Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-02-23
WON'T Do

WON'T DO.
Now that the legislative ball is over,
the Republican brethren stand agbast
at the record they have made i'm one
short session of a month and @ half
which has been chiefly devoted to a
vretched scramble for the 1eshpOts Of
the school-book lobbyists. They hate
above all to have that scandal referred
to- by Democratic journals, and when
ever such reference is made they howl
and rage and shake their fists AT a
furious rate. but can offer neither de-
NAL nor excuse. They can only grow
red and angry and shrek You're an
otherr For example, the Inteliigen-
GER quotes the Charleston Mail as fol-
lows:
Had the Wheeling Register devoted
some OF it's criticisms to the conduct oil
the legislature four years ago an Its
DEALINGS on the school book question,
the probabilities are that The people OF
the State would be prepared to pay
some attention TO what IL now SAYS ID
It's criticisms of the present legista-
tue. AS it is The people Will not need
anything the Register says.
The esteemed, but rather confused,
Mail man makes it convenient to for
get that none Of the myriad charges
and accusations in this scandalous at
fair originated with the Register,
which has uttered no accusation that
was not first made. repeated and re
terated by Republicans, who were on
the inside and supposed TO know
whereof they spoke. The Mail and all
the Republican organs in the State
cannot twist this thing into matter
of partisan charges on the part Of the
REGISTER. We feel for the embarrassed
ORGANS. but we must say their defense
won't do. IL won't hold water, and
is i'm fact. absurd. The Register has
made no charges Of corruption during
am the disgraceful and scandalous pro-
eeedings i'm connection with the school
book muss that We're not made in
stronger terms by the chief Republic
can organ of the State from its side of
the scramble. or by prominent Repub-
Iican members Of the Legislature on
the other side. If our memory serves
us right. the Mail. itself which now
would like to have the scandal forgot
ten. did. in the heat of the fracas, say
mkind things about a whole lot of Re
publicans. Surely, when Republican
organs i'm good standing and of the
FIRST magnitude i'm the Republican
armament and the Republican Speaker
of the Republican House and promi-
ueut members and Republican leaders
such as Mr.. Norris and others, when
such excellent Republican authorities
as these. we say, ring the changes on
urcompromisiug accusations of whole
sale corruption, outrage, scandal and
deliberate fraud in connection with the
school-book matter, surely a Demo
cratic newspaper. sitting away over On
the m0urners' bench with the small
minority. may offer q few brief re-
marks on the topic Of the day and in
line with the general run of comment
without being jumped upon in this ter
rife fashion and accused Of being re-
spousible for the whole thing.
AS for the You're another" defense
adopted by the worried organs, con-
sisuug Of the counter charge that the
Democratic Legislature four years ago
was Just as bad, or worse, it would be
even If the assumption on
which it is based were true, which it is
not -Four years are not long for the
memory. and, though the school-boOk
lobby has always been active at every
session Of the Legislature. We fail to
recall anything at any time during the
s. ssion four years ago approaching the
scandal that has attended the school
book febt at the session just closed Of
This. the first Republican Legislature
i'm West Virginia i'm a quarter of CEN
tuy nor can our Republican cOntem-
poraries bring q particle Of proof to
Justify their reckless assertion. The
You're another" defense is worthless
at best bat i'm this Instance it is base
less as wen, and very piuful
THEV KILLED TREIE hoes