Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1888-07-26


pose Of defeating our Democratic nominee anu
electing a Mr. HiginbOtham, the Republican I
candidate He was here for Several days MS /
headquarters were in the Office OF certain
Democrat in this town prominent az the pr I
maries and often a candidate. Among Sar-
cents most active co-workers 10 defeat our I
nominee three men were specially consplcu- .
Gus I'VE never print names II II can oe helpeu6 /
one is a newspaper editor, or rather owns q
Daper which is not edited, one Is . resident OF
he Shepherdstown neighbOrhOod, and the
other is always noisy in his preeint al eleClOnS'
These three men were constantly eloseted Win
SARGENT Higinbotham and Frank Lelsenrns' |
They ala what thew could TO defeat our nomi-
nee The true Democracy Of Jefferson are nat
urallv very indignant al the efforts oil those so
called Democrats TO elect q Republican 10 the
legislature A few days passed and sargent
was rewarded by an office IN Washington.
Only one year has passed and these local POil-
ticians who were then in partnership with gar
cent and with the Republicans are To-Day
9rsbing themselves forward as delegates 10
Illuminating conventions, one or more oil them
are candidates for the Legislature, ana the,
are AN clamoring for party organization anu
Democratic doctrine It's strange, It IS strange
indeed. that such men as these are always 'le
ones I'm front. when hOnOrs or profits are 20 DC
distributed When We look at them we hhu
that they lack ability, education, manhood
ond every attribute that should commend
citizen to popular favor. We put It miidly
when We saw they are looked upon as 'sneaks.
We, Virginia Democrat
The above, as will be seen, is from the
Hest ITrq.aia Democrat and is production
of the pen Of James NJ. Mason. Mason
came down from Wall street, a few days a
90 10 regulate things in Jefferson and
Berkeley. Il has been said there is but a
thin partition between genius and lunacy
Mason is patent illustration of the fact
that there is. as an exception, only thin
partition between lunacy and genius-ge-
Mus for unblushing audacity and for the
display of monumental cheek
Mr. sargent is capable of taking care OF
/ himself and of the creature, too, who comes
10 and goes from Charlestown, occasionally,
/ ifnot exactly between two days, after the
shades of night have made objects indistin-
oDisbable. But we will content ourself
with the remark that there is animus at the
bottom of Mason's reference to Mr.. Sargent.
A few years ago Sargent was an officer OF
one of the houses of the Legislature at
Wheeling. Mason was there as a lobbyist
and essayed TO use Sargent in an effort to
get some pet scheme to the attention Of the
body or some individual body. He, with
consummate appreciation of his own ability
To- detect weak spots in individual character
offered bride to Sargent for service pro-
posed Sargent spurued Mason and his
/ bride aud exposed him, and it was only by
the skin Qfhis cheek and a sharp employ
ment of his gift of questionable explana-
ton. and by the grace of a compassionate
presidineof officer who was, doubtless, tatigued
with contempt for him, Mason escaped pun
/ ishment and was let otf-carYing with him
the injunction TO not do so any more.
Tn Mason's infamous article which we
quote above. referring to sargents visit here,
he says
Among Sargents most active co-workerss
/ t1 defeat our nominee
. "oncfs a newspaper editor. or rather owns
/ paper which IS not edited.
Notwithstanding our name is not men
toned we are quite sure that Mr.. Mason
intended that the above should be applied
90 Us. It may be that our ability to edit a
paper 3. estimated just now at a minimum
rate by Mr. Mason, who has exaggerated
notions of his own capacity editing a
paper that isn't his own. and prides him
selfon his ancestry. We all know that he
is descendant from an ilustrious grandsire
aud the descent is great, indeed. Men smile
when he alludes to manhood aud are ANNA
| ted interrogation points when his yeracity
and integrity are topics Of discussion.
/ There is not a word of truth in his state
ment that we were co-w0rker for the de
| feat of the nominee, Mr.. Beckwith, or that
wewere constantly closeted with Sargent,
I Higiabo.ham and Frank Leisenring.' We
never saw the three or any two of them to-
ge.her. mon were we with Mr.. Sargent in
his room az any time but once then on
ly 20 be shown q letter written to a distant
newspaper. we had made effort to de-
/ feat nominee. or TO be an assistant Repub-
Gcan. it ill becomes Mason TO condemn Us.
He has been charged with bringing about
the candidacy of Mr.. Higiubotham, Repub-
/ Iican. against Mr.. Fouke-democratic nom
[ iuee. q man who never failed, during his
long liie,in party fealty, and during hislleg-
islative term never cast an undemocratic
vote and If Mason was here and voted at
an a. that election he cas-. his vote for Mr..
Higinbotham and against the democratic
nominee. However that may be for we
cannot hope to get at the truth of it thro'
Mr.. Mason we have other evidence of the
impropriety of Mr.. Mason auaiguing any
democrat for lack of party fealty. 1t was
less than two weeks ego he editorially adj
yocatel the nomination of Hon. W. II. II.
Flick for election to the Judgeship-and
every body knows, who knows anything OF
the situation. that Mr.. Flick will be the Re
publican nominee if his health is in time
restored to a condition 70 admit of his can
didacy Mason excuses himself for his ad-
vocacy of Flick. How? Why, he says he
wrote hearticle up in New York and didn't
know the situation here Pretty confession
for am editor who doesn't own a newspaper
yet knows how to edit it 1t touches the