Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1889-01-26
GoFF LEADS.
The First Ballot For A United States
Senator.
Democrats Unable to Agree on Can
didate.

Ah0 AEhS 0iAOhS VIC &%SAA@SA"eS 49,
the election TO the United Stetes SEN
ate is becoming more complicated.
There is not now any probability that
Kenna and his opponents will be able
to make any terms. Both sides are
determined. The anti-Kenna men, to
the number of sixteen, in the legisla-
ture declare they will not go into eau
Gus as long as Kenna is in the field,
while the thirty Kenna men are equal
ly emphatic in the declaration that
they will never vote for any other
Democrat. Golf is the leader, of our
Republicans and his leadership has SO
far been implicitly and successfully
followed. In all probability, now
that Republican president OF the
Senate has been elected, the Republic
cans will go into the joint assembly
and canvass the returns on the elect
ion of governor. They hold that
COTS election should be declared on
the face of the certificate. This
would establish his prima facie right
to his seat, and entitls him to hold
it after March 4th, and until the con-
test is decided. Golf, however, is not
anxious to fill the position. He be-
lieves that he has been elected, and
will strain every nerve to make good
his claim. But in order to facilitate
the final declaration of the result, he
is inclined to submit to the Democrats
in this matter. This is the situation
now, and the Republican senators will
probably allow that body to 60 into
the joint session tomorrow. This
will end the deadlock, and allow the
Senate to get down to work. The
first business will be to consider the
contest case against Sweeney, Oxley
and Yeater, the three Democratic sem
ators. There is hardly any doubt
that all three will be unseated. This
would give clear Republican major
ity of two in the legislature. The
RgPublisans-wil lnpt.push the election
OF a United States senator until these
cases are decided. The Democrats
have already been compelled to drop
one of their contest cases in the House.
1t was to be argued this morning,
and the counsel for the Democratic
contestant was compelled to move for
delay. The two Smiths, both Repub-
licans, who have been seriously i'll,
will be able to be present in their
seats tomorrow. One OF them has
not yet been sworn in. The other
will increase Goff's vote for senator to
forty three on the lowest estimate.
The ballot taken o-day resulted Goff,
Al; Kenna, rs; scattering, 23
Twenty-Five of the scattering votes
were cast by Democrats The Demo
Gratis hold another caucus to try to
nominate a senator tonight. It is
understood that the anti-Kenna men
refuse to agree to be bound by the
vote, If one is taken.
The Democratic caucus adjourned
tonight without making nomination.
There was bitter fight, and the anti
Kenna men insisted on the two-third
rule as a condition to going into a
caucus. 1t was adopted, and they
mustered enough strength to defeat
Kenna. Four ballots were taken with
no result.
STILL THEY wRANGLE.
CHARLESTON, w. Va, Jan. "a
To person unacquainted with the
fierce political snmity among the
Democratic leaders of this State it is
hard to imagine the bitterness of a
fight which is being waged, as the
reacemakers express it.
The Kenna men made fatal mis-
take in the caucus last night, yet it
was hard to avoid. Two Of the So
called kickers, Spriggs and Merrill,
refused to go into caucus unless the
two-third rule was adopted. The
Kenna men snapped at the bait.
They were confident that they could
muster more than two-thirds of the
members. Kenna himself sent word
to agree to the proposition, saying
that he could count on forty of the
forty-six men present. The two
thirds rule was adopted, and the re-
suit showed that Kenna's opponents
knew his strength better than him
self. He received twenty seven votes
on the first ballot, and thirty were
required to nominate. The supper
tiers of the Senator were paralyzed
at the result. They demanded an
other ballot. Three more were taken,
and Kenna gradually lost until he had
only twenty-three on the last. Then
the caucus adjourned until tonight.
After several more hours OF wrang-
ling, the Democratic caucus broke up