The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-10-19

Our Charleston Letter.
Tho Pon In Tie Third Dist1ct- viii
Walker be Etteted U. s. SenaDri
CnARLRsToN, October 10, 1874.

CHARLEsToN, October 10, 1874
Correspondence OF tho Wheeling IntellIgcneer.
The political battle for tho season Is
over. As usual in this State, and as eX-
peCted, the Democracy have won. West
Virginia ID determined TO DO Democratic,
because the people are largely in the
background 60 for as general education Is
concerned, and as a matter Of course are
governed largely by their prejudIces.
The Civil Rights bill Is what did the
work. | have said from the frat that
there was no use for 1t. II "a a forced
measure II seems 10 BIO a punishment
intended for the Southern white people
and ~ the same time Is an injury 10 the
cOlOred race. AS class they are salts
fed with the present condition of affairs,
except the White League outrSges, which
will not be Effected by the passage
o! the Civil Rights bill. We have more
negroes in KanAwha county than in any
other county In the State, and | have
never heard one OF them say that they
wanted or expected the passage oil the
Civil Rights bill in Its present shape.
repeat that II Is forced measure, and
has crippled, il not destroyed the Repub-
IIcAn party in the South. There can be
no question about the recent Democratic
successes being the result Of the passage
o! this Civil Rights bill by the Senate Of
the United States. Sumner is dead-why
not let this question sleep with him.
Greeley Ia dead, and he was the father of
the bill-why not let the thing rest with
them. AZ least for the present?
Another reason for our defeat this fall
may be attributed TO the unsettled hnan-
CiAl condition of the country. Congress
so completely muddlCd the thing by its
numerous methods Of relief that the en-
tire country became disgusted. Every
man in Congress had policy OF his own,
and was Incorporating until after
the seeds oil death were soWn in the
public mind, at least for the fall campaign.
The masses became disheArtenCd and
they have shown their hand agsinst the
dominant party, which Is always more or |
less responsible for the acts Of Congress
or Of State Legislatures.
The Third District is largely Demo-
cratic, The Republicans stayed away
from the polls. They seemed to have |
no interest in the election. They are Cd.
posed to the rule or ruin policy OF the |
Democracy, bu! when Mr.. Hall with |
drew from the canvass they saw no hone |
Tor success, and consequently remained at |
home. The Democratic majority in the |
District was 80 overwhelming that thew |
knew Gen. Witcher, although popular
with the people, could not overcome It.
They saw also that the Independent
Democrats would not vote for Repub-
licln, which added to their disgust They
did not desire TO be trined with, and so |
they did not vote at all, and the result is
Q Democratic victory.
The result III Kanawha was not upex-
peCted TO me, nor was it TO many Repu5- |
llcans here, although We claimed the
county TO keep our courage up. There is |
no question about the county being Re
publican. II can be easily carried. Our
failure this year in this county is mainly
due 10 the fact that our candidates made |
no fight comparatively at all, the people |
were not sCcn, and being dsheartened |
over the Civil Rights bill, the financial |
policy, and the withdrawal Of MIR. Hal, |
they were void of enthusiasm, and humid
reds OF them never went 10 the polls. in
Charleston We have 800 negro votes, ard
only 1873 were cast at the pole. There
was about the same falling of In the white |
votes. This apathy existed all over the |
county, and as q matter Of course the |
Democrats could do nothing else than win.
My opinion now is that We will moi
have a Republican representative in the
District and not more than hall Of the In.
dependents will be elected. The Legis-
lsture will BIZ overwhelmingly Democrat
ic, Walker, of course, with all bis steal
ings, will be elected Senator, and the
State forever disgraCel.
Prior 10 Hereiord's candidacy for Con-
gress we heard great deal about salary
grabbing and salary grabbers, but they
swallowed Hereford, who was not only a
salary grabber, but land grabber also,
and free trader besides. They would
have swallowed him had he grabbed the
whole United States Treasury. Party is
everything down here and principles
nothing.
Bill Burdett is elected to the Senate
over Morrison, Independent. Hereiord's
Sj,rity will be four or five thousand.
L have been informed that il Congress
Is Democratic some OF our people will
want pay for their negroes. SwRLL.