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Wheeling News-Register
May 1, 1960

'Voiceless' Kennedy In Weirton Today

Supporter Reading Speeches

Sen. John F. Kennedy will continue his West Virginia campaign tour in the Northern Panhandle today but whether he will do much talking in uncertain since a throat infection has left him without much voice.

Kennedy is scheduled to speak at the Weirton Community Center today but if the pattern of yesterday's campaigning is followed, an aide will be reading his speech.

During his speaking tour of the state Saturday, Kennedy limited himself to handshaking and a few weak-voiced words of greeting to each audience. His speeches were being delivered by Matt Reese of Huntington, executive secretary of West Virginians for Kennedy, ton [sic] Kennedy is due to arrive at the Wheeling-Ohio County Airport before 6 p. m. today from Parkersburg. A motorcade of Weirton supporters will escort the presidential hopeful to Weirton for his 6:30 p. m. speaking engagement. Immediately afterwards Kennedy will return to Parkersburg.

Meanwhile, his opponent in the West Virginia primary, Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey, is scheduled to make his first appearance in the Wheeling area on Thursday.

His one day jaunt in Wheeling will include a tour of the downtown sector to meet people on the sidewalks and also a public address in the downtown area.

Sen. Humphrey will speak first in Weirton at the city's Community Center at 8 a. m. and then travel to Bethany College for a talk on the "Issues of the Presidential Campaign of 1960." His talk at the col[l]ege is scheduled for 10 a. m.

The Minnesota senator will then return to Wheeling and begin a walk through the downtown streets at noon. At 12:30 p. m. he will deliver a public address on Twelfth St. between Market and Chaplin Sts. At 2 p. m. he will deliver an address before the faculty and student body at Wheeling Col[l]ege.

Humphrey will conclude his Wheeling tour thereafter with a tour of several Wheeling area industries. In the evening he will travel to Morgantown.

The two presidential aspirants Saturday traded insults at long range. The fireworks were touched off by a statement issued in the name of Kennedy accusing Humphrey of smear tactics, attempting to distort Kennedy's record and in general conducting a "gutter campaign."

Humphrey at first denied the charges of low-level attack and said Kennedy "can't expect to win 'em all."

Later, he issued a stronger statement. He charged that the original Kennedy statement was not authored by the senator. He said it was the work of another Kennedy, the senator's brother, Robert.

"Jack will have plenty of chances to speak for himself without handouts through his brother, Bobby," Humphrey said. "Politics is a serious business, not a boy's game where you can pick up the ball and run home if things don't go according to your idea of who should win."

Kennedy declined to comment on the Humphrey charge. "I don't want to get into a mud-slinging battle," he said. But he added "Humphrey is merely serving the interests of other candidates while campaigning in West Virginia."

Humphrey quickly countered that "it has always seemed rather amusing to me to see Jack publicly challenge other candidates to enter the primaries. Then when someone else does enter, he complains there's a conspiracy to stop him and to deny him the nomination."


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