The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-01-16

TINS am very uOuDLlult anu Wuulu IT.
commend you to take 1t with several
grains OF allowance For Of all the strange
events In this strange mans career, the
stFangest OF all would be To see him in
the high office to which his acknowledged
abilities so well entitle him to aspire,
by the votes of the Democratic members
Of our Legislature. / predict that event
win never occur, either at their hands or
those Of any party in West Virginia. OF
him, as Of q certain prominent man, Il
can only be said that Che has lett splen-
did future behind him" ~ 'H
GOV, JOHN III. JACOB,
And this obituary remark about Judge
Ferguson brings me TO the name Of tue last
man on my list, that of the newly elected
Governor, tho Hon, John ]. Jacob, A
certain prestige attaches to his name, just
now, in consequence Of his having, uneX-
pectedly to himself and every body else,
become the first Democratic Governor Of
West Virginia. How old, and yet how
true II Is that there Is nothing 50 success
full as success Previous to his nomina-
ton, the extent Of his public lie and ex.
perience was 40 days in the Legislature Of
1900, where he was regarded as q sensible
and good looking man, but where he
made no mark as a leader, Before the
meeting Of the Democratic State Conyen'
ton, bis name had not been mentioned,
so far as recollect, in any journal on
either side in connection with nomina.
ton for Governor. The honor was sup
posed to lie between John j. Davis, the
Congressman elect from this district, and
johnson N. Camden, Of Parkersburg, the
defeated candidate Of the Democracy In
1868. Parkersburg or Wood county, has
never been without o candidate for Gov!
ernor, nor, for that matter, without an
actual incumbent OF the Office, since West
Virginia became q State in the Union.
Neither has she been without United
States Senator, actual and expectant, at
any time nor without q United States
Judge, and part Of the time she has had
the member of Congress and the United
States Assessor for this district. Very
naturally, therefore, MIR, Camden conclud-
cd that inasmuch as the scepter was not
To depart from Judah, he might as well
be prepared to WELD 1t when the time
came by being a candidate en- peradneNce.
But tho Democracy thought different
SO that they setup.Mr, Jacob; ofwhom, a Ia
Frank Pierce, they had no jealousies, and
along with him they also set up a lot of
other ten pins to be knocked down by
Radical ballots as they thought, and thus
to prepare the way, as so many victims,
for the final triumph In 1874. But the
Sanhedrim did not see into the future very
far that time. 1t didn't take such q long
pole to knock the persimmon as they
thought It would. The fruit was about
ready to drop oil It's own accord. Il 1t had
not been, tho timber they furnished, In the
shape Of State ticket, would have done
very Indifferent execution indeed. That
they did not expect success Is shown by
several Of their nominations. For instance,
they took up one individual who only o
year or two previous had written letter,
after the style Of Brownlow's famous epis.
tie, avowi1g that "neither height nor
depth, nor things present nor things to
come, nor any living creature" should d.
vide him from the Republican fellowship,
and that long before he should join him.
self to the BAIL Of Democracy water would
flow up hill and the moon would turn in
10 green cheese. But Notwithstanding
his letter, this would.be imltator Of Par.
son Brownlow was, ut his own sollcita.
ton, put upon the Democratic State
ticket Us candidate for Secretary OF the
State. From such nomination you can
gather that the Democratic leaders did
not feel very sure about their footing.
And TO this distrust on their part tho new
Governor owes his nomination, and If he
should now be elected Senator he can soy
with Shakespeare that "some men are born
great, some achieve greatness, and some
have greatness thrust upon them Not
that lie Is not qualified for the place us
well rs his predecessors In office, or as well
as any aspirants before the convention
that nominated him, but only that he
struck o conspicuous streak Of luck in he.
Ing brought forward OF time when the
pressure for doubtful honors was not so
rampant as 1t Is where nomination Is
equivalent 10 an election. .u..... ...,..l
The new Governor Is u native OF this
State, although a resident Of Missouri for
several years, where he held the Professor.
ship OF Belles.lettres in the University at
Columbia. OF late he has been acting as
ono Of the attorneys Of the Baltimore s.
Ohio Railroad at Romney, where he lives,
and his position in that respect was one
OF the arguments used against his cleo.
ton in the late campaign. Although q
straightout Democrat, he was not mixed
up IN secession to IN extent that pre-.
vented him from taking the test oath
when q member Of the Legislature, and,
should he be elected Senator, will DO able
to take. his seat at Washington, which Is
moro than ono Of the men on my list, Mr..
Faulkner, can do. Upon the whole, l do
not see but that his election would be
creditable 10 the Democracy, now that
they have started him In the line Of pro.
motion. Next to Mr.. Lamb, | think that
1t would give general satisfaction In this
end Of the State. >
But enough, and more than enough, for
one letter about our West Virginia politics
and politicians. Whoever shall be the
successful man at Charleston for the Sena.
torship, presume that you and the rest
Of the world will be appraised Of his name
either before or after navigation opens.
As ut present advised, the assortment Of
candidates presents q fine opening for
blind bets among the sporting fraternity,
Perhaps some Of the Ohio Democrats who
dropped their cash on this State In 1868
might find an Opportunity 70 go In again.
II so, Let them apply to the same reliable
arithmetic man at the office ofthe Charles
ton CoRrfer7 ,L1'igoL ,25Ft , a7N1 an