Newspaper Articles


Martinsburg Journal
April 27, 1960

Kennedy To Arrive At Airport

Local Visit Tonight Holds Despite Early Halt to State Tour

United States Senator John F. Kennedy, the second Democratic presidential hopeful to come here in the past 24 hours is scheduled to arrive at 6:30 p.m. by plane at the Municipal Airport.

Dr. Frank H. Fischer, who is in charge of the Kennedy campaign locally said that the Massachusetts senator will ride by auto through the downtown section of Martinsburg to radio station WEPM where he is to broadcast at 7:30 p.m. before going to Charles Town for a major rally at the race track starting at 8 p.m.

The candidate is expected to be accompanied by his wife, Jacqueline.

Kennedy's radio appearance here will be principally to answer questions to be submitted from the public by telephone. Mrs. Lynn Alexander and Miss Sylvia Crawford are serving as volunteers to answer telephone calls at the radio station starting at 7 p.m.

Doubt Dispelled

Some doubt concerning Kennedy's appearance here arose this morning when a United Press International story from Hinton said that he had cancelled the remainder of his state tour today in order to fly back to Washington to vote on a coal mine safety bill.

Dr. Fischert, however, said he has received renewed assurance that Kennedy will fly out of Washington and will arrive on time.

The campaign tour from Hinton to Martinsburg for today has been turned over to Edward "Ted" Kennedy, a brother.

Kennedy, who says he believes he'll win the West Virginia primary and go on to win the Democratic presidential nomination and then the general election, harped again on what he described as Eisenhower administration failures to help West Virginia out of its economic doldrums.

He said President Eisenhower and other administration officials have "turned a deaf ear and a blind eye" to the state while being more concerned with nations abroad that have economic troubles.

He accused Agriculture Secretary Ezra T. Benson of shipping overseas many items of food that could be best used to feed the needy in West Virginia's coal fields and other parts of the nation.

During a day of campaigning Tuesday in the Logan, Pineville, Mullens and Welch areas, Kennedy received several big receptions, best of which were at Pineville and Mullens - the sister mining towns of Wyoming County.

Residents of those places seemed as taken, however, with a Kennedy campaign companion as the candidate himself. Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. joined Kennedy in Wyoming County and the crowds went for him.

Roosevelt - a name that holds magic in the West Virginia coalfields- didn't treat Kennedy's opponent with kid gloves that Kennedy himself usually did.

Roosevelt told a crowd at Mullens that Humphrey would not stand a chance of getting the Democratic nomination even if he won the West Virginia primary. "A vote for Hubert Humphrey would be a vote down the drain," he said.

Kennedy did not often refer directly to Humphrey.

At Welch, Kennedy did say he thought Humphrey "has a strange array of political bed fellows."

There and at Bluefield Tuesday and today he accused Humphrey of accepting support from Senators Stuart Symington and Lyndon B. Johnson, two other aspirants not entered here.

He also said Vice President Nixon has requested Republicans of West Virginia try and stop Kennedy.

He said Republican Gov. Cecil H. Underwood, "who has ignored West Virginia's problems, attacked me and did not attack my opponent because I am the only Democratic candidate ahead of Richard Nixon.

"Underwood has no other reason to get our Democratic primary. I am delighted because it means he knows we will win."

At Bluefield College today, he said Underwood attacked him "to serve his party. I think the button was pushed in Washington and he took off."


Late Arrival, Small Turnout Fail to Faze Humphrey Here

Senator Hubert H, Humphrey, of Minnesota, the self-styled "people's candidate" for President of the United States, made a belated appearance in Martinsburg yesterday evening in his efforts to win the favor of West Virginia Democrats in the May 10 primary.

Humphrey was scheduled to speak in the Public Square at 4 p.m. but somewhere along the line his crewmen failed to realized that Daylight Saving time is observed here. That made him one hour late. Another hour of lateness was added because of the tight schedule set up for him and as a result he did not arrive until 6 p.m. Another result was that only a handful of people, 150 at the most, were on hand to hear him.

This did not phase the energetic Minnesotan, however, as he shook hands with most of them and then delivered an arm-waving speech in which he promised "free hospital care for Grandpa" and said that he would right the economic wrongs of West Virginia.

He indirectly blamed all of the President Eisenhower and Governor Underwood but made no mention of any responsibility on the part of a Democratic Congress and the state legislature.

Taking note of recent statement by the sta[t]e republican leaders telling Humphrey and his Democratic opponent, Senator John F. Kennedy, to "go home," he said that the national spotlight being focused on West Virginia will be good for the state because it will bring its condition to the attention of the entire nation.

Humphrey declared that there are three kinds of candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination - the rich man's candidate, the bosses' candidate and the peoples' candidate.

Not "Rich, Bossed"

"I am not a rich man and I do not listen to the big city bosses. I am the people's candidate," he said adding:

"I am not coming into West Virginia with a black suitcase full of money and with no open end checkbook. I am also not asking you to vote for me because I am glamorous or because of the way I wear my hair."

Concerning socialized medicine, he criticized top government officials who receive free medical care at government hospitals but oppose free medical care for "grandpa."

The Humphrey caravan included a charted bus well-plastered with propaganda concerning the candidate, and several automobiles. Pretty girls passed out Humphrey pins and cards while the senator spoke.

He was introduced by Floyd Odom, a member of the city Democratic executive committee. Notable by their absence were leading Democrats of the community. Mayor William H. Peery, being the only one on hand to extend an official greeting. Joseph Thompson, chairman of the Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee, was present and took Humphrey to Charles Town by auto.

Humphrey came here after earlier and belated stops in Romney and Berkeley Springs.


Sen. Humphrey Visits Springs, Drug store on Stop in Morgan

(Special to The Journal)

Berkeley Springs, April 27

Senator Hubert Humphrey appeared briefly before a quickly assembled crowd in Berkeley Springs Tuesday afternoon about 4:30, discussed the West Virginia Democratic Primary, drank from the famous George Washington warm springs, and visited a local drug store before continuing to Martinsburg. Congressman Kenneth Hechler, of Huntington, introduced him.

The crowd, numbering 75 to 100, listened carefully to the earnest speaking senator and applauded him enthusiastically. Many children followed his route to the springs and his bus, seeking autographs and asking questions. A group of newspaper correspondents were in the party as were other campaign workers. Forrest Talbott, a former West Virginia, now assistant secretary of state in Minnesota, was with the party. He lived and attended school in Fairmont.

Senator Humphrey told the people he has no money to pay for expensive advertising and the only way he has to get his message across is by direct personal appeal. He spoke of economic conditions needing attention now and promised that he would give full-time attention to the office and such matters, if elected.

A reference to the visits of George Washington to Berkeley Springs in its colonial days showed that Humphrey had boned up on his history before coming to town. He then accompanied Congressman Hechler to the springs and there, with a throng of children seeking autographs, he drank from the springs that Washington and other colonial leaders made famous. He then dropped in at the Berkeley Springs Pharmacy, a new drug store in town, to chat with the druggist. He recalled that in his earlier days he worked in his father's drug store in Minnesota.

So far as is known senator Humphrey has no local organization working for his campaign and some uncertainty was rumored as to whether he would arrive on Daylight or Standard Time. He was due 3:30 and arrived about 4:30. His bus and auto pulled out for Martinsburg about 35 minutes after arrival. In view of the lack of a local organization and advance work the number assembled was larger than some had anticipated.


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