Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-02-06
FIERCE POLITICS.
The Senate the Scene of an Old
Time Controversy
Over Senator SCOTS Bal TO Abcidge the APP
pointing Power ofthe GOsernOr---
Senator FIOarnoy's Remarks
in Answer to Senator
Morris.

The triangular boat in the Senate yester-
day between Morris, Flournoy and Smith
was quite breezy, and bids fair to be re
sumed again this morning unless the fires
of political passion have been assuaged, as
it were, by the fight of the past twenty-tonr
hours. The row arose on Senator SCOTS
bill to abridge the appointing power OF the
Governor 1t provides, in substance, the
Board of Directors shall consist Of nine
members, to be divided into two classes,
one class to serve two years, the other four
years, and not over three in each class shall
be appointed from the same political party.
This arrangement, after its contamination,
would give the dominant party six out OF
the nine members of the Board.
1t will be remembered, ever since the
opening of the present session of the Legis-
lature, several Of the Republican members
of the Senate have taken occasion, when
ever any opportunity offered, to make bitter
partisan attacks on the present State ad-
ministration, and particularly on our CHAIR
table and educational institutions, and on
the Democratic party in general This was
notably the case in the debate on the Uni
versity co-education bill few days ago.
Senator Scott introduced bill changing the
manner of appointing the Board of Direct
ors for the Hospital for the Insane, and he
took occasion then to assail the manage
ment of the Hospital in very severe
terms. The burden Of complaint has been
that the Republicans have 40 representative
on the Board of directors, and Senator
SCOTS bill provides that the Board shall
not be all of one political party. The
Democratic Senator have not engaged to
any extent in these political discussions,
knowing how useless they generally are, but
on yesterday, when Senator SCOTS oil
came up, and the Republicans again began
these attacks, Senator Flournoy, feeling
that forbearance had ceased to be virtue,
administered to them, in a well considered
speech of about an hour in length, most
severe and singing rebuke. After abiding
to the fact that the Democratic Senator'S
bad heretofore refrained from answering
these attacks, he said that he thought they
ought not to 90 unanswered longer. He
was not himself opposed to giving the
minority representation on these Boards,
but he did not believe in restricting
the Governor in his discretion in these
matters. This bill instead Of taking them
out of politics as was pretended would only
make them political machines. This pro-
vision requiring the Governor to appoint
men, not on the ground Of capacity or hon.
esty, but because Of their political faith, was
contrary to the spirit of the constitution,
which placed the appointing power in the
hands of the Governor. The Republicans
held up their hands in holy horror because
the present Governor had not appointed
some Republicans to office. Such COM
plants came with bad grace from that side
of the chamber. On one occasion the
Pharisees brought to the Saviour
a woman taken in a grievouS sin and
told him that by their law she should
tention to their clsmor, but at last raising
himself up said, LET him among you that is
without sin cast the first stone" Is the Re
publican party SO sinless in this respect that
it can with consistency be continually throw
ing stones at the present Governor? The
Senator then in a mastery way reviewed
the history of the Republican party when in
power IN this State, showing that up to
1870 no Democrat was ever appointed on
| any of the Boards OF Directors or to any
other position in the State, that they were
rigidly excluded not only from holding any
Office, but even from voting or exercising
any of the privileges of citizenship, and,
in fact, this bitter proscriptive craftsmanship
| ~ c;o1oot o,I that
the better element Of their own
party rebelled against it and the
bomb proof politicians" who had staid at
home during the war, were Indignantly
hurled from power fourteen years ago. Did
any Republican Governor ever appoint a
Democrat in either Of these Boards2 He
knew of none. 1t had been said by the
Senator from Tyler that Gov. Stevenson
had appointed majority of Democrats in
the Board of Regents Of the Institution for
the Deaf, Dumb and Blind. He denied this
| His information was that Gov. Stevenson
never appointed any one who was Demo
crat at the time of his appointment When
the people asked to be allowed to elect the
registrars and other officers by popular vote
the Republicans in the Legislature refused
them this poor privilege. And yet this is the
party that now holds up it's hands in holy
horror because it is not given some of the
Offices by Democratic Governor. Con-
trast with this the action Of the Democrats
since they have been in power in this State.
Both Governor Jacob and Governor G. w.
Matthews had given the minority some rep
resentation in those Boards, and it has al.
| readv heen shown bv Senator Byrne that
the Democratic Board of Regents Of the
University had retained for several years
Rev. Thompson a rank Republican as
President of the University; and he him
self knew that the Democratic Regents OF
the institution for the Deaf, Dumb and
Blind had elected Mr. Holiday. strong
Republican, principal of that institution,
and kept him their for years. He cited
other instances OF the liberal spirit that the
Democrats have shown in these matters
and brought out sharply the
contrast between their action
and that of the Republicans
The Senator from Richie Mr.. Morris) had
warned the Democratic party that if it did
not put some Republicans in Office the peo-
pie would rise up and hurl it from power.
He would remind the Senator that this had
been but recently tried; that Gov. Jackson
had been Governor nearly four years, and
that during the last campaign all these mat
tiers had been fully and deliberately dis
cussed before the people. The Republican
party had gone back to the dark days OF
prescription and resurrected Edwin Max
| we'll To helm them "hurl the Democratic