be regulated and we
pan make it help pay the expenses of government"
That being true, and the truth of it admits of
tcarcely doubt, it is the duty Of every enemy Of
khe booze traffic to do everything in his power to
suppress the sale of liquor in this state And that
ID its turn brings the liquor question right into the
pending campaign for the election of county Off
eers. The Democratic political machine in Marion
bounty is protecting bootlegging and everything
That goes with it. For the sake of securing the sup
port of few colored voters for the Democratic can
hidates the Democratic office holders have calmly
watched the breaking down of the moral fabric in
this town until conditions are infinitely worse than
they. were when we had saloons. The Democratic
prosecuting attorney who is candidate for cleo
zion to the office which he fills by appointment
BIT public mass meeting declared that he is unable
10 stop the traffic in liquor Had the question, does
prohibition prohibits been put to the men on the
bfeets Of Fairmont Saturday night seven out Of ten
lpf them would have said ''no'' most emphatically
These are actual conditions at the present time.
% is fair inference that they will get worse if
Haggerty is successful at the polls. At all events
he is not now, and would not be after his election
his own master. He would not dare to do his duty
he had reason to suspect that his actions in that
direction would be displeasing to the machine
which gave him his job and his nomination It even
may be that he would not want to do his duty if
he felt free to act He has said nothing at any time
which would indicate wh,re he stands while the
general attitude Of the bootlcggcrs and the other
Jaw breakers indicates that they feel pretty conf
Hdent that they have things fixed
Il il different with Rollo Conley, the Republican
condhdate for prosecutor Aside from the fact that
any Change in existing conditions would be apt to
pc beneficial simply because it would break up the
haderg rouDd railway between the vicious and the