Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-09-24
TAYLOR
ON WEST VIRGINIA POLITICS,
Ths Situation From an Outside Stand
point

f
CIScINNATI, September CIV. A.
Taylor writes to the Enquirer from
Charleston, on the political situation in
West Virginia BE says:
A consensus of the opinions Of the lead
ers of the two parties here is to the effect
that both parties are not only willing, but
anxious, to throw away the Governor and
State ticket to secure the Legislature and
q United Stntes Senator.
The Democrats say: "Goff is only nomi-
pally q candidate for Governor. He is re-
ally after the Senatorship, and he will be
traded off with his own consent and by his
own direction, wherever and whenever
such trading will secure q Republican Dele
gate or Senator"
The Republicans say: Fleming is to
be sacrificed to secure the Legislature, and
/ the Democrats are arranging for the trade
in all the close and doubtful counties and
districts"
4 "A ChOlSh rhnonN
You pay your money and you take your
choice of these two statements. A scat
tered population like that of West Vir-
GINA does not offer q promising field for
trading votes, even if the leaders Of either
or both parties were willing to enter into
the business. A few of the cities and big
towns like Charleston, Huntington, Point
Pleasant, Parkersburg, Moundsville,
Wheeling and others might furnish some
stock for trade and barter, but when they
get out into the mountains and the purely
agricultural districts, they will find that
the voters of both parties are extremely
hard to trade off. A good many of them
are changing their politics. But they are
not for exchange. They are disposed to
indorse what the poet said OF Whitley's
pig:
when he lived. he lived in clover,
And when he died, he died all over"
REPUBLICAN EXPECTATIONS.
I think it is q fact that the Republicans
have a strong expectation Of securing o
msjority on joint ballot in the next Lsgis'
lature, and that they are working with q
view of attaining that result, without the
hope or expectation Of carrying the State
officers and Presidential Electors.
If the Democratic leaders ignore or un-
dsr-estimate the aims of the Republicans
in this regard, and the possibility Of their
accomplishment, they will make O grand
mistake and stand in danger of seeing a
Republican fill the seat Of the brilliant and
talented Kenna. If they will look about
them in the various counties and districts
they will find many surface indications OF
Republican tactics.
HOW THE wOB is BE NC DONE.
Wherever local dissensions can be stirred
MP in the Democratic ranks, they are be-
ing industriously fomentsd, especially
where the margin of votes between the
two parties in csgrow. This etyie Of fight
is being mede tirsC:ly m tho Democratic
candidate for 'ho II NISs of Delegates or
the Senate, wherever possible. If not pos
sible, the H. 10 r1.Gs Indirectly, and Of
ten more III ....vry The plan is this:
Az many a. tho iva3iig friends of the
Legislative candidate as possible are in
duced to oppose the election of some other
candidate on the local ticket upon some
personal and plausible ground. This, of
course, incensee the immediate friends of
this candidate, and the chances are that
they will retaliate.
A DEMOCRATIC VIEW.
As ] came up through the State by rail
Yesterday, / fell in with Mr.. Frank Bar
rett, whose brother served on General
Steedman's staff. He lives inst across the
river on the Ohio side. between Gallipolis
and Point Pleasant. He is both a farmer
and a man of large business affairs, which
take him all over this State at frequent in
tsryals. Said Mr.. Barrett to me:
1.-THE Democrats will carry West Vir-
ginia by q larger majority on the State and
National tickets this year than they have
any time since 1876, and they will get the
Legislature by o larger majority or Joint
ballot than they have at present"
"But are not the Republicans trying to
capture the Legislature?"
"Oh, yes; and I hays no doubt that Gen.
Gcff is perfectly willing to trade the Gov.
ernorship for the Senatorship, but it can't
be done"
EFFECTS or THE MILLS BILL.
Have the Mills bill and the tariff dis.
cassion lessened the chances for Demo-
cratic success in West Virginis?"
They have not, but rather increased
them. For every Democrat who leaves
the party because of the tariff issue,
two converts are made the other
way. The voters of West Virginia can
not be deceived or stampedsd by the
cry of free trade They understand
the issue to be between q war tax, which
produces an excessive and unnecessary re-
yenue,a and o reduction of taxation to the
actual wants of the Government which will
bring with it cheaper n~ecessaries Of life.
It seems to me that a man who assumes
that voters every where do not understand
such a plain proposition as this is trading
e~xtravagantly upon the supposed ignor-
ance of the people"
Mr.. Taylor also sends an interview with
Mr.. NJ. A. Reber, of the Charleston State
Tribune, in which Mr.. Reber claims the
state ticket ard Legislature for the Repub-
hcsrs, and predicts the election of McGin-
mis- to Congress in tie third district. Mr..
Reber, Col. Taylor thinks, will be Gen.
Gaff g secretary of state if he is elected
governor.