Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1889-03-16
ONE SOUTHERN GOVERNOR

Governor Wilson, of West Vir-
ginia, has at last decided the con.
tests for the certificates in the Third
and Fonth Congressional Districts
in that state by awarding them both
to the Democratic candidates.
This viii make the delegation from
West Virginia solidIy Democratic
at the opening of the next Congress
and reduce the Republican majority
in the House Of Representatives to
three. The contest for these certifi-
Gates has occupied about four
months, or ever since the election
last November, but the delay was
only to find some excuse for doing
what the Democratic Governor and
his party had probably decided upon
from the start.
As the vote was sent TO the Gov
Iernor the Republican candidates 10
the Third and Fourth Districts had
a majority on the face of the returns.
The Republican majority IN the form
er district was thi:ty-three and in
the latter district seven. There was
no more reason for rejecting the fig
ures and withholding the certificates
than there was in the First and Sec.
Ond Districts, where certificates we're
issued promptly ON the face of the
returns to Democratic candidates.
But the Democrats had determined
to have those two seats and they
first resorted to the law to accomplish
their purpose. They were thrown
out OF court, however, again and
again, but finally succeed in tying
up the returns of the Kanawha
County, which is part of the Third
District and gave a Republican ma.
iority Of 1876. Governor Wilson
then claimed that as these returns
were in the jurisdiction Of the court
he could not take cognizance of them
and, as without them the Democrat.
ic candidate had plurality of 1913,
he issued the certificate accordingly.
The Third District was thus dis
posed of and Democratic ingenuity
ard shamefacedness could go to
work On the Fourth District. After
every device had been exhausted, it
was still found that the Republican
candidate had a plurality of seven
votes. But, fortunately for the Dem
ocrats, the commissioners of Pleas
ant County in certifying to the tact
that the Democratic candidate had
received 500 votes wrote Give" for
"two." With au ingenuity born of
desperation Governor Wilson seized
upon this. and declared that the
commissioner had intended to write
" twelve" and counted the vote of
the county as S12. He thus added
ten votes to the Democratic total,
and changed the republican plurali-
ty of seven into Democratic plural
ity OF three. This completed the
work begun by the Democratic
ballot thieves who tempered with
the sealed envelopes of Alum Creek
precinct and pried the bottom ont of
the ballot.box at Charleston precinct,
and restored West Virginia's con-
gressional delegation to the desired
solidiry.
When it became apparent last
November that the majority in the
House of Representatives would be
small one way or the other it was
conjectured that there would be
enough Republicans counted out in
the South to give the Democrats con-
troll. There was one district each in
Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carroll
ma and Maryland and two in West
Virginia which showed small plural
tiles for the Republican candidates
on the face of the returns. Past
election methods in that neighbor-
hood justified the fear that some pre-
text would be found to change the
result and give the certificates to
the Democrats in these districts. In
the first four states. however, the
figures we're allowed to stand and a
Republican majority in the House
was assured. 1t remained for Gov
ernor Wilson and the Democrats of
West Virginia to Justify the appre-
hension and show to what lengths a
man and party can 60 when actu-
ated by blind partisanship. But
their triumph will be of short dura-
ton, as a Republican House will
seat the candidates who were honest
ly elected in West Virginia.-Phila.
Press.