The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-02-03
a Chnrns,ng Cauens.

Charming Caueus
The Republican members OF the Leg
islature met in caucus last evening at
the State House, to nominate candidates
for Public Printer and State Superin-
tepdent of Free Schools. After Organl-
zation, proposition was made to vote
rfra roce. The ballot, however, was pre-
ferred and settled upon. For the first
mentioned office, two gentlemen were
named, Mr.. JOHN FREw, of this city and
Mr.. J. n. WIsNER, of Msrtinsburg. On
The first ballot, out of fifty.three votes
cast, Mr.. FREw received twenty seven,
Mr.. WIsNER twenty five and Mr.. ZEIG'
len one. Mr.. FREw having received
majority of the whole, his nomination.
was made unanimous.
For State Superintendent, the follow
lowing gentlemen were nominated: w.
K. WHITE, of Fairmont, present incum-
bent, II. d. RICE, of Guyandotte, Mil.
Ton WELLS, of Wellsburg, IL. A. G..
ZErGLER, of Pbilippi, and R.J. RUSSELL,
of this city. The first ballot resulted as
follows: ZEIGLER Il, WHITE l6, WELLS
10, RICE :. Whole number OF votes 5l.
Necessary 10 choice ii. A motion
was made and carried to drop the low
est after each succeeding ballot until
choice was eft. cted. The second ballot
was as follows: ZEIGLEE 70, WHITE IL,
RICE 9, WELLS 6. No choice. Mr.. RICE
was Withdrawn aud Mr.. WELLS dropped
under the rue. On the the third ballot
Mr.. ZEIGLER was nominated by vote
of y to % for Mr.. WHITE. The nOmi-
nation was made unanimous.
And now 1t becomes our duty to
mention an incident that was Ooth
awkward and painful. On the vote for
Public Printer tifty-three ballots were
cast. On the first ballot for Superln-
t.udsut but iitty.One votes were gwen.
80 member had left the House III the
interval between the two ballOs, and
everybody present had voted upon the
last. The premonitOry symptoms Gi q
swiudle looked out from comparison
OF the figures, like the long fish from
under the short coat of the thief. 4
manifest chilliness meandered up and
down the spinal column OF 10y
atty" Everybody suspected his
neighbor, and everybody's neigh
boz reciproeated the sentiment.
Everybody felt mean; everybody looked
guilty from the feeling. i member
arose and briefly set forth the sltna'
ton. He didn't say much, but he
locked the charge of ballot stuihng
right into the eyes of that loyal as
sembIage, aud the mighty mass OF moral
uu,h turned green with the reflection
of its own r0ttenness. An effort was
made to exercise the grim ghost OF sus-
piciou by continuing the ballOting. But
the whole business had lost its interest.
The motions were gone through mechan-
icllly, and when the Superintendency
wls settled, the loyal gathering
turned, like chap with a boil which
he can'r refrain from finger
ing, To rub its sores and ten
der spots, wincing the while un-
der the roughness of the operation.
One member wanted a recOnsidera-
t,ou Another wanted rird r0ce vote
TO prevent cheating. Another thought
a second vote would amount TO con-
frssion of guilt. which would. be dis
graceful, forgetting that it is the fact
of fraud, aud not the confession, to whick
disgrace attaches. This gentleman,
however, was clerical brother, and
doubtless understood better than plain
er folk how swindliuI is not criminal SO
long a. there is no admission of the act.
A cooler aud .hTcwder member suggest
I'd from his seat that some expert
election oidcer had probably been
indulging IN little profes.
sional practice to the end
that his right hand might not forget
its cunning, and as the incident was
merely proof of zeal in good works, the
gentle swindle was to some extent cx.
cusa6le. But this was met with a
trite suggestion about "hOnOr among
thieves" and then the energies o
loyal" genius were bent upon deviSine
a remedy. To undo the work was no
Ia be thought of, for this would pro
duce irrecOncilable divisions, and YET
another vote could have no other pur'
pose. The filth was there, and all that
remained to be done was TO ran from
the stencil. Flight was determined
upon, and the representatives of all
the honesty and decency in the State
hastily adj urned. The harmony in
the hive is Undesirable.