The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-07-11

was lnNlVeQ 10 0patlclpale. Inc prom
ise was held out TO me, here, If you desire
II, we will nominate you for the Court o.
Appeals. It was widespread through Che
country that l was not o candidate ior 70
election TO the office / now hold, but wal
q candidate for Court Of Appeals. l was
powerless to correct all these reports, fol
the press Of my party unfortunately wa
hostile TO me. Communications that had
been written iavoring my reelection had
been suppressed. What was / to doi
That was the sort OF combinations ] had
to meet. Either to fall into It or be
stricken dpYn and crushed. l, saw tit
my fellow citizens, at the instance Of you
and OF the Democrats Of my own county
Of Hampshire, Of Hardy, .Kanawha,
Preston, Marion, and many other coun,
ties, neither to be stricken down nor
crushed, nor 10 submit. Great ap'
plausel
Now, how was that Parkersburg Con.
ventions / won't go into tho history ol
the matter Wherever in any county
parties could be found who were friendly
TO the nomination OF Mr.. Camden, they
were present as delegates, no matter how
small that number might be, although the
sentiment OF the county may have been
overwhelmingly in my favor, They
were there not to givo expression to the
sentiments Of the people, but to. carry out
plans that had been matured sometime be-
fore. In other counties where the senii,
ment Of the people was notoriously in my
favor-right almost at my own home, al
most at my own door-a people that
know me well and that ! know well; a
people that esteem and that have rea.
son to believe q people that esteems
me-Conventions are called and in.
given for the nomination
Of Mr.. Camden So instructions were giy.
en- in some other counties, Not satisfied
with this-and / am almost ashamed to
say thing Of that kind should have hap.
pened in my own party-where these ex.
pedients failed and parties could not be
found who were willing to misrepresent
the people in the ordinary way, the ques.
tionable resort was had TO hiring the at.
tendance Of delegates. How was it pos.
sible for me TO meet such a combination
as that2 Invent to Parkersburg to find
this state Of things. Twas unwilling as o
citizen and as an officer TO place myself
in the hands Of a Convention organized
iu that way. But at that time had little
thought OF being a candidate. ] was un.
willing, having discharged the duties for
two years past to go before that Conven.
tion and be slaughtered" as ordinarily
expressed. Therefore l declined to let my
name go before that Convention for any
Office with full expectation Of retiring
from all offices whatever. But when the
Convention adjourned it was found in one
section, and then in another, and then in
another, that it had not given expression
to the wishes and sentiments Of the Dem.
ocrats of West Virginia. Dissatisfaction
was manifested hero and there; indigna.
tion in other places. Letters began to
pour on me; requests in different shapes
and forms, first from one place and then
another, pressing and urging me 10 be.
come candidate; and finally, in defer.
ence to these requests, l became q candi.
date, and in that attitude ! am before you
tonight. Applause. l am not here
for the purpose of attacking my dis,
tinguished competitor. / entertain not
the slightest feeling Of unkindness
or hostility to him. 1t is. honorable in
him to aspire to this high office and if /
believed he was the choice Of even a
large portion-I wont say majority
of the Democratic party Of West Virgin.
ia, never would have been q candidate.
1 would have waived all questions as TO
claims and rights, for l do not believe in
any such thing as that. ! do not think
any citizen has claims or rights on the
party; butt was led TO believe he was
not the choice and so believing became
a candidate, not for the sake OF the Office
itself ior that I have filled, its honors
have enjoyed, and in great measure !
have had the respect OF my fellow citi-
zans, Democrats and Republicans In
the discharge OF its duties. Zap.
plause, Therefore, this is not q
personal contest, as l said before.
But it is urged, and in the organ sustain.
ing my distinguished competitor, that he
was entitled to his northumberland I am
almost ashamed to say it, my fellow.
what? for services he had
rendered the Democratic party for the
and assertion Of great prin.
ciples? They are reasons that appeal to
the heart and mind OF every citizen. o,
no; but 1t was asserted he had contributed
a sum Of money to the canvass, and there.
fore he was entitled to 1t. Why, arc we
so fallen? Is that the position Of the
Democratic party or Republican party,
or any party in this countryg No! No ]
II we have fallen so low that nomi.
nations are 10 be purchased in that
way, when the Democratic Conven.
ton met at Parkersburg they ought
to haUe inserted in tho platform he amount
Of money that trould be necessary 10 procure
a nomiaation! Uproarious cheers.
know nothing about the contribution Of
1t may have been so and may
not have been so. All Of US, presume,
in the last struggles, and all the struggles
we have had have contributed as we
could, some time and labor, some money.
Some OF US are too poor to contribute
much money. That is my, condition,
But I say that all made efforts. Were
these contributions made then for thepur.
pose Of securing these ofIlcesG thought
not. lsuppose no Democrat in the State
thought that money was given for the
sake OF securing offices in the future.
speak Of these things with some regret
that such thing Ss that should be main.
tanned in my own party; that my party
organ should base the reason Of It's sup.
port of a candidate on the ground OF a
money consideration. Applause,
You know the course I have pursued,
l am not here to speak my own praises.
Far from 1t. am simply 10 dis.
charge the duties that were imposed on
me. When one came before me for any
purpose, I did not inquire whether he was
a Democrat or Repu6lican-rich or poor.
The question was: Is his demand or re,
quest rightG That question settled, my
my mind was made up, and so acted.
4 nnlouua In f1to odntbtatra ttnn nf thu