Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-07-24
The GOVERNOR POSES BEFORE THE
CONVENTION.

THE GOVERNOR POSES BEFORE THE
CONVENTION.
''He shakes his ambrOsal curls and gives the nod
The stamp OF fate--the sanction Of a god" 8
Are the Executive officials Of this State
the servants or the masters of the Demo
cratic party?
Yesterday afternoon, for the first time in
the history of the Democracy of this or sry
other State, an organized attempt was made
to muzzle the press and terrorize the free
dom of speech,
Because the REGISTER, voicing the de-
elared sentiments of three-fourths of Demo
cratic papers Of this State, and all OF the
Democratic papers outsike of the Stlte, un-
dertook, few days back, to criticize as
well certain acts of the State Administra-
ton as two recent decisions of the Court OF
Appeals, some Of the soreheads and chronic
boilers of the party, taking advantage OF
the confusion and uneomfortableness of the
surroundings, undertook 20 make war on
the only Democratic daily paper in the
tate--a paper which for twenty years has
struggled-and successfully struggled-to
maintain the principles of the Democratic
party:
The occasion for this manifestation of
bad blood was the report of the committee
on Permanent Organization, recommend
irg Mr.. MOFFErT Of the REGISTER editorial
staff for permanent chairman.
1t might have passed of without any
lasting significance had it not been for the
fact that Governor Jackson, himself appear
ed before the Convention waving the
bloody shirt anogantly ordering the party
to punish the daring editor for exercising
ordinary freedom of speech-Tom o. Brien,
Treasurer. cheering the Governor and hiss
ing Senator Kenna and all other Democratic
leaders who had the boldness to declare
their beiefin the freedom of the press.
1t was a shameful sceue-fun, mayhaps
to the boys but death to the frogs.
The Governor, "in direful wrath and
with thunderthreatening brow appearing
before a Democratic convention of West
Virginia and attempting to play the role of
royal master.
But alas, the closing glare of the nine
teenth century offers but poor opportuni-
ty for even as great a man as Governor
JAKE Jackson to pose as a mighty JoTe.
He tried it-while GALLAGHER, of Marshall,
shouted-ToN O'BRIgN waved his slouch
and Dan LUCAS (the disappointed states
man and aesthetic poet of the Northeastern
Panhandle) approved.
The Governor doesn't make first class
Joye. He lacks dignity. There was abun-
dance Of direful thunder on his brow-but
on his prophetic nose there seemed to
Tnger some of the crimson glories of by
gone sunsets.
Cromwell, at a critical period in his his
tory appeared before the representatives of
the English people and by threats terror
ized them into submissive obedieuce. One
or two centuries later Nepoleon played a
similar game in France. But Cromwell
was at the head of victorious legions, while
Napoleon was backed by loaded muskets
aud bristGng bayouets.
But this is not the aga-nor this land the
country when and where such things are
permissible. And so, when the Governor,
forgetful of the dignity of his office and in
different to the decencies of the occasion,
appeared yesterday afternoon on the plat
form-proclaiming-"I am King and can
do no wrong-off with the heads of my
critics he did the REGISTER no harm and
himself no honor.
The REGISTER can survive the fight, and
does.