The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-07-08
From the Commercials Tennessee Core:
Rcgisirntion in Tennessee.

ence.
Rcgistration in Tennessee.
THE HARMONIOUS MACHINE.
The registration machine which has
heretofore labored so beautifully, and
Ground out such quantity of green
backs and honor into tho laps of those
who are indebted TO its effective work
in0s for these fayoTs, more than to any
qualifications on their part for positions
of profit and trust, this excellent
machine, this pride of the loyal,
this terror of the disloyal, this
ioy of him that is in office,
and nightmare of him that is out, this
creator of destiny and mother OF great
ness, this instrument that made men to
glitter in the galaxy of the nations
great, who ought to have been follow
ing plow or wedding an onionbed,
this invention of Johnson's, and patent
right of Brownlow's, this hope of the
faithful and helPs gate to office, this
immortal machine, so distinguished for
its dexterity in making great mon out
of small ones, so complete in its design
and so faithful in its work, this distin-
guished machine is, am sorry to say,
out of order.
There is no longer any harmony about
il. Its purity and Dlessedness have
taken unto themselves wings, and left
il without its former share Oh religious
qualities and Virtuous characteristics.
1t boobies, it wabbles, tits ont OF joint,
it works crooked. 1t makes straight
mark here, and crooked mark there.
1t takes good course in one county "a bad
course in another, and mixed in third.
Its condition is pitiable, but the reason
is nlain. BrownlOw is no longer at the
helm to guido it's course and grease its
wheels with proclamations and mani
festoes, TO influence its movements with
the Christian harmony of its presence,
and TO light its dark places with the
radiance of his benign countenancc.
It's not to-day what it was yesterday,
and Yesterday it was not the same as
the day before. 1t changes and Vaclll-
ates, it jumps ahead and lags back, 1t IS
fair one day and unfair the next. 1t
spits ont certificate 10 this man, who
is not entitled to il, and chawS up the
certificate of another, who is entitled
To ir. 1t is not the same yesterday, to-
day and forever in Shelby, Carter and
Johnson. In one county, you and your
household have to swear for ten minutes
10 get certificates; in another, you can
get one without swearing at al, and, in
another, you have to swear TO keep from
getting one. The prejudice of the Com
missioner is the balance wheel of the
machine, the within of the Governor is
father of the Commissioner, and the
blindness of chance governs the whole.
A stroke of the gubernatOrial pen
touches wheel, and a thousand votes
are made; another stroke and a thousand
votes are lost.
The wrath of Stokes rises above the
grinding of the machine, aud his clarion
voice sounds out in the wilderness In
untes of terrible earuestness. The sweat
rolls from his noblo brow down upon his
delicate nose, aud then drips in agoniz,
ing profusion upon his iuely-rounded
chin, as he pleads Tor the preservation
of the machine that has made him all
that he is. He calls upon Heaven; upon
the widows and orphans; upon the
scenes of the past: upon the crumbling
bones of the Dead upon those that have
gone before and those that have come
after, to look and behold what Senter
is doing with the machine; how he is
disturbing its pleasant workings, and
corrupting its loyal influence.
Bat these matters are very much
mixed. In one county, the Commits
sioner in charge of the machine is for
Senter, and the Stokes men can get no
certificates to help along the material
interests of Old Badly. In another
county, the Commissioner is 4 Stoker,
and no ono but good Stoker need APP
ply, In still another county, the Com
missioner is running for the Legislature,
and, of course, he is for himself, and all
who are likewise, can draw their voting
papers, while those who arc NOT, can
take back seats.
And so the machine istwisted about
to suit convenience, and every time a
new twist is twisted, we have fresh
howl from somebody who is twisted out
But who cares for bowls, that end in
howls. aud nothiEg else The Governor
can twist TIE concern to suit himself
and there is no appeal The Commits
sioner in each and every county cal
also twist to suit himself, and there i
10 appeal. He can make voters as faS
as he can sign his name, and voter ono
is voter eyermorc. He can carry hl
county for himself or anybody else h
chooses. He is more powerful than Tn
President.
Whisky used to be considered goo
vote catcher. hut the machine Is q vot
maker and catcher both. 1t is NOR
effective in an hour than sugar an
whisky in week. But the macbin
begins TO grow uncertain and shaky. 1t
race is run; its funeral can not be far i
the future. 1t has accomplished grea
work. 1t has buried youthful hope
snder its ponderous wheels; ii ha
crushed the life from thousand pOliti
Grams; 1t has breathed renewed vigor int
oiu party hacks, who were dead tiv
years before the wal; it has smnthere(
amoition OF many an inciplent genious
its has produced more statesmen tina,
Virginia, and killed more candidate
for Immortality than negro snf fra oe h.
made.
1t was weighty, because it carried
hundred thousand white men, living :
the cold embrace of civil death, in !,
paunch. II was powerful, because
was guided by BrownlOw. 1t was col
sidercd safe, for no rebel could touch i
and there was no thought of spl
among the loyal brethren. 1t w
mighty, for under the broad canopy
its influence nestled in safety that boo
of statesmen known as the Tenness
Legislature. 1t gave indications OF lor
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