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Hinton Daily News
April 9, 1960

Humphrey Continues Whirlwind Bus Tour

BECKLEY, W. Va. (UPI) - Sen. Hubert Humphrey (D-Minn.), continuing on a whirlwind, hand-shaking bus tour of southern West Virginia, moved into the second leg of his trip today with stops in Summers, Mercer, Boone and Kanawha Counties.

Humphrey, who opened his second Democratic presidential primary battle against Sen. John F. Kennedy Friday at Charleston, was to visit Hinton, Princeton and Madison today before returning to Charleston for a rest Sunday.

On Monday, Kennedy arrives for a whirlwind one-day trip to start his campaign, while Humphrey goes back into the coal fields with visits to the Logan, Welch, Pineville and Bluefield areas.

Kennedy plans to hit the Parkersburg, Charleston, Huntington and Beckley areas in a flying-motoring trip. Their paths are not expected to cross, however.

The full day of campaigning, during which Humphrey showed little letup in the tempo from dawn to dusk, wound up Friday night with a rally here.

Humphrey said he thought Vice President would start campaigning more now as a result of his showing in the Wisconsin primary. Nixon trailed both Humphrey and Kennedy in votes received. Humphrey said he thought Nixon would speed up his campaigning in an effort to escape being "low man on the totem poll again."

The Minnesota Democrat criticized President Eisenhower's vetoes last year of an area redevelopment bill and a measure to establish a coal research and development commission.

He also protested the administration's "lying-down veto" of his bill enacted last year authorizing a food stamp plan to feed the hungry. Humphrey said Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson had done nothing to put the plan into effect.

He said he would introduce a new bill this year making the food stamp plan mandatory in industrial areas of chronic unemployment and in rural areas of low farm income.

Humphrey started his 77-mile bus trip from Charleston to Beckley Friday with about three hours sleep. He arrived in Charleston from Washington by air about 1 a.m. Friday.

The tour started at a glass plant where the senator greeted some 300 persons as they arrived for work. He bounced about, introducing himself, shaking hands and pinning Humphrey buttons on anybody in sight. This was a scene oft-repeated throughout the day.

Enroute here, Humphrey saw first hand former bustling mining camps where there now is virtually no activity as a result of mine closures.

"I think the President ought to see this," Humphrey remarked as the bus went through one gloomy little community.

At Montgomery, where the party halted for lunch, Humphrey delivered a bus station speech in which he accused the Eisenhower administration of "violating the law."

"Congress passed the full employment act of 1956 but we have thousands of people out of jobs and nothing is being done about it," he said. "I say this is violating the law."

During the trip here, several sizeable crowds were on hand to greet Humphrey at numerous stops on a remarkable closely-followed schedule.

At Marmet near Charleston, where he breakfasted, a crowd of junior high school students showed up at a small restaurant and he practiced his oratory on them. He urged them to make sure their parents vote in the May 10 primary - and said who they vote for is secondary.

At Cedar Grove, the high school band and pretty majorettes were waiting for him and blasted forth with the Minnesota rouser song. A large crowd was there and although no speech was scheduled, Humphrey had his public address car drawn up and got in a few more verbal points.

There were similar events in Gauley Bridge, Fayetteville, Oak Hill and Mt. Hope.

At one time, Humphrey suggested creation of a Youth Conservation Corps to "bring out the natural beauty of West Virginia," and then remarked:

"The natural beauty I'd like to see most in West Virginia is full employment."


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