The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-01-24
EVOLUTIONARY DEMOCRATIC
SCHEME IN WEST VIRGINIA.

The situation in West Virginia says
the Mail d Express, is getting to he
complicated and peIilouS. In the upper
branch OF the Legislature the Democrats
demand important concessions before
conserving TO the organic lIion of the
Senate They are conscious of the fact
that thorough invest CATION would
show that some of the DrmOCr tic Sena-
tors are not emit led to their seats and
therefore want to make 1t condition 10
,heir support of Republican organiza-
ton that none of the Senator's shall b.
unseated. As five D, mocsatc Senators
are said to be ready to help the Republic
cans to organiz', on the fluff lment OF
this condition, it il believed that the
bargain wi | he made, but there are so
| many complications arising out of the
contest for the United States Senator
ship that the unexpected may happen.
But the evident determination of the
more desperate Democrats to prevent
he Speaker from declaring the fact
that Gen. Golf is elected Governor, as
the returns show, is the feature in the
situation that is ugliest and most peril
ous. As, in West Virginia, State officers
hold over unit their successors a.
Iqualfied, the scheme of the obstruction.
lsts is one that assumes revolutionary
character.
1t is so regarded and so denounced by
Governor-elect Goffs organ, the Wheel
ing mteligencer, which undoubtedly is
inspired by him, in its decisive utter
ances. Gen. Golf does not propose to
submit to scheme that is only prece-
dented by the case of Dorr. who tried to
get the Governorship of Rhode Island
through similar revolutionary means
and who was ousted by the United
States Government executing a decree
of the Supreme Court.
The people of We I Virginia know
full well, not only that Gen, Golf wa,
elected on the face of the returns, but
that he was cheated out of votes enough
TO have given him considerable ma
jority. They know, too, that he is moi
the man to surrender his just right
without fighting for them, and they
know what sort of fighter he is. 1t il
not an idle threat that he makes
through the Wheeling Intelligencer
when it says:
THE formality of declaring the re-
suit which the returns disclose (Which
the Speaker must open and ready does
not affect in the slightest the right OF
the person found to have the highest
vote from qualifying for his position
and that Gen. Golf will go before g
proper officer and take the oath of Office
as Governor-e!ect of this State will occur
as certainly as the 4th of March comes
round and he is alive.
at he j. denied entry into the State
House and forcibly resisted he will cal
first upon the civilian aid of the State
and next, as Commauder-in- Chief OF
the Militia, he will call on the military
If Gov. Wilson resists to this point and
also calls out the military to aid him
the Government of the United States
will be promptly appealed to, and there
Is no reasonable doubt that it will
promptly respond"
The Republicans of West Virginia
have had to contend against an organ
ized scheme to defeat the honest results
of the late election. They are not in
the mood to submit to a conspiracy ir.
spired by the present Governor, who
dishonesty refused certificates to two
Republicans elected to Congress on the
face of the returns, while issuing a GER
tifcate to Democratic candidate who
had bur nominal mai )rity of twenty
on the facelh9 OF returns. after all sorts
of "doctoring" thereof had been resorted
to by Democratic election officers.
If the defeated Democrats undertake
to play the high-handed game that is
now shamelessly threatened, they will
find that Gov -elect Golf is he most
dangerous of antagonists to fool with in
that wav We ahonld have no fears as
to the result were the attempt to carry
out the conspiracy actually undertaken
but the attempt will not be made. 1t
will end in buster and the rightful re-
suits Of the splendid fight made by the
Republicans will be secured, and if we
are rightly informed as to the character
Of few honest Democrats in the Legis
ature, they will refuse to help the
scheme to defeat the will of the people
AS to the Governorship.