Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-07-22


'The workingmen. The day laborers
and the producing classes. What the
bondOcracy is to the North, the slave
ocracy was to the wOrkingmen OF West
Virginia. We always had bogus aris-
tocracy in this State which was organ
lied as ON imitation of the Bourbon aris-
tocracy Of old Virginia.
The imitation only succeeded in
aceenting the offensive qualities of the
original That class ruled among these
mountains before the war. 1t made
bOn-ires of abolition newspapers, In
dicted Horace Greeley, and chased
every yankee clock peddler out OF the
country, AS an abolition emisSary. 1t
was the inventor OF IN ecJurt house ring,
and the penuriOus patron of the county
newspaper. Ii dictated public opinion
from the county towns and denounced
as political heresy every idea that did
not originate within the sound OF the
Court House bell. 1t controlled
all party nominations, and
quartered perpetual Office holding
dvnaSties upon the people. During the
war that set went under. The poor
men and working men of the State learn
ed what II was 10 be Tree Ot them. They
resolved never To consent TO the reStord-
ton of the BOurbOns. After the war
they were out OF politics for obvious rea-
sons, but since 1872, they have been
gradually working back until they are
practically i'm control of the Democratic
party. They have restored the Court
House ring, they have obtained lull con-
trOl Of the machine, allowing no nOmina-
tons but those OF their families and Ia
voriteS. They represent the baSs-drum
order OF political architecture, preteE-
tiOuS and empty.
'Thev are over-bearing and proSCrip-
tive. Their creTtureS read George Mot
fett ont of the Democratic party last
winter, and tried to do like work for
the Wheeling REGISTER-a set OF men
who held bomb proof positions in the
COniederacy, and who were around
iawning Republican Legislatures Tor
special bills Of relief to practice law or
collect Olddebt when Baker, Moiiett and
others were fighting the battlesOi Dem
ocracy in this State. It's a sight to
movo the laugh ct Gods and men.
These people believe in class privilege
and exempted property. Before the
war they helda the offices and paid
low taxes on their wild lands and al
most none on their negroes. Now they
try 10 mOnopoize the offices in the
same way and get up schemes like the
Steer Greek Valley Railroad, to which
they can subscribe their lands and Sc
cure exemption from taxation. They
are born with omniscience, and they
know better than they know anything
else. what is bound to be the political
future of this State They invariably
tell YOU that Tilden is to be the Presl-
dent and that there is no such thing as
a Greenback party in West Virginia.
The restored ascendency of this BOur-
bon element has driven the working
and producing classes away from the
Democracy, and liberal men OF all pur-
suits 20 with them
Then | understand that it is not
upon questions Of national finance
alone. that your party depends for the
of the party now IN control
in this State?
eve expect the condition OF State al
fairs 20 warrant a great many men IN
voting our State ticket, who may not
agree to 20 with us entirely on money
questions. For example, the cattle men
Of the upper MOnOngahela waters are
now TRYING to devise schemes OF relief
from exactiOns OF the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad They are going TO drive
to UniOutown and ship over
the Pennsylvania road, thereby saving
ten 10 fifteen dollars car on their cat
tie. Similar or worse expressions are
bv the Chesapeake and
Ohio road. These corporations
have made common cause to run
the Democratic party and the State. In
stead of voting with party which los.
ters these monOpolies, the shippers will
find il To their interest 10 support Il
10 enable them to transport
their products over lines that run by
their own doors. The friends OF non
partisan judiciary will certainly prefer
next year 10 cooperate IN electlng 10 the
bench good judges, rather than elevat-
ING the pets and flvOrites of the court
house caucuseS. The opponents OF the
County Court system will vote with the
only organization that aims to get rid OF
il. The friends OF popular intelligence,
the tax PAYERS who contribute nearly
million of dollars every year TO the sup
port of free schools, will hardly follow
leadership who believe in concentrating
education upon Il few. The admirers
of enlightened legislation can scarcely
sustain the gentlemen who en-
bodied the old iOgyism of the State in
the acts of 1879, and gave Us code
whose words won't spell, whose SEN
truccs won't part and whose dark and
bloody mysteries of construction have
lctiei the best judicial intellect and cN-
pjriencc Oi the State-the opponents oi
political or social OstrIcism, the men
who favor Tree voice in public coun-
ellis and fair share OF government cmOl-
umeutS for all who can establish claim
thereto. will not consent To be led by
gentlemen whose policy Is a SerldOm OF
taxpayers and voters, and nobility Of
office holders made up of antiquatcd
moSS-backS and the brOOm-Scdge poll
ticianS who have been billitcd upon Us
."by Gawd, sab, from tawkeeah.' In
short, upon the idea OF opposition
to local moUopollcS, reformed Ju-
dietary and liberal policy that
will develop the state and give
her position among her sisters,
a vote ought to be combined that would
end the present domination and give
new direction 10 West Virginia : career.
I believe the masses of the people are
looking % the GreenbaCk organization
aS furnishing the most available agency
iOr cilectJug these results
is there, in your judgment, any pos
Slbillty OF uniting the Greenback and
Democratic pIrties?'
In my opinion, it would be an i'm.
possible undertaking. The leadership
of the Democracy has been usurped by
gentlemen who never gave a dollar or a
day 10 building up the party. They are
mostly gentlemen who, when the work
was hottest. were dwelling in other
States, or Shirking political responsible
ity and deprecating all Democratic or
ganizat:on in our own. The most prom
inent Democratic leader in this Valley is
a gentleman who repealed with rude
ness an agent sent here
from Wheeling, in 1869, to
perfect Democratic organization.
These men were not content with
welcome To the front seats OF a party
,,-bnsa y-ietprias tbay Iil NOT win onI