The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-09-05
COMPLETING YHH Steal,
The Work Of the GubernatoriaI
Contest Committee
FAST DRAWING TO A CLOSE,
Fleming Given Two Hundred Votes
in Mercer aud AIcDowell-Mr,
Norris Contempt for Indecent
Structures Upon his Course.
Ip.rtal pl,pnlcA D h. IIlaliianor.

committee this forenoon finished pass
ing upon the votes assailed in Mellow
ell county, Out OF one hundred and
aity-eIght votes attacked by Fleming
sixty.six were rejected, Gen, Goff only
assailed three votes in Mcdowell, None
Of these were rejected.
Judge Fleming's net gain in Mercer
aud Mcdowell counties is two hundred
votes. In the yastmaiority Of these, the
only proof wasthat the voter was a col
ored man, and that he worked for some
mining and manufacturing campany in
these counties for a longer or shorter
time, as the case might be, The ago.
nized howls OF scheming politicians and
an unscrupulous newspaper cannot alter
this fact.
The committee took up Braxton
county this evening, The total number
OF votes assailed by General GOT In this
county was 80; those assailed by Flem'
ing 10; COTS net gain was 20.
Mr., Morris, OF the committee, seems
TO be gratiAed at the assaults OF the
Register upon him, He claims that the
reputation OF that paper Ia 80 bad, not
only us to veAclty, but as TO integrity
enerally, that he Is benefited. 1t Is
better to be attacked than praised by 1t.
Good words from 1t would be injurious
poisonous.
In It's attempt to sustain itself in this
mornings paper In It's attack, the Regis
Ter puts a gross ialsehood right In the
middle OF an editorial, and another at
the end. II says In substance that q
hundred voters In Mercer and Mcdowell
counties, were registered In Virginia.
There was no proof that there was one,
There was an attempt 10 show that titty
or sixty names registered In Virginia
were the same as those Of miners In
West Virginia, from which 10 was 10 be
deduced that thcy were the same men,
The proof showed that but few miners,
not over dozen, of the same names as
those on the register in Virginia, voted
In West Virginia, and not one Of them
was identified as the same. The Wheel.
inV Reqister may iroth US much as II
pleases, 1t cannot wipe out the Law, sup.
ported by abundant authority, that In
such cases rs these, there must be evi.
dence OF the identity Of the persons as
well as Of the names. Why assume that
these men in West Virginia who have
the same names as others among thou.
sands OF their fellows, any more than
John Smith In Mercer county Is the
John Smith in Richie county.
The Register Of yesterday deyotes
nearly hall oil It's fint page To an attempt
at reply to the argument made before
the contest commlttee-remarks that
only occupied couple OF columns In
the INTRLLloENcER. What was there In
this presentation Of one side Of case TO
Justify the use Of a lot OF low epithets,
such as make up the indecent response
OF the Register? This delGCtable sheet
Is merely trying 10 divert attention
from the issue. It does not an:
swer law and facts, but resorts
10 personalities. Law books are abund.
ant, why does 1t not take the books and
quote some law reCtiiying It's positions 2
II 1t can not do this itself, why does 1t
not get some one TO do 30 for 1t? In
stead OF this it persistently misstates the
evidence, and indulges In low person
alities. It takes a fact that applies to
half dozen votes, properly rejected by
the committee and applies that 70
all the votes in controversy. 1t
has not the slightest desire TO present
matters as they are and argue from the
evidence, but distorts and manufactures
10 an incredible degree. As late as this
morning It talks about fraudulent voters
being led to the polls by Republican
managers in Mercer and Mcdowell
counties, while there is not syllable OF
evidence OF anything OF the, e,kind. Col.
st. Clair, Fleming's counsel, says him
self that there Is no evidence Of any I'M
portation OF voters, or any attempt at
fraud on the part OF the Republican
leaders.
As to the Registtr'S insinuations about
who is the correspondent exposing IL
and overthrowing It's schemes, Mr.. Nor
risreQuets the INTRLLIGENcER to state
10 the Register that II is none Of It's busi-
ness whether he is the man or not. He
says that when he gets ready TO contess
be will not adopt the Wheeling Register
as his coniessor. He would not grauty
the Wheeling Register by either ad.
hitting or denying In private
or in public. He claims that
he has done justice as far ash Is able to
discern 1t, in all lis actions as member
OF this committee. Every vote on every
question Is approved by his conscience.
II he should exercise his privilege of
writing an article for any newspaper or
furnishing faCtsior one, he would try 70
tell the truth. The telling Of the truth
would not affect his decisions about any
matter before the committee. He.would
not talk about any case until he had
made up his mind about II from the
standpoint Of right, as he undentood 1t,
and then the public would be entitled
to his views II II desired them.