The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-09-16
The berkeley County Dodge.

We have been under the impression
that we understood tolerably well the
villainy Of the Radical party in this
State, and had a pretty fair idea OF the
capacity of that party for low and con-
temptible tricks upon the people. But
our idea has been short of the reality.
Recent events in Berkeley county have
revealed deeper depth of villainy than
anv into which we have heretofore
thought the Radicals capable Of de-
scending. The prize medal of infamy
has been fairly won by the Board of
Registration and its Radical advisers in
Berkeley, and they are in future entitled
TO wear the belt until stripped Of it by
some other Radical Board excited to
emulation by their shameful example,
or prompted by the Governor to other
fresh and untrled schemes of wrong.
Among the legal voters Of Berkeley
county, Notwithstanding it has, by the
use of means the Radical managers well
understand, been made to appear other
wise, the Democrats and Conservatives
have large and reliable majority. \
fair vote at any time would Gust the
Radicals from Office. For several years
pact they have been pairing down the
registry, and as fast as those whom
they permitted to vote became disguised
with Radicalism, they were stricken
from the list Of late, however, these
changes have been unusually numerous,
and when the books were closed on the
first Monday in September, it ap-
peared that considerable ma
jority of the registered voters
were opposed to the continuance Of the
present system and would vote to put
achite men in Office The Board looked
at the list in dismay, and after scan
ming it closely again, and again found
about forty concerning whom somebody
had heard somebody else say that some
body had heard it r,mored they were
not strictly "loyal," Accordingly the
forty were notified to appear and show
cause why they should not be stricken
from the list, In this, of course, there
was nothing remarkable, nothing that
had not been done often before by them
and their fellows in other counties in
the State.
But it was found that the disfran-
chisement of forty qualified voters
would not save the Radical party in
Berkeley and that Democratic major
ity still remained upon the list Some.
thing must be done; some new and
heretofore untried expcdient must be
resorted to. A private session of the
Board was held and notices were issued
summoning before them several of
the Democratic candidates for
office and a large number chow
large no one can telD of the
anti Radical citizens Men whose
loyalty to the Union has never before
been questioned received notice to APP
pear before the Board, and neighbors
who had stood by each other and op
posed the rebellion dnring the entire
war were mutually surprised to learn
that their right to vote was placed in
jeopardy. The operations ofthe Board
were conducted so secretly that only
the man whom they proposed to strike
knew that the blow was aimed.
The summons to appear before a
Board Of Registration in this State is |
simply a notice of disfranchisement. !
The conviction of the accused is prede- .
termined. He cannot provea negative;
cannot prove that he never gave aid or
sympathy to the rebellion, and hence
cannot "proye his loyalty" to the salts
faction of those who have resolved that
he shall not vote II he fails to appear
before the Board, his failure is construed .
to furnish prima facie evidence of his
guilt, and his Acknowledgement follows
as the night succeeds the day.
Under this condition of affairs, the
Radicals expect to carry Berkeley
county this fall and Radical stock is on
the rise. When the election is SHIELD and
county is reported as giving
fifty or one hundred majority for SrE-
rESsos, it will be properly claimed as
Radical triumph over law and the will
# the legally qualified voters of the !
,ounty.