Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1889-08-27
Lie West vIrgInia contest.

/
called, which has been in session
since the first day of May last, hear
ing the contested election case be-
tween Judge Fleming. Democratic
candidate, and General Golf, Repub-
lican candidate, for Governor of West
Virginia, will probably get through
with its labors by the last of next
week. The dispositions have been
read and passed upon in alIthe coun-
ties except Mercer and MCDOWELL
Since my last report tile following
counties have been passed upon, viz:
Braxton, Doddridge, Tyler, Tuck
err, Monroe, Monongalia, Kanawha,
Logan, Sommers, Taylor, Pres
ton, Richie, Mason, Wayne, Roane,
Raleigh, Upshur, Webster, Wood
and Peasants. When the committee
commenced on this batch of counties
Judge Fleming had made a net gain
of sixty-eight votes, leaving Cen
eral Golf of his alleged majority
only fifty-two. The committee have
spent about three weeks going over
the dispositions taken in the above
named counties, and the result is a
net gain for Judge Fleming of one
hundred and seventeen votes, which
wipes out Goff's forty-two, which he
had at the last report, and places
Judge Fleming seventy-five ahead,
with Mercer and Mcdowell counties
to he examined.
Col. st. Clair, who is counsel for
Judge Fleming, said to the Sun cor
respondent that there had been a great
deal of exaggeration and great deal
more of misrepresentation with re-
gard to the election of last fall and
the contests growing ont of it in his
State. These misrepresentation,
said the Colonel, have been so indus
triously circulated and so widely re-
ported that they have doubtless done
the State great deal of harm, and
at the same time have been very UNI
just to individuals. A great deal
has been published, he said, about
the colonization of negroes in sew
eral of the border counties, and in
some instances this has been attrib-
uted to certain persons. ttNow, l
want to say" said the Colonel with
emphasis, THAT there is not one
word of truth in this stuff, and there
is no foundation for it. The election
of 1888 in West Virginia was per-
fectly fair one in every respect-just
as fair as was ever held in any State.
There was large number of illegal
votes cast at that election, but they
were such 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 border counties colonization
had been charged by misinformed
people. There are large number
of collieries aud coal mines which en-
ploy large number of negroes
This is the most migratory popuIa-
| ton in the world. Out of thousand
of these people who would he in the
employ of grain corporation at the
beginning of the year there would
not perhaps be fifty of them at the
end of the year. They are coming
and going all the time. Now there
were a great many of these who
swore they had resided in the State
twelve months, and who simply pur-
jured themselves in order to vote,
and that is the whole story. In Mer-
Ger and Mcdowell we have charged
about 43O such votes, and there were
$50 more, but 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
least three hundred votes i'll these
two counties, and that number adj
ded to the seventy-five with which he
will go to Mercer, will make him a
certain winner in the contest by
three hundred or more majority
| On our part we have not resorted to
technicalities in a single instance,
whilst on the other side all sorts of
technical objections, such as failure
to have election clerks sworn, failure
or omissions to swear judges, as re-
CURED, 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 a number of illegal
voses cast for the Democratic nomi-
nee, but by far the greater number
of illegal votes being amongst the ne
gro miners in the border Counties
the Republican candidate naturally
suffers most. Notwithstanding the
technical objections raised by the
Republicans, and the further fact
that they have taken advantage of
everything which they could rake up
in the contest, it will be clearly dem
onstrated to every fair-minded man
that Judge Fleming was fairly elect
ed. As soon as the committee fin
ishes its work and is ready to submit
its report the Legislature will be
called together in special session to
receive and act upon the findings of
the commission. Unless the Legisla-
ture shall reverse the conclusions of
the committee it may be safely said
that West Yirginia's next Governor
will be Democrat.