The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1889-01-05
OUR NEXT GOVERNOR.
JUDGE A. b. FLEMING DISCUSSES
THE GUBERNATORIAL CONTEST.
The Republican Frauds Will be Fully
Observation-Disclosures Of the
Hundreds Of Illegal votes
F0und-The Scheme to
Capture the House
of Delegates.

Special Telegram to the Register.
FAIRMoNr, December 25.-Judge
A. B. Fleming has arrived home from
trip to Charleston, where he has
been on business connected with the
Gubernatorial contest. oyour cor
respondent the Judge stated that be
was well pleased with the steps that
had been taken to ferret out the
gross outrages committed by the
Republican managers, and express
ed the utmost confidence that the
final result would prove the justice
of the Democratic cause.
Il feel" said he, that the people
of West Virginia demand that this
contest be made To put it mildly
there is grave suspicion that hun
dreds of illegal votes were cast for
the Republican ticket, The State
can not afford to let any imputation
rest upon the honesty of its elections;
and the Democratic party can not
allow questionable votes to go unchal-
lenged. | can say from the bottom of
my heart that | did not seek the
gubernatorial nomination; but be-
ing a candidate | believe it to be my
duty to my State and to my party
to see that the result of the election
is honestly obtained. have entered
into this contest from these motives
alone, and at the request of the
State Executive Committee, but if
the people sustain me in it, and |
have every reason to believe that
they will, it will be pushed until the
truth of my election is fairly and
squarly established.
81 have been surprised at the ex-
tent of the frauds that have been
brought to light in certain counties
in the State. No further proof is
needed to convince me of the exist
ence of a skilfully planned scheme
to corrupt the ballot l firmly be-
lieve that if the voters of this State
had been permitted to express their
sovereign will independently ofilleg
al influences, the Democratic MAORI
ty would be well up in the thousands
instead of the hundreds.
1T is not difficult to locate these
frauds. They were practiced in
almost every quarter of the State to
some extent, but in at least four
counties they surpassed anything
ever before accomplished or attempt
ed at an election in West Virginia.
| do not know that | care to par
ticularize these cases. The whole
matter will brought to light at the
proper time, but it is sufficient to
say that in the counties of Mercer,
Mcdowell, Fayette, Kanawha and
probably one or two others, a great
many illegal votes were cast in near
" every precinct.
THE large majority of these bal
lots were polled by residents of other
States. There is great difficulty in
securing evidence against these men
for many of them have purjured
themselves at the polls and will not
hesitate to perjure themselves again
in order to escape the punishment
Of their crimes The only way by
which the fact of non residency can
be establisheded is to trace up their
anteeedents. This of course is
very laborious process. However,
our attorneys have met with good
success. A lengthy list of illegal
voters has been prepared already
and many more will be added. We
expect to have incontrovertible evil
dence to prove that the men voted
illegally and voted the Republican
ticket.
''The law requires that the name
of each voter whose ballot is con
tested shall be contained in the no.
tice Of contest, with the grounds of
challenge. This necessarily makes
the preparation of the case slow, but
we have every reason to believe that
it will be completed in good time,
and in such way as will leave no
possibility of successful answer.
II am glad TO see that the Register
has referred to the plan of the Re-
publican managers to capture and
control the House of Delegates. My
attention has been called to the mat
ter from other quarters. If three or
more Democratic delegates should
be absent at the opening session, the
Republicans would be able to organ
ize the House."