Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1882-07-15
A VOICE FROM HARDY.
MoOREFIELD w. VA, /
Inlu Ord 1870 {

10. FTee HfeSS'
AS the time for nominating a dem.
ocratic candidate for the next Con-
gress from this District is fast APP
preaching, have thought it would
not be uninteresting to your readers
in old Jefferson to know how we
stand in this section in regard to the
matter. The writer Of this has
quite recently been in the counties
Of Pendleton and Grant, and talked
with many Of the leading and iniu-
entail democrats Of those two coun-
ties, and finds them all for the re-
nomination of Judge Hoge. There
are a few men in this county oppos-
ed to him: some on the ground Of
personal friendship to Mr.. Lucas,
and some on the ground Of personal
hostility to Mr.. Hoge, but the great
mass Of democrats in Hardy are ar
IDENTIFY DESTROYS Of Judge Hoge's re-
nomination. And why should they
not be The custom OF giving. at
least two terms to each member has
become settled law in the democrat
ic party all over the country. There
is another custom in our party IN
this district, that has grown into q
law, and that is that the nominee
is given. alternately, to the east and
west of the mountain. Judge Hoge
is the first democratic member of
Congress we on this side have had,
except the one term Mr.. Faulkner
served. We in this section can see
no good reason for breaking over
these two well known and well es-
tablished customs in our party in
the case of Judge Hoge. He has
made us a good and faithful repre-
sentative. He has done all that any
other man could have done. Then
why does any great and true demo
crat in our district want to violate
the customs and usageS of the party
in his case What has he done or
left undone that anybody else could
have done to induce democrats to
violate the laws and customs of the
party in order to turn him down and
out We have heard no reason but
that Mr.. Daniel b. Lucas Of your
county wants to 90 to Congress. In
the first place this is not good
reason, and in the next place 1T is no
new thing to hear that this gentle
man wants to go to Congress. He
has wanted to go so long that 1t has
become a disease with him, and the
disease is of such long standing that
it has become chronic. He and bis
friends talk loudly Of his great abil-
ity and the many and great sacrifices
he has made for the party and they
claim the nomination on this ground.
Now, does Mr.. Lucas mean to say
that he has made all the sacrifices
of time, money and brains only to
get paid back by being sent to Con-
gress g? Has he had Congress in his
minds eye all the time he has been
making all of these sacrifices be
speaks of for the democratic party !?
Is this the kind of democrat he is !?
If not, then he has no claim. There
are very many democrats in this
district who have spent as much, II
not more, time and money for the
democratic party as Mr.. Lucas has.
They have as much claim upon the
party as he has, and yet they don't
ask the party to violate us usages
and customs by turning down and
out a good democrat to put them IN.
Good democrats are such from prln-
ciple and not for office. They are
willing always to abide the voice of
the people and don't say Il demand
this or that nomination, and office,
as a reward for efforts in behalf OF
the success of the party. This is
not Judge Hoge's position. lie sets
up no claim to the nomination, al
though he has been as good and true
a democrat as Mr.. Lucas has. All
he asks Of the party is fair play and
Justice. He says to the party don t
make a new rule in my case without
some better reason for it than the
desire Of Mr.. Lucas to 60 TO Con-
gress." If Judge Hoge has done
ANYTHING undemocratic or left un-
done anything any other democrat
in the district could have done fol-
the promotion of democratic suc'
cess. then turn him out. But | ask
what has he done undemOcratlc
Not one thing. No man in the dis
trict could have done any more fOI
the people or his party than he has,
Then why. l ask again, say to him
"you can't get this nomination
though the usuages Of the party give
it to you 2" Such treatment would
be unheard of in our party-it is not
the way to build up or keep up a
great party--it is the way to pull
one down, though. The democratic
party can't afford to do what Mr.,
Lucas and his friends ask. When
we have a good and true man in
Congress why turn him out to put
in somebody else Look how our
friends in Charleston district have
managed matters. They took M
some years ago and sent him tl
Congress, a young man, AR. John
Z. Kenna. They have kept him
there term after term uutil he is
now one of the leading democrats in
the House. This is the true way tC
6O