The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-08-27
WASHINGTON LETTER.
West vireinia Politics at the National
Capitai-The Coming Republican, Com
yentiou In the second DistFiet'

est here within the last two or three days
in the politics of West Virginia, OCCASION
cd by theyisit hereof Col Benjamin Frank
lin Martin, and request by certain gentle
menfrom Berkely County thatCapt. Wilson
J. Vance, for some time the Washington cor;
respondent Of the Cincinnati Commercial,
and now appointment clerk of the Treas
ury Department, should become Republic
can candidate for Congress. in the Second
District.
|. Col. Martin is fresh from his victoryi in
the Democratic Convention, wherein he
had things so well arranged that all oppos-
ition was frightened into silence. He came
here to procure from the Democratic Con-
eressional Committee facilities, in the
shape OF money and documents, for the
conduct Of his campaign. Its understood
that he succeeded in securing a considera-
BILE quantity Of reading matter, which will
OF course be industriously and widely cir
culated. This reading matter it is conccd-
ed, averages somewhat lower than the or
binary Democratic campaign trash, but It
will probably serve to confirm the ignorant
preiudices OF the few Democrats in the
District who can read, and TO compliment
the many unlettered and unwashed VINO
depend entirely upon hcarsay for their IN
formation.
The suggestion OF Capt Vance for the
Republican candidacy Is quite amusing,
and will be accepted by such Second Dis
trict Republicans a. Waitman L. Wiley,
General Brown, Gov Pierpoint, ex-Con-
gresham Hagans, Col. Latham, Mr.. stur-
Siss. and Mr.. Flick Us u rather broad joke.
THE Copperhead organ here, the Post, this
morning printed quite u lengthy article on
Second district politics, in'which it stated
that the suggestion OF Capt. Vance WIS a
marked confession OF weakness among the
Republicans Of the District. have been
at some pains to ascertain the motive OF
the Berkeley gentlemen in calling upon
Vance with this request and find that II
Martinsburg man was an applicant for a
clerkship in the Treasury Department,and
was ingenious enough to adopt this meth
cd Of securing the favor OF the appoint.
ment clerk, who is potent agent behind
the scenery, in the management Of the
great clerical force OF the department.
Cant. Vance who ism very clever gentle
man, an OhiOan, who began. and failed in
the practice OF law, has two or
three relatives living at Martinsburg,
and run up there from here quite frequent
| Nv 10 see them during the last two years.
In this way he has become incidentally
interested In the town and the politics OF
the district. l conjecture, however, that
dis. even when supplemented by the al-
legation that his grandfather once lived IN
Martinsburg, will hardly render him an
available man to lead the Republicans OF
the district in the present canvass, how
lever little prospect there may be oil de-
Iifeating Col. Martin. ,l.,5
II l was Yesterday shown aprivatc letter
from prominent Republican OF the dis
I trict, in which 1t was stated that MIR. Farms
4 worth and Col. Latham would be the prin-
tcipal candidates before next Thursdays
Convention at Cranberry Summit. i have
understood incidentally, however, that the
name OF Col. Frank A. Burr, OF Martins.
burg, who became quite widely known in
the State by his association with General
Golf in the last Gubernatorial campaign,
would also be presented to the Conven-
ton. Col. Burr is the editor Of tho Official
Ga:dte Of the Patent Office. He has
had a good deal OF experience in poll
tics, and as many people in the State know,
is an entertaining ifnot aprofoundspeaker.
presume that Col. Burr could command
assistance from the National Republican
Committee for the campaign, and from his
numerous newspaper friends, that other
gentleman in the district could; yet the
Convention could easily do worse than
select for its standard. bearer such tried
and true Republican Us either Farnsworth
!, or Latham. 1t seems to be Just ut this
time with the Second District Republic
cans, q question more OF expediency than
personal preference In the selection OF q
man. 1t must be conceded that the chan
i. ces are considerably against them, and
therefore the man who can do the most
toward building up the party, in the way
OF providing it with intelligent campaign
\ literature and making an energetic person.
al canvass, would seem to be the man to
put up against Martin and the Grecnback
candidate, Mr.. Thompson. The situation
by no means presents q forlorn hope for
the Republicans, but, on the contrary,
the rag money issue and the Work
luRHleH moNehlcht MS nv" wv
ments that may, by proper handling,
result in placing a Republican, in
Congress in Mr.. Martins place. This is a
result well worth an energetic and saCri-
ficing effort. The State has undoubtedly
suffered considerably with the Republican
administration on account OF it's sending n
solid Democratic delegation to Washing.
ton, and with even one live Republican
here II would unquestionably stand bet
ter chance Than 1t has stood since the re-
tirement OF Messrs. Hagans, Hubbard,
Foreman, Witcher and Wiley. 1t might
! then be shown whetherfederal oifice.hold-
ers could with impunity be fraudulently
saddled upon West Virginia and charged
against its quota, when In reality they be-
long to other States, as in the prominent
instance OF ]. Kelley Weaver, the protege
OF Bishop Simpson, who holds IN import
ant place in the. foreign diplomatic service.
Col. Martin is responsible for the contin-
uance oftwo impositions upon tho State,
as two appointecs to hail from his district,
but he has now been here year and
neither OF the frauds has been disturbed
rs yet. What we want IL a-man in Wash
ington with the nerve and the energy to
protect tho rights Of tho State. There
seems to be a reasonable prospect OF secur-
ing such man in Mr.. John Il. Hubbard,
OF Wheeling, and by wise and vigorous
management there ought to be as good II
not better prospect OF securing another
in the Cranberry Summit nominee.
TRUE BLUE.
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