Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-01-28

Judgment o. lnls assembly womb De
against him.
My friend, Mr.. Hubbard, opened his
srSument by reading from the message of
Governor of Wilson concerning cases of
wholesale aud palpable fraud known and
proven TO have been committed in this
State. His intention was to show you that
you had been prejudiced and had pre-
Judged in this case, under the influence of
matters entirely on the outside Of it.
What had Governor Wilson's message to
do with the contest Of FleIniug against
Goff for the Governorship of West Virginia?
Is that the document that is on trial here?
apprehend that Governor Wilson will be
willing
TO BREAK LANCES
with Mr.. Hubbard or any other Repubh.
can pleader 10 or out OF West Virginia, in
respect 70 the fraud, which be, as the
/ chief executive officer Of the State had
called to his attention.
I do not propose to take up time N viz
/ dicating an action, which you have al
ady done. In your wisdom you de-
eided not to open and publish the returns
Of the Gubei ustorial election, and the
time for Mr.. Hubbard TO assert that ac-
ton by reading from another's words, or
by any other way is now past. All my
oaEe Is to cast bsek the impusstion in the
teeth Of the men that dare to make il,
that your action was political rather than
Judicial one.
What was this case IN its inception?
What was the scope OF the contest? The
constitution OF this State limits efforts to
impeach votes to those votes which it is
charged were
NOT LEGALLY CAST.
Now let Us review the circumstances
under which this contest was begun, and
see if the charges in that message were not
justified; see II this fraud that has been
disclosed is not sufficient to brig blush
of shame to the cheek of every West Vir-
ginian, and make honest men tremble
when they consider the black abysses Of
political infsmy into which the name and
fame of the State have been dragged.
The law requires that the contestant
should give his notice of contest within
sixty days Of the election. You all know
what state West Virginia is. We have
high mountains and secluded valleys, and
We have few railroads, and nearly as few
good post roads. What time then had The
contestant 20 90 into thorough investiga-
CATION OF fraud IN every county? IL Is
right for you TO know that in the prepar-
atiOn Of this original notice, we were con-
PEELED to
RELY ALMOST SOLELY
on correspondence for the facts it con-
taired. This was absolutely the case in
ali counties of the State with the excep-
tiOn OF two. You will remember that two
contests were brough, into the House
from the counties OF Mercer and Mellow
ell and Wyoming.
Notices Of contest we're fled by the con-
testant Democrats, against the sitting Re-
publicsns within four weeks of the cleo
tiOn. Information collected in that time
was necessarily inaccurate, and yet go
limited as were our facilities, so hsmpered
were we in our means that the original
notice of contest, so far as il relates 70
Mercer and Mcdowell counties, was an
exact copy of the contest notices IN these
two cases.
Yet the gentlemen Of the opposition
stand up here and
LOUDLY CLAIM
that there was no fraud in Mercer and
Mcdowell counties; there was no fraud IN
the State. because the notice of contest
contained only tithe of the instances OF
corruption and debauchery, which there
ia good reason to believe existed.
They would require us in sixty days to
find out the sntecedents Of a horde OF
negroes, ignorant and vicious who came
over the border from Virginia. like crows
fockipg TO q feast of carion- These
men living in the m.nes IN the
day, and in their novels at night, crowd
ed six in q room and paying q dollar to
the protected coal operator, form the
mass OF that happy community IN the
Flat Top mining region, which Ge7. Cot
has 90 graphically portrayed to you.
No one came in and out among them ex-
oept men of their own class, and
TIE MINE BOSSES
who had cOnspired to lead them to the
poils and vote them. No Democrat was
among them, except such few white men
"a could be bribed or intimidated into
silence and aequisscence by these Repub
lican s,stesmeo.
Even the quiet citizens of Mercer county,
living in their mountain homes, honest
and frugal, knew not what individuals
conposed this mass OF vicious ignoraucs
that had been so suddenly hurled among
them. They were not known TO the eleo,
tiop commissioners; and yet Gen. Gof'
clsius that there was no fraud, because
under these conditions, sill OF this whole
sale fraud was not exposed.
know that there sre mistakes IN the
notice of contest. There are mistakes IN
Mercer sud Mcdowell counties. The