Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-05-24
ELKIRs BARREL. WILSON RECORD

,ress in my district this fall,H SAID
Ion. w. i. Wilson, of West Yir
,inia, TO the Gazette. " The Repab
leans want the use of his barrel.
md to nominate him would be the
,urest way to get it on tap. Il will
lave to run very freely. however, tol
give him any chance Of election,
unless, indeed, he might be returned
AS elected by some such eontrivance
as is provided for in the latest Fed
eral election BILL
"If that Senate bin should pass it
will put it in the power OF canvass
ing boards, appointed in Congess
ional district, to elect many Re
publican.
Will it pass? | do not know, of
course. The Democratic Senators
have 1t in their power to prevent the
passage of any bill under the pres
ent rules of the Senate"
The above is a copy, headlines in
cluded, of an interview which the
Hon. William l.. Wilson had recent
ly with Il representative Of the Ga
zette, Democratic newspaper in the
city Of Washington. 1t seems just
a little Incredible thai Mr.. Wilson,
with his vulnerable record, should
make so unjust an attack upon an
imaginary adversary. Why does he
find it necessary to refer to Mr.. Ell
kins' barrel 2" Does he mean to
say that the Democrats OF the
Second district are for sale Would
he have it understood that he has
been protecting his wavering lines
for the last eight years by the use
of money? And yet 40 one has ever
accused Mr.. Wilson OF personally
using any unreasonable amount of
money IN his campaigns. The fact
is, aad it is generally very well IN
derstood, that Mr.. Wilson has very
happy way Of holding on to every
cent that properly comes into his
hands. He has represented the
Second district IN Congress for near
ly eight years, and at the expiration
of his present term will have receiv-
ed for services the round sum of
$4,000. Has he ever invested a
cent of it in the interest OF his con
stituents On the contrary, is it not
well known among Democrats. as
well as among Republicans, that the
Hon. w. L. Wilson is thoroughly
selfish 1t is true that while there
was a Democratic administration,
Mr.. Wilson distributed the public
patronage to his friends and to them
alone, and it was by this means he
was able to secure a denomination
both in 1886 and IN 1888.
Why was it that neither Morrow
nor Smith, of Marion county, Martin,
of Taylor, " Junior" Brown, Of Pres.
ton, Scott, of Randolph, Bradford, Of
Barbour, Daily nor Price, OF Mineral,
Flournoy, of Hampshire, nor SpGigg,
of Hardy, could get a corporal's
guard from their respective counties
in either of the Democratic Con
gressional conventions Of 1886 or
1888? Neatly all of these gentlemen
have tested their popularity before
the public, and have shown them
selves to be stronger than Mr.. VII
son; but it is well known that Mr..
Wilson had so distributed the pub
lie patronage in his own interest
that neither Of these gentlemen had
a ghost of a chance for tie nomina
ton. Now did it ever occur to Our
honorable Congressman that such q
distribution of public patronage is
just as reprehensible as the dis
bursement Of filshy lQcTe, and that
it would be just a little more manly
and noble to give of his own means
rather than use the public offices to
influence his personal interest Mr.
Wilson has seen proper, and very
uniGstIy and unkindly, as We think,
TO accuse Mr.. Elkins Of an intention
to give ont OF bis own pocket, and
at the same time it is well known
that Mr.. Wilson has been clearly
guilty of giving out Of the public
crib. His accusation is made, of
course, to prejudice Mr.. E!kins be-
fore the public. Without knowing
whether Mr.. Elllins will or will not
be a candidate, or whether under
any circumstances he could be in
duccd TO enter the Congressional
race, we defy Mr.. Wilson or any Of
bis friends to point to 4 single act
in Mr.. Elkins' entire life which
would justify any such reelection.
He started ont in the world a poor
boy aud without influential friends.
and by dint of his good sense and
untiring energy be has accumulated
some money, very large part of
which be has expended in the Second
Cong district; and, how
ever reprehensible this may be in
the mind Of our distinguished Con.
gresham, the people of the district
will bear him no i'll will on that &C
count. But if Mr.. Wilsn's record IS
investigated a little it will be found
that 1t does not require money to
defeat him, and that be does not
have such a hold on the people of
the Second Congressional district
that he can lose the election only
by use OF improper influence against
him.
A little scrip of the history of the
Second Congressional district polit-
les will not be inappropriate at this
juncture. It will be remembered
that the Hon. S. c. McGreW was
elected to Congress in 1870 and the
Hon. J. Marshall Hagans in 1872.
There was, however, no contest,
speaking. in 1872. as Mr..
Wilson's Democratic friends made
the mistake OF not running their
man on election day. In 1874 the
first realcontest after the Democrats
the State took place. The
Hon. Charles J. Faulkner was the
Democratic nominee and the Hon.
A. r.. Boteler ran as an independent
Endorsed by the Repub-
licans. Mr.. Faulkner was elected
by a majority of 3,436. In 1876 Hon.
B. L. Martin was the candidate for
the Democrats and Col. Ward La
mon the Republican standard bear
ar Nv NIort;, ,roo ,lootoI L.. -