Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-10-23
OUR STATE POLITICS.
!
WHY GEN. GOFP WILL NOT RECEIVE HIS
LAST MAJORITY.
Democrats VIII Vote Thar Own Party Ticket in
Preference 10 That OfGsn. GOfFs-Hs Himself
Don't Want" the 0fRcs-MuvsmsntS
Political Through the State.
To he Editor ofMe Reqlsser

To the Editor Of he RegaSter:
HARRISON COUNTY, October 20.--I want
to give to the people, and particularly
those situated rs | am, the result of the
reflections OfsOme of the best people of the
county respecting the action of large
number of Democrats who voted for Gen.
GOff in preference to Judge BrannOn at the
Congressional election of 1884, and the
determination of many of them, in the
approaching election of 1886, between the
same parties, Goff and BranROn. Goff in
1884, received sol votes more in the coun-
ty of Harrison than Judge BrannOn; this
result would create the presumption that
there were in the county at least sol more
Republicans than Democrats. This pre-
sumption is destroyed by the vote of Oc-
tober, 1884, for the members Of the Legis-
lature, ut which election Randolph, Dem,
received ., 1S7 and Post, Dem. q, $50 votes,
while ]. NJ. David, Republican, and ThOs.
5. Spates, Republican, received
respectively only 2,10O and 2,052 votes,
showing that at that time there was
majority of upward of 100 Democratic
voters in the county, therefore Golf must
have received at least 300 Democratic
votes, and without which he would have
been defeated, so that Gof was indebted
to these 800 Democratic votes in 1884 for
his election to Congress. This result at
the time, it was proclaimed, caused many
of the Democrats who voted for GOff to
stand appalled, at what they had done, for
the personal qualification of General GOf
and of his uncle Nathan, who always took
a deep interest in his success and many
of US resolved to ourselves that this should
never be done again with our assistance.
The debt of gratitude, if any we owed, has
been fully paid, and we must now renew
our manhood and hereafter go for our
couutry's good instead of mans aggrandize-
ment.
When General Golf was this year re-
nominated against his protestations
and his earnest wishes, we
held council or conSulta-
ton among the most prominent Demo
Gratis, who voted for Golf in 1884. Our
meeting Was quiet but fully attended, and
there was a free exchange of sentiment
among us as to what would be our course
at the approaching election. Many of our
best aud wisest men gave their views to
some considerable extent. One OF our
most reliable and level-headed citizens
known III our neighborhOod as Uncle
Jake" in his emphatic and impressive
manner exclaimed, "By the Gods! We
have paid the debt of gratitude. The
General don't want to run. It's abhorrent
to his sensitive nature, and he ought mt to
have the place. If we vote for him it will
not be regarded rs q complimentary vote
by him, but a vote for the party, that we
c0nscientiOusly believe is not fit to govern
this great country OfOurs. We voted for
him in 1884, but in 1886 we must vote for
the Democratic party" Uncle Jake's re-
marks were received with unani-
nous applause. That old. wheelhOrSe
Uncle Jonathan, rubbing his hands, eX-
claimed enthusiastically, You are the wise
man among us" Patrick OFlinn, one
of the hardy miners, like q true born
IriShman jumped to his feet, saying,
"Uncle Jake, its right you are. myself
WAS asked to vote for the young man,
Goff, in 1882, just to help him along
in the world, 50 they said, and
II repeated the dose in 1884,
but think have enough of the physic,
and if vote for him now l had every bit rs
we'll vote for Jim Blaine, Tom Spates,
Black DoyenOr, Bill Hubbard or Hart,
who runs the IRteHigencer, and declare my
self 4 straight out black Republican ut
once. Had the young man come to US and
said as he had before, 'Hurrah, me boys.
You have always stuck to the Golf family;
keep our cOlOrs flying" We mig Int have
been troubled to know what to do, but
now he comes and says II don't want the
place my boys, but am the only man in
the district that can whip your party. so
come along, YOU can't help yourselves;
give me YOUR votes and whOOp mp the
Grand old Republican Party, and crush
out the vile, corrupt and dishonest Demo
cratic party to which you belong, and Kill
of your Democratic President Come
along and no tagging" B ut boys asJim
Hunter used to say: 1T can't be did, we
must now take off our coats and get TO
work for the Democrats, our bosom
friends"
After the boys were all heard, Josephus,
the Scribe, presented the following res0lu-
tions which were unanimously and enthu-
siaStically adopted:
THAT whereas in 1SS2 and 1884, in or
der to show our steadfaSt friendship to the
GoffS we broke our party
lines and voted for the
Young General to please him and his
Urscle Nathan and by our votes elected
him to Congress.
Resolred, That 1.-The case being different
alters the case" That inasmuch rs the
General don't want the office, but loathes
il, and only accepts it to please
his friends and kill the damned
Democratic party, we cannot and will
not lend ourselves to such purposes and
will on November the 2nd cast our votes
for Judge BrannOn, true and faithful
man, who represents our party fully and
satisfactorily.
Then followed hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!
for Brannon, and all present, hundred
more or less, heretofore Democratic ton
men, signed the resolution, and not a
marx among them; and shaking hands to
seal the pledge they separated repeating
the words of Addison:
/ at isnot in raOrtals tO cORmdad success,
But we'n dOmorc, Semphronius WeHdes
4 it,"
am ever mere,
4 GOFF DEMOCRAT.
John o. PenGletoR in WellsburE.
| S,,,.s,y Jl.lsyy,rJa IN Lls RgJiSeT