Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-27
.LEADERSPUZz[ED
BY DOUBTFUL VOTE
OF WEST ! |. VIRGINIA
Flume Issue Likely to Sway
italian Miners-State Is
Complicated.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


West Virginia is being classed a
doubtful largely because the situa,
tion here is puzz1ing and has most
people guessing.
The basis on which the democrats
claim the state is specifically as
plausible as the method of calculation
of the republicans. A three-cornered
race for governor, with regular re-
publican and an independent republi-
can and a democrat, has complicated
matters.
But the outstanding fact is that the
situation. while not without anxiety
to the republicans, is nevertheless
such that Senator Harding may be
expected to win the states electoral
vote. Democrats will dispute this,
and point to the trend which has
started in toward Cox on the league
of nations issue. They will also point
confidently to the mining camps, and
argue that Cox is assured of the labor
vote because of his well known
friendliness to the miners of Ohio.
Miners Vote Problematfc.
On the other hand, it is well to ex-
anime the laboring vote in this state
with relation to that very issue and
see whether the miners will be guided
by the views of their leaders or their
own peculiar prejudices. Many miners
are negroes. And in the Clarksburg-
Fairmont district the laboring class
rs largely foreign born. OF those who
are naturalized more than a third are
Italians. l talked with one Of the
Italian leaders, who knows more
about the Italian voters in this state
than any of the politicians on either
side. He himself had twice voted for
Wilson. He launched into a severe de-
nunciation Of the President for haps
ing kept Fiume from Italy.
Every Italian will vote for Harding"
he said. II am doing everything in my
power to double the vote for Harding
There are many thousand Italians
among the mine workers. There are
other nationalitieS of course. The
ton. The truth Is the miners are mare
conscious Of nationality than class. The
prejudice on the Fiume question is some-
thing concrete, The promise Of help to
the workers as asciass is abstract
Cox Personally Popular.
So ,Gtv. Cox, who is personally popu-
lar II West Virginia, as is proved by the
success OF his meetings throughout the
state both early in$the campaign and
this last week, canntf hope to get a de-
cisioa on the mefftA Of his own can
didacy. The resentment against he acts
of Tie Wilson administration IL bound
a group vote as thai Of labor from being
cast solidly for Cox. - 8.
One cannot dismiss West Virginia
without recognising the plausibiity OF
the democratic case. For example, a
straw vote which has been so over
wheimingly for Harding in most states;
shows the two presidential candidates
running more or less evenlH.
These votes represent me city vote,
which is normally republican. If that
il evenly divided, the democrats con-
tepd that the $skers In the mining
districts, where Mere have been few
straw votes taken. will cast . large
vote TOR Cox. Even assuming de-
feetions on the ground of alien griev-
ancso. reQ0licane- will admit that
such strength as Cox develops must
come from the mining districts
Furthermore, the registration of
white women 10 far in excess of negro
women, fact from which the demo-
Gratis insist on drawing optimistic
conclusions. Also. it will be recalled
that Hughes carried West Virginia
four years ago by about 2.602 votes,
which indicated a powerful demo-
cratic vote in state normally re-
publican by many thousands.
Women show Interest.
The women are showing q marked
interest in the league of nations as
an issue. Both sides will admit that
while the state looked easy for Hard
ing in August, something has hap
pened to cause anxiety in the repub-
Gcan camp. The republicans who are
disposed to recegnixe a change in the
situation here Since August blame it
on the factio1Af disturbances growing
out of the primary race for governor
vryhn su Id v<w
the race as q independent or nom
partisan candidate, manages to draw
from both the Cox and Harding camps
Although he himself says he favors
Harding, thTes are plenty Of Mont
gomsry and Epx clubs and banners
in the political parades and demon
The democrass explain the change Of
sentiment as a<reaction against Sena-
tor Hardings speech at Des Moines
on the league OF nationA Many Of
the democrats are confident that IL
weeks on there would be absolutely
no question about the result. They
feel that the swing is in their direc-
Harding Likely to Win.
One interesting thing which puzsIes
the political sharps is the Spontaneous
demonstrations for Woodrow william
which occur in the mass meetines
nelo oy the democrats. One editor
to come to West Virginia and MAKE q
few speeches on the league the state
would have been safely -democratic
That, however. is purely hypothe teal.
summarizing the West virginia
sltuauon. one goes away with an in
stfnctive feeling that Senator Hard
ing VII win the state, by q propor-
tionstely less vote than he will carry
nefgn BORING states like Ohio and In
diana, and with readiness not to he
surprised II Cox upsets all calcu1a- :
tions and obtains the electoral vote
by bare majority. The state is dou BIT =
ful. with republican probabilities.
tCepyright. 1901 81,
(Tomorrow's dispatch will be the
first of series of three, analyxfne
the political situation throughout the
Wnole country, based upon personal
visits to almost every state in the
Onion since the two conventionsA