Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1886-06-12

A correspondent of the Cincinnati
Commercial Gazette, writing from
Parkersburg, discusses West Vir-
ginia politics extensively. The fol
lowing paragraphs, taken from the
letter, are worthy of space on ac-
count of statistical information
There is "a good deal in the polit-
ical status of West Virginia to in
spire Republicans with hope. The
population has been steadily grow
ing, and the largest additions to it
have been from immigration. The
Republican vote has kept pace with
the increase of population in an en-
couraging and significant way. 1t
has increased regularly and largely.
No one who intelligently studies the
election statistics or who knows the
immutable character of q West Vir-
ginia Democrat will suspect, for a
moment, that the Republicans have
or can make considerable gains from
the ranks of their opponents. The
Republicans of West Virginia are
augmented by voters who move in
to the State, and somewhat by those
who have lived there but short
time before reaching their majority.
The growth of Republicanism in
West Virginia is just as certain and
just as rapid as the march of prog
ress. In 1870 the total vote in the
State was 5000, and the Democrat
ic majority was 2,l50. In 1872, af.
ter the State had been pretty thor
oughly reorganized, the total mum.
Der of voters was S3,293, and the
Republican majority 1858. The
vote for President the same year
was smaller, being 61,766, but
Grants majority was 1854. The
next election, of Governor, was in
1876. The total number of votes
cast was 66,263. The Democratic
majority was 1888. In 1876 the
Hayes-Tllden campaign brought
a big vote, being the largest ever
cast up to that time in the State
99,914 was the total vote for 1876
Tilden's majority was 1859. The
next significant vote was in 1880
when in total of 1918 Hancock
received a majority of 11,047. In
the Congressional election of 1885,
the Democratic majority in the
State dropped down to 1914, and in
the exciting campaign of 1884, when
the Democrats had more money and
a more compact and effective organ
ization than they had ever had, the
majority given Cleveland was only
1921, the largest vote ever cast in
the State-132,157. Cleveland's ma
jority was nearly seven thousand
smaller than Hancock's, and the
number of votes was about twenty
thousand larger. The Republican
vote in November, 1884, was moi
quite full one. If the rate and
kind Of increase in the voting pop
ulation is the same since 1884, as il
was in the four years preceding the
last Presidential election, the State
of West Virginia has to-day Re
publican majority OF more than one
thousand.
1t is possible that the Standard
Oil Company may not succeed in
buying up Legislature in West
Virginia this fall. 1t is quite pos
sible that this dangerous corrupter
of politics may fail if the Republic
cans are alive to their advantages
and opportunities.
If the Republicans of West yir.
ginia desire to command the conf
dence aud respect of their party
throughout the country, they will
force their leaders into peace or into
retirement, and they will do this
without delay. The party is not
strong enough anywhere to warrant
bitter internal contentious, and in
West Virginia it has need of the ut
most cohesion.