The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-07-13
The Fight in the Congress District
H. Across the River. " t'H

The Fight in the Congress District
t o. Across the RIVER. ~
The Republican papersfn the Congress
district across the river are discussing
with not little interest. the question Of
the succession in the House Of Represen.
tstives. So fur as the aspirants are con.
cerned, the situation seems TO be Mr..
BINGHAM against the field but til evi.
dent the popular feeling does not CORES.
pond with this feeling Of the aspirsnts
from the various counties, and there Is an
apprehension that Mr.. BINGHAM may
carry of the nomination once more
With an eye to this contingency the
GAINESVILLE Esterprtse has suggested the
running Of a Liberal or Independent Re.
publican against BrNaILAAf. To this the
Chronicle responds that aELiberal Repub.
lican would receive very little encourage.
ment in Belmont county, while a popular
man run as an Independent would doubt
less command respectable vote" The
Enterprise rejoins that a great many
GRANT Republicans would vote against
BINGHAM merely on personal grounds for
either Liberal or Independent. (Pre.
cisely what distinction these journals rec.
ognize between "Llberap and Independ.
ent we do not perceive, unless 1t is that
the Independent is to be q GRANT Repub.
lisan, while the Liberal Is for GREELEY
The Enterprise would prefer ian indie.
pent OF the GRANT persuasionp and thinks
Capt. DANFoRD, Of St. Evansville, prob.
ably best adapted by circumstances to
make the race, and DR.. UPDEGRAFF, Of
Jefferson county, next best.
We do not presume to finder advice to
our Republican brethren across the River,
nor profess to understand the objects
aimed at by our contemporaries there; but
there are one or two aspects Of the case
that seem obvious enough to justify men
ton even by an outsider.
The district as reorganized is securely
Republican. II the nominee of the Bel.
laire Convention of the Both is fairly sup.
ported by his party, he winsbe elected.
But the Republican candidacy cannot
safely be trided with. A convention is to
be held, and it is presumed a nomination
made, by the Democracy. That nominee
is likely to be o Democrat, but may be a
Liberal. In either case he will receive the
full Democratic vote. ia Liberal he may
also receive some votes that have been
heretofore cast for Republican candidates.
Now If there is TO DO third candidate in
the field, an independent GRANT Republi.
can, every vote he receives will be taken
from the regular Republican candidate,
and will cosrespondingly strengthen the
Democracy. The only thing such can.
didate could do would be to defeat the
nominee of the Republican Convention
and, without possibility Of clecting him,
sell, give the Congressman to the Demo.
Gratis We do not think it likely either
Capt. DANFoRp or DR.. UPDEGRAFF con-
templates or can be induced to engage in
any work of this kind. We can sympa.
thize with the feeling of other candidates
against Mr.. BINGHAM, but we do not be.
lieyc there could be any justification for
Republicans to give the district to the
Democrats simply for the sake of beating
him We do not believe an Independent
GRANT Republican would draw off a very
large vote from the Republican nominee
1t mightbe enough, however, to defeat
him, But certainly the Independent him.
self would have no chance Of election.
Neither Democrats nor Liberals would
vote for him. The extent Of his vote
would be the measure of his help to elect
the candidate of the Democrats and Lib.
erals. Itmay be this is what the Enter.
prise is after. Ifso, its tactics are legiti.
mate, ltnot, we should like to see it ex.
plain how the candidacy Of an lndepen.
dent GRANT Republican could fail to con.
tributeto a Democratic success.