Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1894-10-06
A SHORT cATEoHIsM
For the Voters of the Second Congress
ional District of West Virginia.

Q.-Who is w. L. Wilson?
A.-The man who was elected to
represent the Second Congressional
District of WestVirginia in the Con-
gress of the United States.
Q.-How long has he been in Con-
gress!
A.-Since 1882.
Q.-Has he not all that time rep
resented his district +?
A.-No. In the last session of
Congress he announced on the floor
of the House, that he could not af-
ford to be the special representative
of the Second District of West Vir-
ginia.
Q.-What other Congressional
District of the United States is with
out its special representative +?
A.-None.
Q.-Why was the country under
the constitution divided into Con-
gressional Districts I?
A.-So that the people of each
district should have some one to
represent their interests spe cially,
and see that they do not suffer at
the hands of other sections of the
country, and to see further, that the
people of the district receive their
just proportion of the benefits to flow
from legislation.
Q.-What action of Mr.. Wilson
during the last session of Congress,
shows that he did not specially or at
all, represent the interests of his own
district?
AIS Chairman of the Ways
and Means Committee of the House
he largely drafted, and reported to
the House, and supported in the
House, a bill which placed the chief
products Of his district, and the
State of West Virginia upon the free
list, while it imposed duties averag.
ing 353 per cent. upon the products
his people have to buy.
| Q.-What would have been the et-
feet of that bill ?
| A-Those chief products OF West
Virginia would have been sold in a
free trade market, while West Vir-
ginians would have been compelled
to buy what they needed in a pro-
tected market.
| Q.-Would not Mr.. Wilson's &C.
ton have been different if he had
known his people did not approve
| it?
| A.-No, because he said in &C.
cepting a denomination for Congress
at Martinsburg, on the 29th of Au-
gust, that he would have pursued
the same course even ifhe had known
his people did not approve it.
/ Q.-Was bituminous coal one of
the products of W. Va. that Mr.Wil-
son wanted on the free list ?
| Ayes.
Dwell, but didn't he announce
before his election, that, if elected he
would vote for free coal?
/ A.-No. Just the contrary, he
announced that the duty on coal was
a revenue duty, only about % per
cent. that it was entirely Democratic
that his party while in power had al
ways kept duty on coal, and he
was in favor of its retention.
| Dwell, but did not his action
in former sessions of Congress indi-
cate that he was in favor of free
coal
| A.-His action showed just the re.
verse.
| Q.-To what action can you
point )?
| An 1884, in discussing the
Morrison Bill in the House OF Rep
resentatives, he insisted that the duty
| of seventy five cents on coal should
be retained, as it was strictly rev.
enue duty, only about % per cent.
| Q.-But did not Mr.. Wilson by
his subsequent action in Congress
show he had changed his mind upon
the subject?
| A.-No. Just the reverse. In
1888 when he was member of the
| Ways and Means Committee, Mr..
Mills, then chairman of that commit
tee, proposed to put coal on the free
list in the Mills Bill Mr.. Wilson
bitterly opposed it, and Mr.. Mills,
in order to get Mr.. Wilson's support
for the bill, was forced to retain the
duty on coal.
| Q.-But did not Mr.. Wilson after
that announce that he had changed
his views /?
| A.-No In the campaign of 1885
he was again a candidate, and asked
the support of the miners and coal
operators of his district, because, as
he claimed, he had by his individual
efforts succeeded in retaining the
duty on coal, and because he wal
still in favor of that duty.
| Q.-But did not Mr.. Wilson be-
fore his last election announce s
change of views as to the duty OIL
coal?
| A.-No. On the contrary he con
tinued to give the people to under
| stand that his views were exactly
the same as when he fought for The
duty.