The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-11-21
The situation ia tho Third District.


The situation In the Third District
Two or three Of our citizens have re-
turned from recent trip to the KanaYha
Valley, where they were in attendance
upon the Federal Court at Charleston,
which, we believe, Is still in session, and
Is likely to continue through the present
month. They bring US anything but en-.
Couraging tidings from that locality
The Grand Jury Of the United States
Court found upwards OF two hundred in.
diCtmcntS, which will aggregate at least
two thousand, in round numbers, which
have been presented by the different
grand juries Of that Court within
the last three and a half years. 1t
is true, as our Charleston correspond.
ent stated few days ngo, that
the most Of these indictments arc for
selling whisky and tobacco without pay.
ment Of the special taxi but 1t Is also true
that several hundred Of them arc for the
illicit manufacture Of whisky, which has
been carried on, to an almost unlimited
extent, for the past ten years in themoun'
famous portions Of several OF the coun.
ties in the trans.Kanawla country. We
arc informed that upwards Of fifty differ.
ent illicit tistillerles have been DESTROYED
in that locality within the lastthree years,
by internal revenue officers, and still the
work Of destruction is not complete. There
are at this time, we are advised, not less
than seven OF these institutions opera
ted in Summers, Mercer aud Raleigh coun.
ties. ltseems to be almost an utter i'm.
possibility to etIectually eradicate them
from the mountain Businesses OF that par.
ticular locality. Arrests are almost con.
stantly being made, and from two to. five
hundred indictments are found at every
term Of the Federal Court at Charleston,
and still the people persist in violating the
laws. We confess that the outlook for
such people is indeed gloomy.
The political aspect Of the Third Dis.
is but little better for the people than is
shown by the prosecutions OF the United
States District Court. There is no deny.
ing the fact that Ben. Butler and Denis
Kearney Mollie Maguireism is in the
ascendency down there at this time.
Democrats, and oven Republicans, we are
led to believe, are laboring to conceal it,
but they cannot do it. We had hoped
that the recent defeats which the "rag
baby had received in Maine, Ohio, New
York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, would
put an end to the so.called Greenback.
Labor party in this State, but it has mol
done go. Our information is to the effect
that they are even more determined thar
ever. We are informed that they arc de
clsring to the uniformed in their ranks
that they have had no defeats, but on the
contrary have had tidal wave OF victor
les in all the States in which elections
have been held this year, and are initiating
large numbers into their assemblies
or lodges every day, in nearly
every county Of the Third District
We would not feel as great concern
about matters in that locality il we were
not satisfied that semi-communism is al
the bottom Of the so.called Labor party
The organization which is SO rapidly
spreading there is, We are led to believe
none other than the recent organization
known us the Knights OF Labor. The
organization itself is nothing particular,
out OF the way, Ii confined 10 its propel
chan mel. But it is not thus confined in tht
Kanawha Valley. It has been perverted
into purely political machine, and tn,
day is coming when it may play havoc
with the interests Of that valley. Secret
political organizations are dangerous
They are more; they are threatening to the
liberties Of the people and the best in.
terests Of the Government. Already
several murders in the Third district
can be directly traced to this organization,
and these are only mere introduction to
those that must necessarily follow when
all the local governments fall into the
hands Of the class OF men who are now
managing the Knights Of Labor party in
the Kanawha Valley.
Wedo not mean to be offensive, nor do
we desire to reflect unjustly upon any class
Of our citizens. We have written thus
plainly in order to caution the people Of
the Third Congressional district against
alliances which we know to be danger
Gus, and against the best interests Of the
State, the liberty, peace, happiness
and prosperity Of the people. We con-
clude by saying, beware OF secret politi.
cal, midnight, oath-bouad societies.