The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-02-13
How Golf was Defeated.

inc w neellnS correspondent CI the
Philadelphia Press, under date of Feb
ruary 5th, has the following, showing
the methods by which the West Virginia
Legislature decided Judge Fleming,
Democrat, elected Governor over Gen.
Goff, Republican:
The inside of the seating of Judge Fleming as
Governor of West Virginia by partisan Legis-
lature is beginning to come out. General GOT
has not yet made any statement regarding the
situation, but viii likely do SO before long.
The annual convention of the State League of
Republican clubs will meet the 18th instan+
at Clarksbnrg, (Goffs Lome), and it promises to
be notable gathering. General Goff will he
there and sound the keynote for the next cam
paign in W est Virginia, which has already be
gun. 1t opened the moment the final vote was
announced yesterday at Charleston. Republic
cans realize that the contamination Of the con-
spiracy secures to Judge Fleming the distinc-
ton of being the last of the Democratic Cover
nors, and places the Mountain State sqparaly in
the Republican column.
1t is a common opinion ti-at If a vote could
have been had last Saturday General Golf would
have been declared duly elected. The Demo-
cratic managers believed so then, hence the
bribery charge to stave off a vote. Republicans
Raleigh, and Delegate Merrill, OF Writ, had de
clared their intention to vote for Golf on the
ground that in all the contest proceedings Elem
ingS case had not been made out These two
Democrats were OF the same mind on Saturday
night after Harr had been ON the rack before
the Investigating Committee and broke himself
i'll half.
The bribery charges fell through and when it
was found that the two Democratic members
still intended to vote for Golf, desperate means
were reSorted to in order to prevent them from
doing So 1t was determined to break the COM
bination between the two delegates. Merrill
was fixed on as being easier than Ford to han
die, because of less force of character.
1t was decided that he should not be in the
joint assembly on Saturday to vote. Soon after
dinner on Friday he joined his friends in $50
cial glass and in an Incredible short time began
to vomit and was put to bed unconscious. 1t is
stated on good authority that he did not drink
to excess, yet at midnight his temperature was
abnormally high and his limbs cold and rigid.
Regaining consciousness he asked for medical
attendance, naming DR.. Yeator, Democratic
Senator, who could not then be found. Next he
asked for Dr. Meyer and DR.. Aultz, two Republi
can delegates from Kanawha, who went to his
aid.
BY this time there was alarm. The Republican
doctors were notified that they were not want
/ ed Dr. Yeator came, and not liking the looks
! of things, would have nothing to do with the
case. Dr. Ewing, a Democrat physician of
! Charleston, took charge.
Next day Delegate Merrill was In his seat a
haggard man. Some of his friends then thought,
and think, he had been drugged. He was
to have been taken to the country that night,
but when matters took the turn desired that
project was abandoned as being hazardous.
V,ha Of Ford 10
markable. He is an older man than Merrill. and
more experienced in the ways Of the world. He
feared all along that Merrill would give way
but never doubted his own strength when the
bribery ''bombshell' was thrown i'll and ex-
ploded with SO feeble a report; he said he under
stood the object and added with clenched teeth.
''They don't know what men are made Of" He
said Golf had been fairly elecIed and he in
| tended to vote to seat him.
After all this the Democratic managers
| whipped him in. How they did it is not entirely
clear, but queer stories are aftoat. The theory
most accepted is that they made threat not
connected with politics AMI that settled the
case of Mr.. Ford,
h The Democrats generally are surprised at the
turn affairs took. Honest Democrats thought
| General Golf would be seated and regret that
/ their party managers were so blind to justice
and policy as to turn him down. From every
/ section of the State comes news of Democrats
openly regulating their representatives for The
action taken yesterday.
Commenting on the matter the Phila-
delphia Telegraph, one of the ablest and
fairest papers in the country, says:
The people in general long since wearied of
this West Virginia wrangle, and probably very
few newspaper readers have followed it with
sufficient interest to have an intelligent idea
| with regard to it, But the leading facts are
plain and can readily be understood. Every
body knows that the campaign in that State, in
the summer and fall of 1888, remarkable in
many particulars. In the beginning, the De-
meeraoy confidently belttled the suggestion that
they were in any danger OF dofeat, but before
the late October winds whistled through the
| leafless trees their faces had grown very long,
and they were singing another and a very dole
full tune Many of their best-informed leaders
! evidently expected to be beaten, and they pre-
! pared for this result Then, when it was evi
| dent that General Gnff was sure to win the Gov
ernorshp on the final count, desperate measures
were taken. The returns were coolly set aside
for alleged Investigation" on the ground of
| supposed fraud. The manner in which this in
| qqiry has been conducted has rather exc ,lled in
barefaeed partisan recklessness anything of the
kind ever witnessed in any other State. There
was, to be sure, show Of fairness Starting
out with the avowed declaration that there had
been thousands Of fraudulent Republican votes
cast it became necessary to admit a certain
amount of Democratic crookedneSs. So the
game carried on, but with the clear inten-
ton from the beginning of coming out head in
the end; and SO the Democratic candidate is de-
clared elected, by a beggarly two hundred and
odd votes.
This whole incident comes to hand now as
gigantic Wad, choking the Democratic party in
| its furious cutlery over accomplished and intend
cd injustice on the part Of the Republican ma
jority in the present Congress. The Democratic
party in West Virginia could have well afforded
to have been strictly fair and honest in this
matter, for mere policy sake They have made
a stupid blunder, one which has not helped them
| in their present condition. and which will re-
/ bound with the most damaging effect in the
near future, not only in West Virginia but else
i where. BY this partisan .recklessness and dis
| honesty they have made votes in the House for
| Federal interference with Southern elections,
and furnished an abundant lot of most useful
campaign material for Republican orators in
the North. They have put an extra heavy load
| on their own political donkey, and if he doesn't
/ stumble and fall under it's accumulated weight
| before he gets much farther, then he is
| tougher old critter than he has been given cred
| it for by friend or foe