Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-12-03
NOVEMBER 30, 1891.

NOVEMBER 30, 1891.
To ne Editor OF tie Register:
S1R:-ID the issue Of the IntetltgenceT
of the 2sth an editorial appears under
the title of political Theft as Fine
Art. p" calls attention 20 what IL terms
"tbe recent theft Of the Governorshlp
s.of West Virginia by the Democratic
"T,epislature, the celebrated 1--WE per-
"formapce of the late Governor Wilson,
,.of this State, the same year, and the
s.rape of the Wetzel county ballot boxes
ssin the First Congressional District, all
"of which outrages attracted national
attention" and concludes with, Inc
"bonest citizens Of West Virginia Will
'be given the opportunity next year 70
''rebuke these wrongs.
sit possible that the editor OF the
Istclligcpccr has forgotten that the hon
est citizens OF West Virginia have had
the opportunity for which he longs and
that these charges were passed upon at
the last general election in this Slater
Does he not remember that the Republi-
can party platform of 1890 made these
so-called outrageS an important issue?
D3es he not reflect that General Nathan
GoH. the defeated candidate for the
Governorship, canVaSSed the entire
State lust before the last election and
in each Of his flowery talks devoted at
least an hour 70 his eloquent discOurses
about his wrongs and 10 earnest appeals
for his own yindicatiOn? Does he over
look the fact that the good people OF
West Virginia met this issue at the
pols in 1890 and indicated General
Cot and the Republican party by ma
iOrity Of S,331 votes for the Democratic
ticket? the largest majority In more
than ten years.
Did he not hear Hon. w. p. Hubbard,
chief counsel Of Gen. GOf in the guber-
material contest, in his candidacy for
Congress in the First district, so often
carried by Gen. Gof, make an appeal
for his election as yindicatiOn of his
party and as a rebuke TO the faithful
Old county Of Wetzel? Was he ever
told this appeal was answered by ma
iority of Gas votes FOR his opponent,
Hon. John O. PendletOn, while General
j.. w. St. Clair, chief counsel for Gov
ernOr Fleming, at the same election was
sent 70 the State Senate by a majority
Of q, 27O votes, more than five times that
of the preceding election.
Tn the counties where the Democratic
members Of the Contest Committee re-
sided, the Democratic maiOritieS were
largely increased; in the counties where
the Republican members OF the same
committee resided, the Republican ma
jOrities were largely decreased.
Judge Edwin Maxwell, q Repub-
liCan member Of the Contest Commit
tee, author OF the minority report, and
a resident of General COTS own county,
was also a candidate for reelection and
vindicatiOn in a Republican Senatorial
district, and, although four years before
he received a majority OF more than 600
votes, he, too, was indicated by a ma
jOrity OF 222 votes in favor Of his OppO-
nent, Hon. Orlando Hardman, q Cal
houn Democrat Of Calhoun county. The
Republican majority Of Harrison cOun-
", the home OF General Cot, was re-
duCed about One-half; the Democratic
majority Of Marion county, the home OF
Governor Fleming, was trined. The
county Of Mercer. where the imported
negroes voted ia ISIS, and gave General
Gotf his supposed majority, INDICATED
Republican pretenSeS by a majority of
several hundred Democratic votes, and
sent 70 the Legislature OF 1891 a Demo
cratic representative. In the county OF
Kanawha, where the alleged frauds
were SO great as to make IL impossible
for Kanawha'S famous County Court TO
give TO either Major McGiunis or Gen
eral GOtf a certificate which an honest
circuit judge, though a Republican,
would allow to stand, In 1890 gave its
response 10 these calls for vindication
by electlng every Democrat on the
ticket save the clerk Of the Circuit
Court.
In the Legislature of 1850, elected in
1853, the Democrats had but one ma
jorty on joint ballot; in the Legislature
OF 1891, elected I'm 1890, TO vindicate
General GoG and his party, the Demo
Gratis had majority OF thirty-one on
joint ballot. Thus 10 will be seen that
the viudication consisted in the loss of
thirty Republican members Of the Leg
iSlature, whose places were supplied
with tried aud true Democrats.
In 1890 the State responded to that
appeal by sending a solidly Democratic
delegation 20 Congress. Hon. John d.
Anderson, after having his seat contest
ed on questions vital to the guberna-
tOrial contest, was returned TO his seat
Oy a majority of 4.655 votes
lt must be remembered that in the
couteSt for that seat inaugurated by
Major McGinniS, Mr.. Alderson's position
was al f0lTS, the same as that OF Gov.
Fleming in his GuberuatOrial cOnteSt;and
that the Republican House of Repre-
SeutatlyeS, though anxious for a safe
working majority with which 10 pass
the Mckinley and Force bills, and after
having unSeated slarge number of Dem
OcratS, because their majOritieS were
either too large or too small, refused 10
unseat Mr.. Anderson even in the face of
the personal appeal of Gen. Cot that
their failure to so would be accepted oil
over the land as justification Of the
result OF the Gubernatorial contest.
Can the mtClli9eRcer deny that the
honest citizens OF West Virginia have
passed upon the Republican claim for
vindicauon?
Isnot the verdict already given, con-
elusive one2 KANAwHA.
Inferior Goods.