The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-10-28


+ Especial Despatch to The Reformer.)
4 III Copyright 1920.
I WHEELING, w. Va, oct. 2S.-West
Virginia is being classed as doubtful
largely because the situation here is puz-
cling and has most people guessing.
.- The basis on which the Democrats claim
the Mate is specifically as plausible as
the method OF calculation of the Republi-
cans. \ three-c0rncred race for governor
with a regular Republican and an indie
pendent Republican and a Democrat has
complicated matters. But the outstand-
ing fact is that the situation while not
without anxiety to the Republicans is,
nevertheless. such that Senator Harding
NAV be expected to win the states cleo
toral vote. Democrats will dispute this
and point to the trend which has started
toward Cox on the league Of nations issue.
They will also point confidently to the
mining camps and argue that Cox Is as
sured of the labor vote because OF his
wcl-known fricndliness to the miners of
Ohio.
On the other hand, it is well to examine
the Iaboring vote in this state with rela-
ton to that very issue and see whether
the miners will be guided by the views of
their leaders, or their own peculiar preJu-
diceS.
Many miners are Negroes. And in the
CIarksburgh- FairmOnt district the labor
ing class is largely fOreign-bOrn. OF
those who are naturalized. more than a
third are Italians. l talked with one Of
the Italian laborers who knows more
about Italian IabOrerS in the state than
any of the politicians on either side. lie
himself had twice voted for Wilson. lie
launched into a severe denunciatlOn OF the
President for having kept Fiume from
Italy. Every Italian will vote for
Harding" he said. Il am doing every
/ thing in my power to double the vote for
Harding among the Italians"
There are many thousand Italians
among the mine workers. There are
\ other nationalities of course. The Ital
ian grievance is merely an illustration.
The truth is the miners are more conscious
of nationality than class. The prejudice
on the Fiume question is something con
crete. The promise of help to the work
crs as n class is abstract.
SO Governor Cox, who is personally
popular in West Virginia as is proved by
the success of his meetings throughout the
state both early in the campaign and this
last week cannot hope to get a decision
on the merits of his own candidacy. The
resentment against the acts of the Wilson
administration is bound TO be n vital fac
tor in preventing such a group vote as
that Of labor from being cast solidly fel
Cox. One cannot dismiss West Virginia
without realizing the plausibility of the
Democrat case. For example the Rexall
straw vote, which has been so over,
whelmingly for Harding in most states
shows the two presidential candidates
running more or less evenly. These drug
stores votes represent the city vote which
Is normally Republican. If that is evenly
Z divided, the Democrats contend that the
votes in the mining district where there
have been few straw votes taken will cast
large vote for Cox. Even assuming de
fections on the ground of alien grievances
Il Republicans win admit that such strength
as Cox develops must come from the min.
ing districts Furthermore. the registra