Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1889-09-07
THE OUTRAGE I'm WEST VIRGINIA.

The statement telegraphed from
West Virginia that the committee
investigating the gubernatorial cleo.
ton in that state has finally thrown
out enough votes to overcome Gen.
eral Goff's plurality will excite no
surprise among those who have
watched the contest from the start.
From the moment the ballot boxes
were closed in West Virginia on the
night of the 9th of last November
and the Democrats discovered that
they had been defeated at the polls
they have been persistently at work
devising plans for overturning the
will of the people. There are only a
few more steps in the plot to be TAX,
en- and then one more fraudulently |
chosen governor will sit in the CAPT.
tai of Southern state.
The election in West Virginia last
Fall was held under the regulations
devised by the Democratic party and
which have governed electoral con.
tests for years past. To the surprise
of the Democrats, however, they
were unable to figure out majority
for their candidate for governor on
the face of the returns. Notwith
standing every manipulation OF the
Democratic counters, the figures
continued to show a plurality Of ITO
for General Golf. Instead of follow
ing the requirements of the constitu-
tion and reporting this result to the
Legislature, the Democrats contriv-
ed a scheme for overturning these
figures and giving Fleming, their
candidate for governor, a majority.
In compliance with this design the
Legislature, which has a Democratic
majority of one on joint ballot, ap-
pointed a committee controlled by
the Democrats to investigate and re.
port on the election.
The Democrats set out with the
claim that there had been from 5000
to $4,000 fraudulent Republican
votes cast in the state. After months
of investigation the committee has
utterly failed to make good the
charge of dishonest voting on the
part of the Republicans. 1t has been
compelled to fall back on technical
claims and throw out 200 or 800
votes OH the ground that the voters,
although legal, mistook the polling
place at which they ought to have
cast their ballots. There was no
proof that any one of these votes
was not cast by qualified citizens,
but as the boundaries of voting pre-.
cincts had been changed some mis-.
takes were undoubtedly made. But
even here the Democrats had to dis.
criminate in favor Of their own illeg,
al votes in order to obtain the MAORI
ty they were looking fos.
Judge Fleming will undoubtedly
be given the color of a claim to the
governors chair of West Virginia.
The Democrats of that state care
nothing for his right to the office,
but they do care great deal about
keeping the South solidly Democrat
ic. If the honest returns of the vote
had been allowed to stand a wedge
would have been driven into the
solidity of that section which would
soon have riven it asunder. They
we're determined, therefore, rightly
OF wrongly, to maintain the old con-
dition. They have probably sue
ceeded for a brief time but they have
also made such conspicuous exhibi.
ton Of the methods By which South
ern solidity was gained and is kept
up that their defeat will be only the
more crushing when it does come.
The sentiment against tolerating
these fraudulent Democratic cleo
tions IS steadily gaming force, and it
will soon sweep out of existence the
party that thrives on them Ptild. !
Press.
Mr.. G. w. Banff has sold out his
Eonkioa,nnx. L..