Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-09-17
ANXIOUS FOR A CHANGE.

AiNNiOOS TUX "A Cf1ANGE.
The campaign in West Virgin
la is opening up lively all along
the line, both parties having sent
out a number of speakers during
the past few days, and many
others will follow early in the
coming week. There is dis
tinct tendency towards crystali-
cation at present, especially as
regards the State and legislative
tickets, and the advantage seems
to be with the Republicans.
This is largely due to two mat
tiers. One is the fact that there
are a great many West Vir-
ginians loyal enough Democrats,
as rule, and whose tendencies
in that direction have not been
shaken much in matters of ma
tional politics, who are very de-
cidedly dissatisfied with the
management of State affairs dur
ing recent years. Some of the
public institutions of the State
have shown decided signs that a
change of political management
would be advantageous. There
have been an increase in the
emoluments connected with GER
tain of the State offices which
has not met with the approba-
ton of many Democrats, and,
atop of these and other things,
there has been a decided increase
of taxation, in an indirect way,
which has caused much grum-
bling. With strange lack of
political shrewdness, the authori-
ties of the State 50 arranged their
affairs as to compel a revalua-
ton of the real estate of the en-
tire State for purposes of taxa
ton, not only in year of gen
eral election for State officers,
but also in a presidential year,
and, having done that, they went
on in the wrong direction and
marked up the valuation in the
interior, and, as a rule, heavily
Democratic counties, to the ex-
tent of many millions of dollars
in the aggregate. Not satisfied
with these evidences of assinini-
ty, they wenta step farther when
the State Board of Public Works
met and scaled down the assess
ment in certain wealthy counties
like Marshall and Ohio, while
leaving the increase stand as re-
ported by the assessors in the
poorer and strongly Democratic
counties.
PROTESTS OF FARMERS IGNORED.
Naturally there was quite a
kick, and although a feeble at
tempt has been made in some
localities to smooth the thing
over, as a rule, the protests of
the poorer farmers have fallen
upon deaf ears. Up in Wheel
ing, in addition to the increased
State assessment, the Democratic
city government has added half
a dozen or more millions to the
assessed valuation of the realty
of the city, and several other
Democratic towns Throughout the
State have done the same thing
to a greater or less extent. The
mutterings arising from this
proceeding are distinctly audi
bic, and viii produce quite an eff
feet when election time comes
round. There is still another
thing which is initiating against
Democratic hope and aspirations,
and that is a general realization
of the fact that Colonel McCor-
kle, the candidate for governor
on their ticket, was the chosen
candidate of the railroad and in
cOrporated interests, and that
there was a great combination of
such men as Camden, Davis and
other railroad and lumber mill
iOnaires to put him at the head
of the ticket. The farmers of
the State wanted P. G.. Eastman
for governor the rank and file
of the party was in favor of
Judge Bennett, but all these were
crowded aside by those who saw
in the Colonel a friend in whom
the incorporated interests of the
State could depend, and he car
ried off the prize. All these
things, and several others which
might be named, are having
their effects, and when added to
the superb organization of the
Republicans, and the natural
tendency of the State in political
matters, a reason for the drift
towards the Republicans, which
is distinctly visible to the naked
nrrn cn,, nnriI.- L. Ec.,-,.cl ...+