Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-08-29
WEDNESDAY. :. AUGUST %. 1883.
West Virginia


Persons who expect West Virginia to
vote the Republican ticket next Novem-
Der do not know the voters OF that State.
West Virginia is in some respects a Pc
culisr State, but in many respects exactly
like Virginia. Although there are good
many Pennsylvanisns and descendants of
Pennsylvanians in the northern portion
of that State and settlers from other
States and from foreign countries IN oil
thecounties, yetitis neyerthelesstruethat
as a whole the people Of West Virginia
by instinct or intuition If you will
agree upon almost all political questions
with the people OF their mother State.
We would as soon expect Virginia as
West Virginia to vote the Republican
ticket. Indeed, in 1895, when Virginia
elected to Congress from her several dis
tricts a delegation in which the Repub-
hcan members outnumbered the Demo
Gratis. West Virginia Democrats still
proved true TO her history, and that OF
her mother, and elected three out OF the
four congressmen from that State.
General Corr, the Republican candi-
date for Governor of West Virginia, is
popular man within his own party. But
he has no strength worth speaking OF
amongst the Democrats. He and Judge
FLEMISG, the Democratic candidate for
Governor, reside in adjoining counties
within twenty miles of each other. We
take it that Judge FLEMING will receive
about as many Republican votes as Gen
eral Corr will receive OF Democratic
votes.
The erection Of West Virginia into a
State was deplored by the people of the
old Stste But the partition Of Virginia
was not without resulting benefits to this
Commonwealth. If West Virginia had
been still part OF Virginia when the
war ended the Unionists of that State
many of them desperate characters, ut
terly destitute of State prlde-might
have united with the negroes OF East
Virginia and caused untold trouble to
the real people OF the whole State. The
Unionists OF West Virginia were whilst
war was fragrant regarded by the Con
federates as traitors to Virginia, and had
been denounced as such in Legislative
enactments. A large majority OF the
people of West Virginia were then
true to Virginia and they had made
u silent public opinion in that State |
TO the effect that men of property and !
substance would consult their own in
terests by refusing TO accept Office under
what was called, according to the lying |
phrase OF the Unionis.s aforesaid, "there-
stored State government" So that whilst |
in the North generally the men OF pro-
perry, standing. and intelligence were
almost all Unionists, whether Democrats |
or Republicans, the case was different IN
West Virginia. where unayoidably there
was so much love for the Old Dominion.
and so general an inclination to regard
the laws of Virginia as the laws which
would in the future govern West Viz
ginia-certainly in case the Confederate
States should achieve their independ-
ance. We do not pretend to say that
there were not in West Virginia during
the war between the States good men
and true who were Unionists On the
contrary, we admitted as much when
we said hereinbefore that men
of property and substance were
afraid to identify themselves with
the new State government, intending
merely to- show why the Unionists in
Office in West Virginia were not such as
the people would have elected in peace
times, but were such as would have
given the people OF the whole State
much trouble had Virginia been redin-
tegrated at the close of the war, and
those officials and their adherents been
able to form coalition with the carpet
baggers, scalawags, and negroes OF
Eastern Virginia.
The present Republican party in West
Virginia is highly respectable in num-
bers. intelligence, and wealth. It's can
didate for Governor need not shrink
from comparison with any man run
ming for the Office OF Governor any
where in the United States. But for all
that wa confidently predict Democratic
victory in that State next fall. "The
mountsineer is always q freeman
says the motto upon the coat of-arms
Of the new State. eve like that better
than mountaineers are always free. y
And being freeman-free to roam where
he will, free to vote as he will, free to act
as no will--he does not take TO party
which seeks to convert our "indissoluble
rnion Of indestructible States " into aeon
solidstsd despotism in which the States,
old and new. Old Virginia and West
Virginia, would be mere petty satrapies
-
Buncombe-
We take II that Senator HoAR's reso-
v~ksc~ ~~.&f. C.-.&-- =.