Saturday, October 02, 2004

On your Hatfields, McCoys, Chamber of Commerce types

The Charleston paper has this interesting article comparing the Hatfields and McCoys to the Democrats who have gone over to oppose the re-election of West Virginia Chief Justice McGraw.

The article notes that a Hatfield-McCoy researcher found: "before the violent and disruptive influences of industry moved in, the Tug Fork area was pretty peaceful. People were not wealthy, but they supported themselves and their families on their small farms and local industries. They prospered, and their society was more egalitarian than in other regions of Virginia. People had faith in their local courts. As available land disappeared and the economy began to change after the Civil War, young men struggled to find their place. They vented their frustrations on each other, in arguments and fights that sometimes escalated into killings and retaliation. But the invading industries of railroads, coal and timber, while bringing jobs, traffic and commerce, also created this environment. Mountain people would learn to depend on outsiders for their living, instead of each other."

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