The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-08-23
AN HONEST ELECTION,
That is What the Investigation
Shows up to this Date,
MERCER AND MCDOWELL UP
For Consideration Before the Com,
mlttee-some Strange Allegations
by Judge Flcmiug-A Dema'
gogIc oFgau's Points,

Special DiIpaich 10 he IRieIiaeHeT,
TERRA ALTA, W,VAu August 22,-The
contest committee began reading the
depositiops from Mcdowell county yes,
torday afternoon, The reading Of this
county and Mercer will probably take
the rest Of the week.
The entire situation is now apparent,
As has been SO often said In these dis.
patches, the gross and Infamous charges
against the people Of West Virginia OF
perpetratlng systematic outragea on the
ballot box have all been demonstrated
by the proof In this contest to be false,
Fraud did not stalk rampant through
this State, No one was engaged in im.
porting voters In order to secure an lille.
gal and unjust result,
General GotI comes out with his repu.
tation unsullied, and without even a
shadow Of fraud or hint OF corrupt
practices imputed against lin In all the
mountain OF proof. And there Is no
word anywhere TO show that any Repub.
llcan candidate or politician, anywhere
in West Virginia, used any money or
any other improper means to debauch
the ballot. box, during the great and ex.
citing campaign Of 1888, or at the elec'
ton,
Tho whole merit Of this controversy
can now easily be made apparent TO
the people OF this State, and cries OF
"fraud, fraud" when there is NO fraud,
will not blind and deceive them. It is
useless for interested demagogues, and
daily newspaper without a conscience,
10 longer attempt TO play their game.
Itis to expose their deceptive politics,
and not 10 undertake In advance TO in.
dictate what the NCOntest committee
would do, that Is the design OF these
dispatches. How well the whole scheme
has had the light Of truth thrown upon
1t iE for the public TO decide.
WHAT is TO COME.
The seating Of Judge Fleming now de.
pends upon three things;
/. Tie seventy votes to be given to
him in the famous and thoroughly un-
derstood Brooke county district matter.
9. The twenty.eight votes the commit.
tee has decided he Is to have added to
the count at Charleston precinct, In
Kanawha county. Here there is strong
endeayor to show thit the ballot box
was tampered with. The law seems TO
be clear that where there are merely
circumstances to indicate that the bal.
lots have been tampered with after they
are cast, the count must be rejected.
There can be no doubt that the County
Court Of Kanawha county complied with
the law in taking the original count and
rejecting the recount, in Charleston
precinct.
MEBoBR AND N'DoWELL.
8. Whatever gains may be made In
Mercer and Mcdowell counties. The
theory Of Judge Fleming and his attor.
neys as disclosed by the evidence from
these counties as the lNTRLLIaENcER cor
respondent Is informed, Is certainly very
peculiar. First it's shown that large
number OF men In the coal mines and
coke manufactures were colored.
Second that they did not work regularly
Some Of them not beginning till a few
months before the election. Third, that
somsof them spoke OF their homes be.
ing in Virginia. Fourth, that the gem
eral reputation Of the colored man is
that he is a Republican. II Is on fimsy
proof Of this kind, that the loud charges
ot fraud In the two counties named are
expected to DO maintained. The idea Of
rejecting large number oil in
diyidual votes on the general repu.
tatiOn Of race, Is certainly too absurd
for serious consideration. However,
as to what will he the decision Of the
committee, the ISTELLidENcER cores.
pondent does not pretend TO even guess.
Facts are here discussed and stated.
The gilt OF prophecy, the knowledge Of
intentions that should be concealed In
mems minds, these arc left TO others.
This much Is hazarded, however, that
nowhere, within the covers Of any law
book, can the principle or the precedent
DO found, 10 sustain the view that proof
OF the general reputation OF a race, is
sufficient to establish for whom different
persons Of Sucha race voted for an office
at an election.
These, in brief, are the questions, the
decisions OF which by the Legislature,
will settle the contest for Governor,
They are perfectly plain, and, as before
intimated, the cries and groans Of con-
scienCeless newspaper and few un-
sCtupulous demagogues, intended 10
mislead, cannot conceal or even obscure
them,
In the matter Of the recount in Charles
Ton district, Of Kauawha county, Messrs.
Kee, Lively and Sprigg, Of the commit
tee, voted TO take the recount, and
Afnasea Ma,a,niI anJ Nfn,nia t,nIh1 fnr