, 1889-03-21
ONE SOUTHERN Goy EENoE

ONE SOUTHERN GOV ERNOR.
Governor Wilson, of " est Virgin
ia. has at last decided the contests
for the certificates in the Third and
Fourth Congressional Districts in
that state by awarding them both to
the Democratic candidates. This
will make the delegation from West |
Virginia solidly Democratic at the |
opening of the next Congress and re
duce the Republican majority in the |
House Of Representatives to three. |
The contest for these certificates has
occupied about four months, or ever
since the election last November, but
the delay was only to ind some ex-
cuse for doing what the Democratic
governor and his party had probably
decided upon from the start.
As the vote was sent to the gov
ernor the Republican candidates in
the Third and Fourth Districts had
a majority on the face of the returns.
The Republican majority in the for
mer district was thirty three and in
the latter district seven. There was
no more reason for rejecting the fig
ures and Withholding the certificates
than there was in the First and Sec
cp1 nictrio+,- yvboro o,r+ ;6on4 ~ WON,
issued promptly on the face of the
returns to Democratic candidates.
But the Democrats had determined
to have those two seats and they first
resOrted to the law to accomplish
their purpose. They were thrown
out of court, however, again and
again, but finally succeeded ia tying
up the returns from Kanawha coun-
ty, which is part of the Third Dis
triet, and gave Republican majori-
ty OF 1916. Governor Wilson then
claimed that as these returns were
in the jurisdiction of the court he
could not take cognizance Of them
and, as without them the Democratic
candidate had plurality of 1913, he
issued tho certificate accordingly.
The Third District was thus dis
posed of and Democratic ingenuity
and shamefacedness could go to work
On the Fourth District. After every
device had been exhausted, it was
still found that the Republican can
didate had plurality of seven votes.
But fortunately for the Democrats,
the commissioners of Pleasant coun-
ty in certifying to the fact that the
democratic candidate had received
S02 votes wrote tive" for 'two."
With an ingenuity born of despera-
ton, Governor Wilson seized upon
this, and declared that the commis-
sioner mad intended to write ''twelve"
and counted the vote of the county
as Si2. He thus added ten votes to
the Democratic total, and changed
the Republican plurality of seven
into Democratic plurality of three.
This completed the work begun by
the Democratic ballot thieves who
tampered with the sealed envelopes
at Alum Creek precinct and pried
the bottom out of q ballot box at
charleston precinct and restored
| West Virginia's congressional dele>
CATION to the desire .idity.
When it became L. aren't last No
yember that the TiajJrity in the
House of Representatives would be
small one way or the other 1t was
conjectured that there would be
enough Republicans counted out in
the South to give the Democrats con-
troll. There was one district each in
Louisiana, Tennessee, North Caro-
lima and Maryland, and two in West
Virginia, which showed small plural
tiles for the Republican candidates
on the face of the returns. Past cleo
ton methods in that neighborhood
justified the fear that some pretext
would be found to change the result
and give the certificates to the Dem
ocrats in these districts. In the first
four states, however, the figures were
| allowed 10 stand and Republican
majority in the House was assured
1t renamed for Governor Wilson
and the Democrats of West Virginia
to justify the apprehension and show
TO what length man and party
can go when aetuated by blind par
tisauship. But their triumph will
be of short duration, as Republi-
can House will seat the candidates
who were honestly elected in West
Virginia.