Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-09-14
BEFORE THEIR LBGIrIHArBEIDuG
How Anxious General Goff Was to Entsr
Into Discussion With Hon.
W. L. Wilson,
BUT TWO SHORT WEEKS AGO,
And His Cringing Backdown From Meet
ing With Secretary Of State Walker, Of
Whose Matchlsss Orstory He
Stands in Wholesome
Dread.

No parallel can be found for it, even in
political history.
The gentlemen who are managing the
Republican campaign in this State must be
in that frame of mind in which men do not
hesitate to set aside the proprieties and
conventionalities Of life, and resort to the
most questionable tactics, in the endeavor
to attain desired object
They put themselves upon record, yes
terday, through the columns of the Inteli,
gencer, in q way which shows the desperate
measures they feel called upon to pursue;
and it Is safe to assume that the ears Of the
rank and fle of the organization tipgle even
yet at thought Of the peculiar methods re.
sorted to.
The publication of part of q CORES
pondence, upon any topic, before that
correspondence has come to conclusion,
is something which does not often occur
among folks who respect the proprieties OF
life, and in the instance afforded In the
Intelligencer gives rise to the belief that
there was fear the outcome of the writ
ten conference would not inure to Repub-
lican benefit, and that the only thing left
for them to do, ifthey were to gain any
thing at all, was to give such letters ss
were already on hand to the public, and
trust 10 luck or something else in getting
ont of the muddle.
Accordingly, while the last letter Of
Chairman Cowden WAS unanswered by the
Chairman of the Democratic committee,
and before any opportunity has been given
Chairman Riley to make such reply, the
correspondence 30 far exchanged between
the gentlemen was rushed into print, and
howl raised that the Democrats had
backed down.
1t is difficult to find any thing that will
at all pslliate this most unusual and re
markable act. The laost charitable as
sumption is, the Republican managers had
become 30 confused and muddled over
Goff's unqualified declination to meet Sec
retary Of State Walker in joint debate
that in moment OF alteration they made
break the results OF which will follow
them TO the end of the campaign.
Meeting Secretary T. 8. Riley, Of the
Democratic State Committee, yesterday, q
reporter for the REGISTER said:
'Have you made answer 10 Mr.. Cow.
den's last letter."
"Yes; handed il to him this morning.
| was away from my Office from about
three o'clock yesterday afternoon until
after supper, and when returned found
Mr. Cowden's letter awaiting me. As II
was after business bours, did not think
il necessary to hunt Mr.. Cowden up "a
give him my reply, and especially Us hit
letter said that he requested an answer.
Moreover, I didn't think that Mr.. Cow,
den would give correspondence Of this
character to the public until il was ended,
or at least give reasonable time for an ans.
wer, and think be will fail to find q par.
allel case upon record"
"Hsve you any objections to give your
reply to Mr.. Cowden TO the publicf"
II may assume from the course that Mr..
Cowden pursued in giving the correspond.
ence to the public, and from the fact that
he has not answered my letter to-day,
which would only require an answer ol
yes, or no, that the correspondence 10 ended,
and under these circumstances have nc
objections whatever to give my answer to
the public"
The correspondence will be found in full
below, but before the reader enters upon
its perusal, the REGISTER desires to call
attention to small amount Of recent his
tory, which has a singular pertinency in
this connection: