Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1884-09-23
CHARLEsTowN, w. VA.
Sept. Is, 1884

CHARLESTOWN, w. Wa,
Sept. 13, 1884
aLetuis Baker, Esq, Wheeling, W. Va.
Smith your paper, the Wheeling
Register, of Sept. 18th, is an account
of the conference of the Democratic
Executive Committee, which was
held in Parkersburg on Sept. 10th.
This account betrays the confidence
placed in you when you were admit
ted to that private conference. be-
lieve you to have written that account
to your paper yourself, since I'm
told that you we're the only party,
connected with the Register present.
But be this as it may, you are indi-
vidually responsible for thatpublica-
ton, as it appears in your paper over
no correspondents signature. The
fact that you have betrayed the con-
fidence and published the secrets of
the Democratic party in West Vir-
GINA is matter of no more moment
to me than to any other Democrat in
the State; but You say also that D.
B. Lucas was on hand from the
wealthy and overwhelmingly Demo-
cratic County of Jefferson with a
begging letter to the National Com
mittee for 81, OOO," and further you
say, " am informed that lis surmis-
ed by persons in that vicinity that
the real object was to bleed the poor
ly-tillcd Democratic treasury ofS1 900
to aid this pair Lucas and Mason)
in the establishment of newspaper
organ of the crank fraternity of
West Virginia.
Now, l write to pronounce this
statement by you as a wilful, mali
cious and deliberate falsehood. In
the first place, you were not informed
of any such thing, and you know that
you were guilty Of a falsehood when
you said you were; for there were
bat three persons from this vicinity
present at Parkersburg, to-wit: VIM.
L. Wilson, J. G. Holmes and D. B.
Lucas, the latter two of whom au-
thorize me to say, privately or public
ly, that they did not so inform you,
and if Mr.. Wilson was at home to be
asked, know he would do the same.
In the second place, the $1,000,
asked for had no sort of connection,
whatever, with the newspaper which
will be issued here within the next
few weeks, and if you did not know
this to be true, as believe you did,
you were guilty of deception in pub
fishing as a fact that which you did
not know to be true. [ myself am
the protector of this newspaper enter
prise. / alone secure subscriptions
10 the stock. Neither I, nor anyone
else connected with the paper, ever
heard of the letter of which you
wrote until saw it mentioned in
the Register. Mr.. Lucas had no
connection with it, except to hand it
to the Democratic Committee, at the
request of the President of the Glove
land and Hendricks Club at Charles
town, whose only object was to adj
vance the interests of Democracy in
Jefferson county, and he never
dreamed, presume, when he wrote
it, that his confidence would be thus
basely betrayed, and his motives thus
basely misrepresentation, by traitor
in our ranks.
NTessrs. Lucas ana 0TIson nave
nothing more to do with the newspa-
per than any other man, who has sub
scribed to the stock of company,
composed of eighteen stockholders,
who are anxious to see added another
to those newspapers in this State,
which when cognizant of facts, are
honest and independent enough to
publish them. Not only this, but all
the stock necessary to run the paper
had been subscribed, and certificate
of incorporation had been obtained
from Secretary of State, StaInakcr,
dated Sept. 9Th, two days before the
Parkersburg conference took place.
In the third place, the newspaper
which this company proposes to pub
fish is not to be the ''organ of the
crank fraternity of West Virginia, ,"
or of any one else. It will soon be in
the hands of the public, and they can
judge of its political complexion from
its perusal, which is more than any
one can pretend to say for the Regis
ter.
Ipropose to publish this letter, and
am willing to publish with it any re-
ply which you may see fit to make.
This is a private letter to you, and 1
wish to say, I'm not in the habit Of
publishing private matters, but as you
have set the example yourself, of
course. you can have no objection.
Yours, &C,
EVERETT w. BED1NGEH.
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