Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-11-13
Capital Topics.
Legislative Plumes-Ihe Sena-
tOrial Controversy.
,sDee;al CorrespOndence Cnronicle.

political plumS that fell upon the recent
shaking up of parties, and that will fall
in still greater profusiOn on the incOm-
ing of the Republican General Assembly.
The newly-elected State officers have
had trying time of it, and the anxious
public, and more anxious candidates for
place, are yet in the dark as to the sew
eral states. One of the officers told me
that the selection of his small force of
employees had given him more annoyance
and trouble than his canvass for the
nomination and election.
1t is announced that Gen. Gibson is to
be Adjutant General, and DR.. Babbitt,
for long time Chief Clerk of the Audi
tor of States Office, is to be Cashier of
the State Treasury-an excellent ap-
pointment. With DR.. Babbitt on deck,
Mr.. Turney, the newly-elected State
Treasurer. will go to sleep satisfied that
the public moneys will be safe.
The candidates for the different posi-
tions in the General Assembly are thick
as leaves in VallambrOsa. The fattest,
incest plums are the clerkships of the
two Houses, which are worth, perhaps,
$1,000 per year, with a liberal-minded
Legislature to make the necessary ap-
1t 10 lEol SdPSs
j, C. Donaldson of this city, and J. K.
RukenbrOd of the Salem Republican, are
candidates for Clerk of the Senate, and
B. J. Loomis, F. d. Mussey, W. j. Clegg,
Private DalZell, Frank p. Barnes, Hon.
II. Mack, and most of others, are candi-
dates for Clerk of the House For the
minor positions the candidates are le
gion. There is lady in the field as
candidate for engrossing clerk of the
Senate, Miss Lille C. Darst of the Cir
clevillo Herald, so well, and so favOrably
known to the newspaper fraternity. As
she cannot be present at the meeting of
che General Assembly, to engage in the
button hOling customary on that occa-
sion, she will call ON the grave Senators
at their homes. She is competent and
deserving, and public sentiment seems
to accord her the place she seeks. 1t is
to be regretted that her chief competitor
for the position is competent and
worthy colored man, Mr.. Walter 5.
Thomas, who held the same place in the
62d General Assembly. 1t is hoped they
will both be provided for.
Just after the election there was some
agitation over the Senatorial question.
There were politicians ready to swear
that, as Foster had furnished the money
to pay the expenses of the recent cam
paign, he was entitled to the place, and
could have it if he desired it. Soon,
however, came the reliable statement
that Foster would under no circumstan-
ces be candidate. Gov. DennisOns
friends also begun a lively canvass in
the leading newspapers of the State,
ob haf fol
All must admit his high character and
his eminent fitness and ability. His
candidacy, even if unsuccessful, will
have the good result of calling attention
to the salient points of his administra-
tion as the first War Governor of Ohio,
which are now little understood. Read
now in the cold light of history, and
judged by the difficulties surrounding it,
lit must be accorded high praise for its
purity, patriotism, and wisdom. 1t has
been imputed to Gov. Dennison as a
fault, and as reflection upon his ad-
ministration, that he was not accorded a
second term. This is all wrong. At the
close of his term there was, to some ex-
tent, an Obliteration of party lines in the
tumultuous tide of patriotism that over
flowed the State after the firing upon
Sumpter, and sentiment that sought for
its mark proper exponent, the foremost
war Democrat of the State-gloriouS old
David Tod 1t is rather to Gov. Denni-
sons praise, than otherwise, that he was
in full accord with the sentiment, and re-
mained one of Gov. Tod's most trusted
advisors during his very difficult admin
istration.
1t is understood that the Hon. Stanley
Matthews and the Hon. Alphonso Taft
are in the Senatorial fight, and will to-
gether divide the Hamilton county dele
CATION. They will also have some
strength in tire adjoining counties and
of high character, and in point of intel
lect, brace of giants. The problem
seems to be, will they, or either of them,
with Gov. Dennison, hold strength
enough to prevent Garfield's nomination.
If you will draw line through the CEN
ter of the State from east to west, you
will see that decided majority of the
Republican members of the Legislature
are south of such line. Geographically
considered, the situation is not favorable
to Garfield, and the disposition to make
the contest sectional one is already ap-
parent. 1t is Garfield against the field,
and at this writing he appears to be
in the lead. Foster is understood to be
acting for him, and Secretary Sherman
and the administration are said to
be desirous that he should be selected
The arguments against him, so far, are
to his credit. 1t is uEged that he is the
acknowledged leader of the House, that
he can be returned as often as he pleas
es, that he will be the Speaker of the
next House if he will remain where he
lis, and that his services there art too
valuable to be dispensed with. These
arguments have some weight, but on the
other hand, he is personally popular, it
is known that he desires the promotion
and he has just emerged from success
full contest in which he sounded the
keynote, and was everywhere forward
in the fight-a contest which cOnsOlida-
ted the party, restored harmony in its
ranks, and assures its complete triumph
in 1880.
The polite supervisor of Printing, Mr.
Elliott, is delivering to the Secretary OF
! State volume 1 of the Revised Statutes
book of 1900 pages, containing the ar.
, ticles of Confederation, the Constitution
!, of the United States, the Ordinance
J of 1887, the Constitutions of the State
of 1902 and 1851, properly annotated, the
Laws of the United States on the sub
jects of naturalization, eXtradition of fu-
|, gitives, authorization of records, and
removal of causes of State to Federal
Courts, and parts Civil and 2-Polit-
ical of the text of the Revised Statutes
The volume is handsomely bound in
law binding, the type is clear, and the
general finish excellent, but the nonpa-
reil type, in which the annotations and
side notes are prInted,is very light-faced,
and 1 fancy the older members of the
Bar will growl when they come to use
the work. The Legislature evidently in
tended that no part Of the work should
be distributed until the whole is CON-
plete, but they said so so awkwardly.
that the language applies to the annual
i volume instead of to the Revised Stat