The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-08-07
GuBERNAToRIAL FIGURES


or tho lnteiligSncsr Challenged by MI
Onto Coanty Democrat Says Watts,
streng,, Is Not what 1. Ciaim.d For
Him.
The last week OF tho campaign pre-.
llmInRry 10 the state convention OF tho
West Virginia Democracy in Wheeling
Is becoming very exciting, and the en-
crgies OF the opposition TO Watts seems
to be conferred on anything TO defeat
the knnRwhn county man. II sccms TO
be an effort to prevent Watts from en-
tcring the convention with a majority
over tn other candidates. a we'll
known Ohio county Democrat who Is
against Watts, as will be seen from
his remarks, sends the following to the
lntclllgcncer:
III have read with much interest, the
thbles which have appeared In the
columns Of your paper from time To
time, giving the strength OF the several
Democratic candidates for the Office OF
governor and I have noticed them and
the more ] have studied tho situation,
the more | have been satisfied that
your paper has been %mIsInformcd In
ON particulars. This IL especially
true OF the number OF votes accrcd-
tied TO General Watts. Take the vote
OF Harrison county. for instance. Nr-
cordlng 10 your latest table. he h given
Eeren out OF the twenty-five votes OF
that county. Knowing what ! do OF
the situation. | am prepared to say
that Harrison county IL for Judge Ben.
nett and viii vote for him in convention
In spite OF the bosses. Take Ohio Coun-
" us another instance. Watts Is credit
ed with thirty.tive out OF her nfty-
three votes, when the truth Is that he
Will get much less than half OF that
number. Similar errors have been COM
mittcd In number Of other counties,
such. for Instance, as BraXt0n, Brooke,
Gllmer. Greenbrlcr, Marshall, Mercer.
poclhontas. Richie and others. II the
Watts people are Us much mistaken
about their votes In other counties as
they are In those above enumerated.
they will simply be slaughtered In the
Wheeling convention OF the first bal
lot.
Watts Is the candidate OF the Kama
wha crowd OF political sp0ilsmcn and
tree-booters, nided By the railroad and
other corporate interests OF the state.
n represents everything that Is OBJ
~jectlonnble, and their great anxiety 90
Ait AbhAiAilAtANl 10 .lCANlIlA lntIIlt
after the mannc Of the late lamented
John G. Thompson. 10 Claim every
thing with confidence" with but little
or no regard to the real truth OF the
situation. They are having their In
ninHs now. but when the delegates
meet and the votes are counted, Il will
be found that 1t takes more thar ant
and bOmbast to either nominate or elect
n governor OF his state, and that there
fore, Watts caiinot be nominated"
There appears TO be an idea hat the
figures presented In the lntellIgencer
are given from the Watts point OF
View. Such an idea cannot be more
erroneous. The figures ure received
from well informed persons IN each
OF the counties. In most cases being
from editors OF Democratic newspa.
pers. OF course. q forecast OF the work
OF the convention cannot be given with
entire accuracy. but so far us Is known,
the preference OF the various deIega-
lions are being given with favor 10 no
particular candidate. AS to tho Ohio
county figures, they were secured from
a gentleman who has canvassed the en-
tire delegation and are claimed TO be
practically correct. II is quito possible
that smith VIII get some votes, but the
estimate given the Intelligencer does
not credit him with any. II is said that
there Is considerable Bennett strength
In the delegation, but us the Judge is
4 candidate in the sense that
Messrs. Smith. Watts and R~aiphsDydcr
are candidates, 1t Is believed that he
VIII no receive as many votes as his
natural strength foots up. The figures:
H#. pnIpl,