The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-08-23
GheQntelLiqette
an. candidate for Congress-His
w OSneech at the Court House Last

The Hon. c. F. Scott the Republican
candidate for Congress in this district
addressed a large gathering Of citizens at
,b.Court House last night, and made an
interesting and instructive speech he
confined his attention to State i'snes'
p,ererring, as he explained, 10
do this until his Democratic
competitor i. placed in the Geld, and a.
issue, as IT were, joined between them '0'
discussion. ,.on Tho
p-o;,,,r 2 written shortly after the recon
Petersburg Convention, touching the
.a,a of the Ritchie county delega-
! ,;nD @ on tho Capital question. The
Wv, ,'.,ic,s in the Register was calcu'
i,,o5 to convey the impression
'h,, he, Mr. Scott, had favored the Capt.
nj ,e.olntion adopted at Parkersburg.
gncb was not the case. The Richie del.
e,,tion voted in the Convention as unit,
under tho adoption Of the twO.thirds rule,
and thu, it was that his opposition to the
CAPITAL resolution did not appear in the
vote Of the delegation. He could aP'
neal to his record on the Capital
aae.,ion for vindication against any at
tack. upon it. He had voted for re.
moving the Capital to Wheeling and
against reopeniug the question after the
removal had taken place. At Charleston,
a, parkersburg, and at Wheeling, he had
shown how he stood on the question. 1t
wa, therefore not necessary for him to
more than casually allude to the subject.
Passing from the Capital question, Mr. &.
Scott proceeded to an interesting and in
.,ruc,iye review Of the record OF the
Democratic party in West Virginia since
i. came into power in 1870. He alluded
TO their cry for retrenchment and reform
PRIOR to that date. He spoke Of the clan
leslinC and ilIegitimate manner tn which
they 20, the call for the Constitutional
Convention before the people, by in-
,!ncing Okey johnson 10 resign his seat
in the Senate, and by thus making room
:or Mr.. Lewis Bakers famous arith-
netical decision (as President Of the
S.nate) that II was a majority Of %
members Of that body. The people had
teen wofully and bitterly misled
by the leaders OF the Democratic
party in regard to the necessity and ad-
yantayes OF new Constitution. They
see their error now very plainly and
souId gladly rectiiy it. They have seen
III the assurances OF economy on the part
Of the Democratic leaders turn to ashes,
likvthe apples Of sOdom, in their hands
As an illustration OF this Mr.. Scott
gave some very telling figures from
the public records, showing that in 1870
the year when the Democracy came
into pOwer-the expenses OF the legisla-
tive session were $4,000. Next year the
expenses we're $4,000. The year after,
$4,000. In 1873 they were slOS,O9l SO,
and in 1875 they were s53,2SO 20.
lie next proceeded to show what the
people had got in return for this money.
He took up the judicial features OF the
new Constitution for examination and
discussed the County Court system-the
famous system that has filed the State
with expensive litigation-that keeps
our Court Houses open for so many
weeks Of the year hearing little petty
c4ses tha. should be, and used to be,
decided by the township Justices.
In Wheeling the people know
nothing about the County Court system
in its purity, such as IL is in the in
terror OF the State. The resources OF the
tax payers are eaten up to pay lawyers,
Jurors and witnesses, to try little simple
cases, involving small amounts Of money,
such as should never pass beyond the
dooFs Of Justices office. Perhaps a jury
wonldat for day or two, and witnesses
WOnd be detained for day or two, in a
case involving S25, the direct expense
Of which to the taxpayers would be two
OF three times that amount, saying moth
ing Of the indirect loss involved in thus
fI.iag the Court House with jurors and
Witnesses drawn from their farms
and workshops. Tho County Court
system was a miserable affair. The peo-
pie are thoroughly sick Of it They
want to be rid Of it. There is, however,
no way for them to get rid Of it except
Oy getting rid OF Democratic supremacy
in the State. The Democratic leaders in
tue Legislature resist all effort at amend
ment. They will not acknowledge their
bIunder and do what they can to atone Tor
1t, They will not, even in the way provided
for in their own Constitution, let the peo'
pie hAyeH chance to remedy any OF their
blunden. They do not propose to have
the people pass verdict Of condemns
lion on their handi.work. And this, too
Notwithstanding the hindrances that the
Constitution constantly interposes against
anything like intelligent and satisfactory
lEghlation. As u member Of the Senate
Mr.. Scott referred to some Of his ex'
Perienees in that body. Members would
introduce bills and the objection would be
raised that they were unconstitutional
An apPeal would be taken to those mem.
hers Of the Senate who were members
OF the constitutional convention 10 decide
whether this was the case, but they
could afford no aid, as they were
divided in opinion on the subject. And
,aN' We were living, and had to live, un-
DER a bungled system Of legislation that
" we're PoWcrless to amend as long as
me Democracy were strong enough in
@ ,as legislature to prevent amendments
SIns submitted to the people.
Mt Scott spoke OF the serious doubts