Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1882-08-15
and the Chair decided this motion out of or.


and the Chair decided this motion out of OF.
der.
There were two reports on basis of repre-.
sentation, the majority reporting in favor of
Governor vote and minority in favor of Pres.
identlalyote. Grove, of Jefferson, eioauent-
'ly protested against cutting down his county
from 20 to Is. The Convention got into
snarljas to WHETHER what had been read was
really the committees report. It was dis
covered that the Secretary was reading from
an unsigned memorandum, and each member
of the committee present rose in turn to de-
clare it was not the report.
!, The Lucas men desired TO ADJOURN
Beckwith moved TO adjourn until Saturday
ats A. NJ. Lost. He next moved to
adjourn to 9:10 a. M. This was amended
.to-the effect that when the Convention ad-
journs, it shall adjourn to 9 o'clock .Satur.
day. This was carried. Then the motion
ito adjourned was renewed, and again
lost. ,Beckwith renewed the motion to adj
journ until 8 o'clock Saturday, and although
the aye and nay vote was no larger than be
fore, yet the President decided that it had
carried. 30 the convention at 1926 adjourn
ed amid yells and confusion.
Upon reassembling in the morning the
same arbitrary course was pursued by the
Chair The report of the committee on the
basis of representation was declared adopted
by the Chair upon viva voce vote, and
division refused. The report of the commit
/; tee on resolutions was made. and a similar
proceeding had. Protest after protest was
disregarded, every amendment offered was
declared voted down, whether such was the
result or not, and division or vote by coun>
ties steadily refused.
In some of the many harangues that had
been inflicted upon the Convention from its
inception on Friday morning, it had been in
tlmated that the luminosity between the friends
OF tho two prominent candidates was SO great
as TO endangert the success of the party at the
polls Mr.. Lucas at this point in the pro-
ceedings arose and asked the attention of the
Convention for moment. He referred to
these expressions of fear which had came
from several delegates. and said that he come
this morning to make this proposition to the
friends of Mr.. Hoge, in the interest of har-
mony, that if MIR. Hoge or his friends would
withdraw his name as a candidate that he,
Mr. Lucas, would Withdraw his, aud the Con-
vention could fud some third party upon
whom all factions would readily unite This
was greeted with great applause, but Hoge's
Staiwart, Lieutenant Sprigg, of Hardy, OBJ.
tanned the floor and endeavored to worm out
of the disagreeable position in which this gen.
erous offer left them. He said they would
not have that game played upon them, snd
many other small things the meaning of which
was that lIoge would not Withdraw. Thus
faded away all hopes of peace, Cancellation
had been met with jeers ond taunts, manly
offer with stoid refusal. It was impossible
Tor the friends of Lucas to do more; thus thoy
reached the report of the committee on Gre
dentials. majority report handed in received
the first consideration; then Capt George BAY
lor. in behalf of the minority, eloquently ap-
pealed to the Convention not to disregard the
regular action of the voters of Preston and
Taylor counties, ono Of which the committee,
by vote of to 6, had reported in favor of.
and asked that these two counties be allowed
their equal rights with tho others Mr. Me-
Graw, of Taylor, (and, by the way, not
Lucas man. moved that the names of those
holding proxies from Taylor county be added
as delegates, as an amendment to the report.
This created considerable argument, and the
tervcDt appeal of many of the Taylor dele
gates, notably Messrs. Cochran, Newton and
Snively. to the sense of justice of those pres
ent, had the desired effect, and vote being
taken viva voce, resulted beyond the shadow
OF doubt in favor of adopting the amend
ment. So clear and strong were the ayes, and
so weak and scattering the noes, there was
no room for uncertainty. The Hoge men
began to vince, for the Chair announced the
"ayes have it" but recalling his duty to
disregard all votes and carry on the plot of
stealing majority, he at once changed his
decision and declared tho "noes have III
The Hoge men recovered Immediately. A
call for division was again refused, though
asked by several delegates in proper order,
and amid the confusion engendered by this
patent outrage the indomitable chair put the
motion to adopt the report, and though not
heard by half in tho courthouse and scarce
~ voted upon at all, pronounced it adopted
This action disguised many even of tho Hoge
men, and they SO expressed themselves At
this stage, seeing to what pass this high
strung individual usurping the chair was re>
sorting to, and being unable to get division,
fair count, or vote by counties or any of
their rights respected, the delegates from JEFF
ferson and Preston aud majority from Tay>
Tor announced their intention of retiring. and
left accompanied BY. many delegates from
every county in the district except G rant and
Pendleton, the latter of'which was not repre>
scented at all and these delegates constituting
a ms ority of the delcgate~votes of the Com
vention afterwards assembled in Odd Fellows
Hall, where they organized aud nomin.ted
the Hon. Daniel B. Lucas by acclamstien.-
This was the majority Convention, and the
Democratic Convention
The Rump Minority remaining in the
courthouse nominated the Hon. Jno Blair
Hugo.