Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-07-25


party carrying the State, and each Con-
gressional District in it, by good round
maiorities. The very force of the hight
in the country at large carried us
through handsomely in 1876. Can that
he depended upon to do the party SIM
liar service in 1880?
II is the part of wisdom to look this
question squarely in the face.
What are the facts developed at the
last election? And what is the lesson to
be drawn therefrom? At the election
in 1878, for members of Congress, there
were polled in the State, Il total vote OF
94,9O7-Or 5,032 less than at the Presi-
dental election of two years before. Ot
these votes the Democratic candidates
received 5O,3lS, and the opposition can
didates 44,5S9.
REHABILITATION.
Democratic vote, in 40
Democratic vote. in lS7S....-.............-
Democratic S,-H
Opposition vote, in
Opposition vote in 44'''s
Opposition lib
That is, in a total vote, in 1873, of
5,O;2 less than that cast in lS16, the OPP
position had ,2l5 more votes, while the
Democrats had 6,247 tS'rG votes. 1t Is
proper to enquire what caused this
change? We suppose it will be- agreed
that questions OF finance had something
to do with It. II is doubtless within the
personal knowledge of most observers OF
political events, that the Democratic
candidatcs-and, for that matter, the
Democratic Conventions - did not
take direct issue with the
Greenback party, which brought
TO the new political firm this
increase Of votes; but they rather tried
TO establish their claim to precedence as
Greenback organization. 1t will
doubtless be admitted that, had not this
course been adopted the increase in the
Opposition vote would have been con-
siderably larger than it was. At the
close of the canvass i'm this District, Hon.
join Il. HUBBARD told Us that the first
trip hc made out into the in
terror after his nOminatiOn-his
trip to Tyler-he became satisfied of two
things, VIZ: /. That ii he would an
nounce himself in sympathy with the
Greenback movement he could be
elected. III. That ii hc adhered to his
own honest convictions and the declar-
atoms OF his party, defeat was inevita-
bic. But he might have added with
equal truth, Ii Col WILSON had an
nounced himself resumptionist and a
gold-standard man, and had his party
placed him upon a platform embodying
that idea. his vote would have been
much smaller than HUBBARD'S.
The fact is, the Democratic party in
this State has been in full sympathy
with what are deriSiyely called the "soit
money" notions fthe Ohio Democracy;
and il was only a misgiving that the
party would not, aS a national or-anlza-
ton, carry out in its days OF power all
that il protested in this direction when
seeking power, that gave impetus to
rival organization protesting substantial
IL the same views.
What, then, is the duty Of the Demo-
cratic party? Is 1t not to be true to its
professions; To be true to the rank and
Tile whose votes give it power? Ii any
Of iss public servants are uniaithiul To
their trusts, retire them at once. Ii
its managers are inefficient, oT if
they want 10 manage the
party i'm their own selfish interests or IN
the interests of ring, let them be in
continently rung out. Our Clarksburg
correspondent well says that there are
young men Of capacity and faithfulness
who have heretofore been "hewers of
wood and drawers Of water" for others
who might be given position to the bene-
TT Of the public.
There is another point that may as
well be thought of. The Democratic
party is without anything approaching
10 an organization in this State. The
Greenback party is organizing energeti-
cally and Systematically. 1t is organic
Ing in counties, in townships and in
school districts. tits organizing secretly
and effectively. 1t is organizing, not only
in the Third Congressional District; but
it is organizing under the nose OF our
esteemed Clarksburg correspondent. Or
ganizatiOn does as much for party as
it does for an army. AS long as the
party had no organized opposition-for
it really has had none in the Republi-
can party since the overthrow of the
Registration system (which, by the way,
was most effective party organization
at the expense of the public treasury
we could "slosh" along and generally
win. But now that our enemy has