Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-06-20
LITTLE REMINrscENcE.

A LITTLE "REMINISCENCES.
In the early days Of the existence
ofWest Virginia as a State, ARTHUR
/. FOREMAN sat in the Chief Executive
chair and administered the affairs OF
the Commonwealth in the interest OF
apr~oseriptive Radical party and OF his
own candidacy for a seat in the United
States Senate. During the term OF his
service as Governor the University at
Morcantown was founded. The Gov
ernor appointed q Board Of Regents for
| this institution Of learning, which was
founded and maintained at the expense
of the taxpayers of the State, a large
and Intelligent majority of whom
were Democrats; aud this Board
Of Regents was made up ~erchEsfrety OF
bitter and proscriptive politicians ofthe
proscriptive Radical party and those
who were supposed to be friends Of the
scheme to transfer Mr.. FOREMAN from
| the seat in the State house as Chief
Magistrate toa seat in the Senateof the
United States. The Faculty Of the
University was largely, if not unani-
mously, of the same political faith,
| although their salaries were paid in
large part by taxation wrung from the
well-nigh impoverished Golfers of men
IaymerS and others-who were de-
barred by the FOREMAN administration
ami the party he represented
/. From voting.
>. From holding office.
8. From teaching school.
4. From collecting a just debt in
court.
). From practieing as lawyer in any
court.
The BORENANIAN plan Of Govern
ment by which the minority was en-
sbled to rule the majority, through dis
reimbursement and persecution; by
which the taxes were largely collected
from those who had no rights under the
State law except to be taxed, was ex-
tended to all the other public institu-
tions then in existence. The Boards OF
Control and officers of these institutions
even to the lowest mental were uRaai-
mOyshJ radical and unanimously Tor
the diS.ranChiSsment and punishment
Of those who were not Radical. Even
the teachers in the common schools
were REQUIRED to take an irOn-clad oath.
The young lady teacher Is we'll a the
male candidate for position was de-
. barred from the school room unless
she was able by her oath to establish
/ that-m, brief, she was ''trOoly lOil,''
in the. then, general ~accepta'ion Of the
! term.
Against this mo,ieo government the
WHEELING REGISTERS talked out in
/ emphatic tones. And it continued 10
talk until it, aud the people at its bac :,
/ con PEELED a reform. The proscriptive
laws were repealed; the elective fran
chiSe wa, made free to all who had a
right to claim it: qualification alone
! lecame the test with applicants FOR po-
sitions a. teachers; the courts were
opened to all citizens alike; and taxa
. ton was made to operate uniformly up
. on the public corporation and the
private citizen.
After Gov. JACOB and the Demo.
cratic Legislature began to work at
. croSs-purposes, and the appointing pow
. er was placed in the hands of the Board
. Of Public Works, that body fell into
the reprehensible practice inaugurated
10y Gov. FOREMAN. The Penitentiary
+ Board and the other Boards of Director,
/ and Regents of the public inStitu-
tious OF the State were selected
from the Democratic party exclusively.
( The WHEELING REGISTER at this time.
when the party of - choice was in
power, did not hesitate I" point out
clearly the impp,icy Of the oar-e
adopted. Nor did it let up uu.il a
. change was made.
Gov. MATTHEWS announced 10 the
editor Of the R.GI,ri.% long before his
nominations for the position % Chief
Magistrate, h., concurrence with the
views of this paper upon this subject,
and when il became his duty to act he
,huwed his saith by his works. Upon
every public board in the State, the
minority party was largely and ably
represented, and in this he had the
earnest support of the REGISTER.
Upon this question the views of the
REGISTER are unchanged. The Gov
eruOr who pursues a different course
uipples his own influence, Injuries his
rarity and does his state poor service.
~ the Chief Executive of the State
Governor JACKSON has done many
things which the REGISTER could and
did heartily commend, but he has per-
formed other acts about which we diff
fered, and one of these was the making
the public Boards sOlidly partisan.
That the Governor has q perfect right
to appoint none but those of his own
political faith to office VI freely admit.
For that matter he may, as FOREMAN
did, appoint not only none except those
Of his own political faith to Office and
none except his own personal friends a
well; but in either ease the public
won't like il. And the REGISTER
thinks the public is right in not liking
IT,. The REGISTER and the people
Stand together on this.