The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-11-30
RANDOM POLITICAL NOTES,

10 come south" for candidate for
vice president, II must IND him In Ken
lucky In the form OF GOvernUr-elect
Bradley. West Virginia claims prior
title to the honor. In fact, she filed Il
caveat something like year ago, when
she led I'm the movement which broke
the solid south, and became the first of
the so-CallCd southern states TO shake
on the shacklcs OF sectional prejudice
which had held her and sister states In
the Democratic column. She does not,
therefore, have notion OF surrender
Ing the prestige she won in the cleo
lions OF 1894, II will be recalled that
shortly after the election of that year
Senator Elkins, In several newspaper
interviews, declared that the action OF
West Virginia In breaking the solid
south was but the fore-runner of better
things to come; that the Republican
party might look In the future for FUR
thCr recruits from among the states
that for so many years had been count
ed on In advance as 30 many dead
sure" votes for the Democracy. West
Virginia had bla2el the way; others
would follow. lie also gave II Gs his
conviction that It would In view of
this fact, be the part OF political Wis
dom for the national Republican party
to recognize the progressive Republic
canlsm Of this section by giving Il rep
resentatlon on the national ticket In
1895. Naturally. II this iden Impressed
itself on the minds OF the nutIOnal lead
ers, their eyes We're cast toward this
state, for what other state had IN to
that time given ouch convincing dem
Onstratlun that the solid south was
actually a thing of the PAST?
Not only had West Virginia led In the
movement, but she had twice demon-
strated that on national Issues she was
Republican state. and was ready to
cast her lot permanently with the party
OF protection. The frgt tlmo was In
1858. when she elected Republican
governor, who was deprived, however,
OF his seat solely because Democratic
majority OF one In the Legislature ruled
that the defeated candidate should be
seated, The theft was almost precise
IS similar In It's circumstances TO that
in Tennessee last year But In 1894
West VirEinIa emphasized her dCtcrml-
nation To get out OF the Democratic
party for good by rolling up a Rcpub-
iican plurality OF nearly 1900, elect
Ing solid Republican delegation TO
Congress, an overwhelmingly Rcpubll-
can Legislature. which sent a Republic
can United States senator 10 wash
ington, and gave many old tlme Demo-
cratic counties into Republican con-
troll. In 1899, the year of the Demo-
cratic tidal wave, when maIOritles were
wiped out In Republican states, West
Virginia did. relatively, better than
Ohio did, and the Democrats had bad
scare.
In all these elections national Issues
were supreme. there being no local
questions Of Importance pushed to the
front. Conditions In West Virginia
have been and are very different from
those prevailing IN Kentucky and
Maryland. Here the political rcvolu-
ton, II such II may be called, has not
been due to Democratic revolt
against bossism, or to local dlsanec-
lions, but has been the result or n
gradual change Of political sentiment
which has been going on for ycars-a
steady and natural Increase In the Re-
publican vote for which the Industrial
development Ut the state las bern
mainly responsible. with this dovel-
opmcnt have come new people, while
among old citizens there has been the
realization that TO the protective policy
Of the Republican party the state mum
look for the fostering Of her Industries
Look about you, II you please, and note
the numbers OF men In your own com
munlty who were formally Identified
with the Democratic party, but who are
to-day active members OF the party OF
protection, solely bGCnuge II IL the pro.
tcCtiyc party, mud beCnunc the organi-
zntinn 10 which they once gave their
allegiance has surrendered body and
sonl 10 free trndClsln. 1t II unnccc+.
snry to no Into an analysis Of all the
causes NJ the revolution. II rs plain 20
everybody that It has occurred, ana
that II was not due to local lsaucB, but
wholly to the growth OF Republican
sentiment Uhc Republican vote, n you
prefer on the one great question which
has divided the two lending parties ut
late years. In Maryland and Kentucky
the situation Us somewhat different.
While there IN reason Ia believe TINT
both states viii 20 Republican ncNt
yrnr neither has yet demonstrated
TINT II lF thoroughly Republican on
.purcly national questions In View Ot
those facts II does not need any nrru-
mcnt to convince fair minded mrn TINT
II the southern Republicans nrc tn he
"conchad" IN the manner suggested,
West Virginia II entitled ia furnish the
mutcrlnl,
And West virginia has the material.
A year ago when the press Of the coun.
try took kindly to Mr. Ell,Ins' augFo9.
ton that this state had IN available
man whom h. named, there was an en-
thuanstlr endorsement nll ulDnG the
line, Judge Con, who waa with one
accord thus put forward pH The popular
choice for the vice presidency, w the
event N tho ndoptlon NJ tie policy VI
giving the south snOh ruCOgnltl0h rXs
pressed himself privately np not being
dralfOua NJ rc.ontoring politics. but
plncr then the movement hhH taken
such hold on the minds " the lirpubll-
cans NJ this state, nnd no small NUM-
hpp uf .DpubtV iu tlhpr BtntVV that there