The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-01-22
GkreGnteltiqeurcr:
Governor Jacobs Message.

Editors lntelllGcncrr:
Although comparatively young man,
| am old enough TO have cast two votes
for Governor Jacob; and ] have no re-
grets on that account. When the present
Democratic party bambOozled or bull
dozed him don't know which to call
tout Of his constitutional patronage, |
WA pleased with the patient and digni.
fed manner in which he bore the intend
ed insult, lie has, in the main, made us
4 good Governor. regret, however,
that in his last message To the Legisla-
tnre, ut time when all good men are
deeply concerned for the honor aud safety
Of the general government, he should
have deemed il his duty TO introduce
Federal politics into the message, and
particularly in the unguarled manner in
which il was done. Take, for instance,
the following proposition, found in that
document:
"When q citizen entitled to the right
Of suffrage exercises that right by put.
ting his vote into the ballot-bOx, ingenu.
ity can devise no lawful means Of getting
rid Of il. This ballot may DC given at
an obscure polling place in n remote dis.
trict Of Louisiana, still il must appear
and he allowed to have its due weight in
all Of the election machinery, from the
inCipient act OF placing il in the ballot
box TO the final act Of declaring the result
by the Congress Of the United States"
Now the Governor, on moments re.
Election, must remember that all the
States have tribunals to settle contested
elections OF all kinds. In some Of the
States they are called Judges Of Elec.
tons" in others "Returning Boards
Call them by what name you please, their
duty it is, under the laws Of the State, to
exclude votes or set aside polls for the
misconduct Of the conductors, or for
fraud, force or intimidation OF voters,
when done in the interest OF the party
benefited thereby. Take Louisiana for
instance (; suppose her constitution and
laws directed the Returning Boards not
to credit any candidate or candidates
with maiorities given at any poll where
force or intimidation was used sufficient
TO prevent the supporters Of the opposing
candidate or candidates from depositing
their votes. Would it in such n case
require much ingenuity to see how good
votes could he thrown out lawfully by the
Returning Board. Take the following
supposed case: +
II in the Gubunatorial election pre-
Ceding the last in this State, in counting
the vote TO ascertain who was elected, the
vote OF all the counties except Preston
had been counted and corrected, ithad been
found that Jacob was one hundred votes
a head, but upon looking at the poll Of
Preston Camden had five hundred voice
and Jacob none, and il was made TO APP
pear before the Judges who were trying
the question as to who was rightfully
elected, that a thousand voters Of Preston
desiring TO vote for Jacob had been pre-.
vented from voting by armed bull.dozers
in the interest Of Camden, what ought
or would become OF Camden's five hun.
dred votes in Preston? II under such
circumstances Camden had been counted
in or even new election ordered, II
seems to me that the people
Of West Virginia would have
had ingenuity enough to follow the eX-
ample OF Louisiana and some other Of
the Southern States, and provide by pos
tive law against the recurrence Of such
an outrage. Bull-dozers and bull.dozing
are new words but full Of meaning, and
should never be lost 10 the English Ian
guage. Bull.dozers are, in some respects,
like the rest Of mankind; destroy the
motive for their inhuman conduct and
they will soon quit their avocatiOns.
This can best be done by taking from the
party that uses them all benefit from
their working, and bull.dozing will cease
to exist, however long their name may be
retained. II, however, bull-dozing at the
polls succeeds in Tia designs, we will soon
have il in Congress, indeed in all our
legislative bodies, where the gal
leries will shape the legislation
below. Indeed this evil seemed 10 @
cropping out few days since, when Mr..
Cox, OF New York, in answering the ar
gument Of Mr.. Frye, Of Maine, said he
would not reply to the gentleman from
Maine, he having been answered by the
gallery.
have not nor do intend TO express
an opinion that bulldozing has been per-
pCtrated in Louisiana or any other State
in the late Presidential election, nor in
vindication Of Returning Boards. These
are matters for each State 10 look to, and
from time TO time to correct evils in
their election laws. 1t ia enough for me
to know that the proper returning officers
Qgmy own State have declared that the
Sfilden electors were elected, and expect
and desire that they shall he counted for
Til1nn Nnt'Hn ANTt,pYr1 In