Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1882-07-15
THE CONGRESSIONAL CAM
pATGN.

this district into nominating him for
Congress. Mr.. Lucas is reported by
Moorefeld CORE pendent of the
Charlestown Free Press, whose letter
will be found in another column, as
declaring that Judge Hoge "shall
not be nominated, - just as if he was
arbiter Of the whole matter.
What are the impediments in the
way Of Judge Hoge's denomination,
if majority Of the delegates to the
convention desire to vote for him !?
According to established custom, is
he not entitled to a second term if
his services during his first
have been satisfactory and all that
his constituents could expect ? Does
any one charge that Judge Hoge has
not made good representative; that
he has neglected his duties; that he
has not accomplished all that any
other man in his place could have
done ? Then why this attempt to
shelye him at the close of his first
term ?
1t is asserted that some kind of a
bargain was made at Fairmont
which bars Judge Hoge from being a
ing a candldate;th that one Jno. Barton
Payne (who the deuce is John Barton
Payne = holds a memoranda of his
personal recollections of the agree
ment. The story runs that John
Barton Payne approached Judge
Hoge at the Fairmont convention
with a proposition to trade off the
Lucas delegates in that convention
for a consideration. He acted as
the agent of Mr.. Lucas, and APP
preached Judge Hoge with the
proposition to turn the Lucas dele
gates over to him and thus beat Ben
Martin, in consideration of Judge
Hoge promising not to be a eandi-
date against Mr.. Lucas at the next
convention two years later. To
make it little stronger, and more
tempting to Judge Hoge, something
was also said about the Lucas inhu-
ence being given to Judge Hoge to
help him step into the Senatorial
shoes of Hon. II. G.. Davis. All
this, it is asserted, Mr.. John Barton
Payne, on behalf of Mr.. Lucas, Of
fered Judge Hoge, in consideration
of the Judges promise not to be a
candidate against Mr.. Lucas "next
time"
Now the question arises, did John
Barton Payne trade off the Lucas
delegation at the Fairmont conven-
ton, and if SO, were the Lucas dele
gates thus traded off aware of the
trade, and did they agree to be bar
tered Did Mr.. Lucas or John
Barton Payne own them in fee
simple ? Was the bargain and
transfer made solely in the interest
of Mr.. Lucas for term in Congress,
or does it reach beyond that and
include a term for Mr.. John Barton
Payne as successor to Mr.. Lucas ?
We are simply asking for informa-
ton, and desire to get at the bottom
facts.
We are informed that Mr.. John
Barton Payne's version of the mat
ter is about as follows: At the Fair
mont convention he approached
Judge Hoge with a proposition to
trade off the Lucas delegates in con-
sideratiOn OF Judge Hoge agreeing
not to be a candidate against Mr..
Lucas at the next convention. Mr..
Payne says Judge Hoge declined the
proposition, but said he would sub
nit it to his friends who were in the
adjoining room. Judge Hoge stepped
into the room where were a number
of his friends, delegates to the con-
yention. Mr., Payne remained on
the outside and, Of course knows
nothing personally of what took
place there. Those who do know
say that Judge Hoge mentioned the
proposition which had been made to
him by Mr.. John Barton Payne, and
which he declined to accept, and that
his friends secuted the idea, and EN-.
phatically advised him against en-
tertaining or accepting any such
proposition. Judge Hoge returned
to Mr.. Payne in waiting on the out
side, and what transpired between
them is known only to themselves,
except as they have given it to