South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1889-08-30
The Gubernatorial Contest.
The committee on Thursdsy threw
out 20 votes IN Kanawha county,
challenged by Judge Fleming.

out 20 votes IN Kanawha county,
challenged by Judge Fleming.
JUDGE FLEMING AHEAD.
The Baltimore Sun Of Friday pub.
lished the following dlspa, ch from its
correspond, mt at Terra Alta:
The guberna,orial contest COM
miitee, which BIO gan its inves,i-
cation into tie alleged Illegal voting
st tie las' lection the frs, OF May.
will probably get through with its
task by the last Of next week. The
dispositions have been read and pas.
sed upon in all tho counties except
Mercer and Mcdowell. Since my
last report he following counties
have been passed upon, viz Braxton.
Doddridgc. Tyler, Tucker, Monroe,
monongalia, Kanawha, Logan, Sum-
mers, Taylor, Preston, Richie, Ma
son. Wayne, Roane, Raleigh, Up
shur, Webster, Wood and Peasants.
When the committee commenced on
this batch Of Counties Judge Fleming
had made net gain Of GO votes,
leaving Gen. Golf of his alleged
majority only 81. The committee
have spent about three weeks going
over the dispositions taken in the
tho aforementioned counties,
and the result Is a net gain for Judge
Fleming OF III voice, which wipes
out COTS AZ, which be had o, the
last report, and places Judge Elem.
ing rs ahead, with Mercer and Me-
70 he
Col. st. Clair, who is counsel OF
Judge Fleming, said to the SUN COR
espondent that there hal been o
great deal OF exaggeration aud great
deal moro Of misrepreso ntation with
regard to the election OF last fall
and the contest growing out OF It in
This State. These Misrepresentation
said the Colonel, have been so in.
dustriously circulated and 30 widely
reported that they have doubtless
done the State O great deal of harm,
and ct the same time have been very
unjust to In iivduals. A great deal
has been published, lie said, about
the colonization of negroes in sever.
al OF the border counties, and In
some instances this has been a tribut-
ed to certain persoss. Now, / want
to say said the Colonel with empha-
sis, that there is not ono word Of
truth in this stuff, and there is no
foundation for it. The election Of
1888 in West virginia was perfect.
ly fair one in every reepcct-just RS
fair Us wes ever held in any State.
There was large number Of illegal
votes cast at the election, hut they
were srch as we could not prevent,
and such as might be cast at any
election, and there Is no charge of
fraud made against the republican
party on account Of these illegal votes.
In Mercer. Mcdowell and other Dor.
der counties colonization had been
charged by mlsinformed people.
There are large number OF collieries
and coal mines which employ large
number of negroes. This Is the
most migratory population in the
world. Out OF a thousand Of these
people who would be in the employ
OF grain corporation Mt the begino
ing OF the gear there would not per.
haps be fifty Of them at the end Of
the year. They are coming and
going all the time. Now there were
d great many Of these who swore
they had resided in the State twelve
months, ard who simply peliured
themselves in order to vote. and that
is the whole story. In Mercer and
Mcdowell counties we have charged
about $50 such votes, and there were
$50 more, bnt we did not know OF
them in time to include them in our
notice and cannot get the benefit of
them. Judge Fleming will gain at
'ssst three hundred votes 10 these
Two counties, and that nun Der. added
TO the seveDty.hve with which he
will 60 to Mercer, will make him
certain winner in the contest by
three hundred or more majority.
On our part NC have not iesorLed 10
tschuicalities in single instance,
ghilst on the other side all sorts of
technical objections, such az a failure
20 have election clerks sworn, failure
or omission TO swear judges, as 70,
quired, and the like, have been raised.
We base our contest solely upon the
ground that persons voted who were
not legal voters, and we have shown
our charge TO be true.
There were number Of illegal
votes cast for the democratic nomi.
nee, but by for Lhe'greater number Of
illegal votes being amongst the negro
miners In the border counties-the
republican candidate naturally suff
ers most. Notwithstanding the tech.
meal objections raised by the repub-
licaus, and the further fact that they
have taken advantage Of everything
which they could rake up in the con
test, It oiIl be clearly demonstrated |
20 every fair minded man that Judge
Fleming was fairly elected. As
soon rs tho committee finishes ils
work and is ready 20 eubmit its re-
port Vie Legislature will be called I.
together in special session 60 receive
ant act upon the findings Of the com.
mission. Unless the Legislature /
shall reverse the conclusions OF tie /
con mi;tce it may be safely stiI that /
West Virginia next Governor will T.
bo a democrat.
Tup II, rrup.y rr. pcrprr L, 50.