Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1882-08-15

Brown began reading list of committeeman.
This brought on most ludicrous scene. 4du.
ring which the convention howled with laugh.
ter. Great confusion ensued.i Senator CLAY,
ton moved that Preston delegation have
q man onsthe committees. After long Wran-
gle, John Barton Payne announced that
Preston had compromised as proposed by
Senator Clayton. =
Tho Preston settlement did not settle the
difficulties OF the convention. Marion had
case of a somewhat similar character. arising
out of fight between the Hoge and Lucas
men led by Font Smith and Loney Carr. the
respective champions. As they. couidn't,
agree Marion was passed by, and the work of
appointing committeeman went on. AT the
conclusion it was found that Hoge had a MAJ
Jority of every committee
This result was not, however, from ma
Jority, but from the cause we have already
mentioned, to>wit that Mr. Lucas friends
were principally from the country districts,
and being unused to labors of political kind,
allowed the appointment of committeeman,
whom they were to find subsequently exhibit
the perversity of the celebrated 8 to 7.
A recess was taken from 1:3O to 8. The
committee on credentials was in session from
until o'clock, in consequence of which
the Convention did not reasonable until that
hour. In this committee the main fight was
over the Preston contest, although another
iniquity was perpetrated in refusing to adj
init the Taylor county delegates who were
represented by proxies, authorized by the
following order adopted by the mass conven>
ton Of that county
RnseLvrD; That auy delegate selected by. tbi.
appoiat,a proxy to act for him in the eosyentfon
Ten S bn NC mo- %ss be % by ts,
any such proxy. and ne person chosen shall he
entisied TO vote upon:more than one proxy
This county 's'vote stood about for Lu>
cas-, for Hoge, and the balance for the dark
horses-reason enough for this committee, by
vote OF the bare majority, to exclude the
proxies authorized by the county, and thus
trample under foot no. only the will of the
people, but the tmeNhonored principles of
that party which upholds government " of
the people, for the people, and by the PEG.
ple."
The facts about the Preston imbroglio, as
''e P"pei 'io1i "hlcH we ABOVE quote justly
states, are that the Democratic county conc
vcntion was held pursuant to a regular call
OF tho recognized County Executive Commits
tee. The Lucas men had fair and square
majority, and they appointed solid Lucas
delegation. Junior Brown. the secretary of
said convention, and other Hoge men, being
beaten and dissatisfied, afterwards cot up a
movement for district conventions. These
conventions were held in five districts of the
county, and in four of them Hoge delegates
were appointed, leaving Lucas delegates in
four uumolested. Notwithstanding these
facts the Committee on Credentials here. sims
ply because they had power, and without
reference to the facts stated, have decided to
admit all Democrats in attendance hero from
Preston to seats as delegates in the Conyen>
ton according to the good old rule of "let
those keep who have the power and let those
get who can" Their ruling lets in nybody,
even those not appointed or thought of by
any convention.
The caucus of Hoges friends had evident
ly brought to light the fact that they were in
minority hence regular systematic
scheme was adopted to white down the ma
jority of Dir. Lucas-who had at least 80 votes
on the basis adopted-by any means, whether
honest or dishonest. So they must throw
out the uucon tested proxies of Taylor county;
must throw out the Lucas delegation from
Preston; must adopt, in violation of the rule
established in the State Convention, the GU
bernatolial vote, which reduced Jefferson's
vote from 20 to IS, Hampshire from Is to
ID, and increased the vote Of Berkeley from
l6 to II, and swelled the vote Of nearly every
other county in which Hoge might be bcne>
fitted. This course was determined upon and
religiously followed. Tho committees were
worked to that end, and when their reports
were made they were followed by course of
procedure in the convention itself unparal-
lelled for impudence, injustice, and an utter
disregard of decency itself. When the Con-
vention assembled the chair called for re>
port from the committee on permanent organs
ization. y
The report announced CofFran, of TAYLOR
county, for President, and Vice President
from each county, and ". s! Henshaw, Of
Berkeley, for secretary. A resolution was
attached to the report that the vote ON its
adoption be by call of the counties, but the
Chair put the question Uiva voce Ayes aud
noes even. He then corrected himself and
ordered call of the counties When Bar
bour was called Font Smith moved to posts
pone action thereon until all the Committees
reported. Baylor moved to lay the report on
the table, bu. the Chair declared tho motion
out of order. After speeches by Smith,
Woods and others, the Chair put the motion
to lay on the table, and declared it lost upon
a viva yoce vote. A division was called for
and decided to be out of order. There seemed
to be no rights or parliamentary rules, which
the chairman was bound TO resnect A mo-