Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-11-19
STATE POLITICAL NOTES.


mocracy must be of the hickory variety,
when it was able to stand the pressure
OF the War Department, Carnegie's
Doodle and the swarms Of Carolina me-
groes. West Virginia is all right.
PGrkersblrg Sentinel-A steel mill at
Middleport Is going to reduce wages
because Cleveland is elected. Last
summer Carnegie reduced wages be-
cause Harrison was elected. Honors
are even.
Grafton Ledder-Governor-elect Mac
Corkle ran about two hundred votes
ahead Of his ticket in Kanawha county,
his home, where his own people had a
chance of showing the high esteem In
which they hold him. This is a de-
cidedly better showing than his Repub-
lican opponent got In his own county
where has lived and operated all his
days up to the present glorious year OF
grace, ammo domini 1892.
Grafton Ledder-Up in Barbour the
Democrats succeeded in re-electing Hon.
D. Shaw to the House OF Delegates for
the fourth consecutive term. The fight
against Shaw this time was specially
bitter. Mr.. Elkins tried to defeat him,
but could not do so. The fact that Mr..
Shaw won against all the forces that
the Secretary of War could array
against him, and his long service in the
Legislature, and that he is an honorable
gentleman in every way, thoroughly
fitted and qualified for the honor, all
combine to make him q strong candi-
date for Speaker Of the House Of Dele
gates.
F'dtT7nO1lt Free PrcSS-The new plan
of voting did not work very fast on
election day, and many voters complain
OF the slowness of balloting. The sys.
TEN was new and the voter had to do
his scratching after he received his
ticket, and in some instances so many
changes were made as 20 consume the
allotted five minutes, A gentleman re-
marked that there would be more
straight tickets this time voted than at
any previous election. When once &C
quainted with the plan it is simple
matter to vote just as you wish, but
many, through fear no doubt, of losing
their vote altogether, voted straight
tickets. There was no noise, no politi-
clans, nor anything to interrupt the
progress of the voting, and there was no
one to give the inquirer the least ray Of
hope as to how IL was going.
Fdtrment Tltder-The result of the
late election in West Virginia nails one
persistent lie with the force OF sledge
hammer-the pretense of Republican
newspapers that Golf was the Governor
in 1888 and wrongfullY deprived Of his
seat. The people have twice passed
upon that question and each time in
positive and unequivocal manner have
endorsed the action of the Democratic
party in refusing to allow the bene-
fciary of fraudulent election methods
to take the place Of Governor. But the
late election has done more than to sig
nifty that the people endorse the action
Of the Democratic party in repudiating
COTS claims. 1t has pointed some Of
the places where his majorities were
manufactured, and makes certain what
was stoutly suspected before, that a
large portion of COTS votes were cast 10
Republican counties after the polls
closed in 1883. In other words that bal
lot box tampering was an element
which, added to colonization and bril-
berry, deprived Governor Fleming of
several thousand majority of the legal
will remember that Repu6 3%p reaaers
in few Republican counties wero a -
phenomenal as to excite boIioI at the
time that they must be spurious. Take
hanawha county as an illustration,
though one need not go so far from
home for an example. Goff's majority
there in 1888 Was about 1850. This
year with quite as good a Republican
organization and with a>fuller vote,
il TAILS to 800. The same state OF
facts exists in nearly all other
counties where Republican officials
had control of the machinery
of elections. This year the majorities
are normal; In 1883 they were out OF all
proportion to any vote previously cast.
For this correction and publication OF
the ballot, we are indebted to the new
election law. 1t is reasonably fair
election and under it the Democrats
carried the State by nearly 5000 ma
iority. This is the normal Democratic
majority and with fair election that
would have been Flemlng's majority in
1883.