The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-08-04
THE OTHER SIDE.
THE WEST VA, CoLLECToRsHIP.
A Friend Of Ex.COllector MoCormiok on tho
Lato Chief Deputy Laird's Part in Ills Ito.
moVaI-IIIs Admission that He SIadea
SIlStake-A Good Deal of Hot Shot.


/ NNNN A~Nffs Ns @ANN NfsNN
To TIC Editor efihe LStelioesoz.
sIR;-I was deeply pained and chagrln-
ed this morning to read whole column
of mean, personal spleen telsgraphed to
the lNTElLIaEScER by your Washington
correspondent attacking ex,ColleCtor Mo
OormiCk under the guise OF viudicating
dead man, | put 1t mildly when say
that every line in the article referred 10,
except the mere announcement Of COL
lector McGraw's confirmation, was unCall-
ed for, unnecessary, iujudiclous, and In
the main untrue, II was simply taking
advantage Of a confidential relation to let
Of through the INTELLIoRSoRR a lot OF per-
sonal bile at the expense Of the paper and
the great party 1t represents. We cannot
as Republicans afford 10 grab one another
by the eat, especially at time when We
are In sight OF the "Pronised Land"
ltseems that your Washington CORES.
poudsnt felt called upon to resurreCt q
dead man from the grave, in which he
has these many months been sleeping, In
order, as he says, 10 vindiCate his
memory. Knowing the facts as do In
connection with the deceased, who 30 nm
fortunately figured In the public prints as
the factor that secured Mr.. MC(1raW'a ap.
pointment as Go Hector Of Internal ReyenuS
Of West Virginia, and having before mea
copy Of the Wheeling Register giving the
whole circumstance 10 the public, the
friends OF the dead man referred to, of whom
am one, cannot feel otherwise than deeply
hurt over resurreCtlng his connection
with the removal Of Collector Mccormick.
De mortuiS nil niSi bOnum.
l will only say that the Register dis.
tinctly announced at the time the remoy-
al OF Collector Mccormick was made, that
II was done upon tho charges made by
McCormiCk's chief deputy, and 1t was
never denied by the Deputy or any Of his
friends, or by Commissioner Miller; nor
has any one else presumed to deny 1t until
your Washington correspondent has un-
dertaken, upon his own responsibility to
declare that the dead deputy had nothing
to do with the removal OF his chief. Is
this fact2 will allow the pert correspon-
dent to answer this question himself.
After stating that Deputy Collector Laird,
when asked 10 do 80 by Commissioner
Miller, refused to prefer charge OF any
kind against Collector Mccormick, his
chief, the correspondent represents the
deputy as saying:
"0l tho Collector Mr.. Laird spoke In
rather high terms personally, but stated,
basiug his judgment on an experience OF
twenty yearH in the service, he did not
believe the Collector was the right man In
the right place; q good business man and
lawyer, but did nOtappear 10 grasp theprac-
tical part Of the business In q way that would
In the end stamp him as q successful and
altogether efficient revenue official. This,
he said, was apparent to every one who
knew the Collector"
Now, any one who knows Mr.. McOor-
mick personally cannot but admit that he
10 one OF the keenest, ehrewdest, best bal.
auced business men In West Virginia.
No man ia all my acquaintance can catch
au idea quicker than he; and being only
little above 40 years Of age, 1t cannot be
said by any one truthfully that man Of
bis sense and attainments could not, In q
short time, iamiiarize himself with the
duties OF q Collectors office, especially
when he retained In his employ all OF the
experienced deputies and clerks Of his
predecessor. The Register declared that
Mr.. Mccormick tOaS removed for cause, and
tho cause was said to be ineftiCiency, and
the charge was based upon the statements
Of his chief deputy.
Every one who knows Mr.. Mccormick
know the charges TO be basely false, and
even now your cymling.headed cores.
pondent cannot make any one believe
other than that the whole thing was q lie
made out OF whole cloth, simply to get q
faithful official out TO make room for
Democrat. Could Deputy Laird under ell
the circumstances have used stronger
language than your correspondent says he
used, when lie stated that "the Collector
(McCormiCk) was not the right man In
the right placer Your correspondent
may answer this question. will not
undertake 10 do 1t.
To express II mildly, II was a grave
mistake Mr.. Laird made when he allowed
himself to be used to displaGs his chief.
This he admitted to q friend after II was
all over And 80 claim 1t is q like mis-.
tako for your Washington correspondent
to rush into public print TO defend the
Democratic side Of this case, which has
from the first been outrageous and vii
lainous. His article from first 10 last Ia
defense OF the DemoCracy-a defense OF
Joe Miller, whose treechery To Mr.. Laird,
in making public private conversation,
rushed the latter into premature grave;
defense oi Johnny McGraw, who was so
hungry for Office that he could not wait
few months till the clouds rolled by,
and rushed In and tried 10 blRcken with
false charges the character Of neighbor
and friend q defense OF Senators Gam
den aud Kenna, whose conduct has been
displeasing 10 both Democrats and Re-
publicans, and who have done no meaner
thing than secure the appointment TO q
Democratic Office the Republican cores
pondent OF the ISTRLLtGRNCRR. ..,
Ex.Collector Mccormick is man whose
character Ia above reproach. He is q man
whose word Is as good as his bond. In
business matters he has the confidence Of
every man who knows him personally,
and for many others who do not know
him for whom he collects money 90 an
Attorney atLaw, He has moro political
sagaclty and foresight than any man Of
my acquaintance, Democrat or Republl.
can, In West Virginia. He has been q
power In tho politics Of this State in the
past, and he will be felt In the future. The
man who measures swords with him In
any kind OF contest will be badly worst.
ed unless lie wears coat of mail. He
will live oil and bo respected and looked
up 10 whom the little PeCksniG CORE.
spondents that attack him will be forgot
ten. FAIR PLAY.