Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-04-28

The general opinion is that Satur-
days primary election showed that the
detection from the Democracy in the
fall of "a is staying in its more con-
genial Republican observation-disclosures.
The general opinion" isn't anything
Of the sort, and nobody knows it better
than the Intelligencer.
In the contrary, the general opin-
ion among Republicans and Demo-
Gratis alike is that Saturdays primary
election was a most disgraceful piece
of unblushing political rascality, en-
gineered and carried out by people
high in the councils of the Republican
party in Ohio county. Between seven
hundred and one thousand fraudulent
and Illegal votes were polled, a few in
the country, but the great majority in
the city precincts. Almost every one
knows of some of these fraudulent
votes, ard stories of how they were
rushed into the ballot boxes were cur
rent all over town Sunday and yester-
day, yet the Inteligencer, in connection
with its talk about harmony and a
placid acceptance OF the situation by
the defeated candidates, talks seriously
ard editorially about the immense to-
tai as indicating a healthy growth of
Republican sentiment in Ohio county.
/ In marked contrast with the Inteli-
| gencer'S tone is the bitterness of some
OF the defeated candidates, who openly
charged yesterday, after a careful in
spectiou of the figures and consultation
with their friends, that they had been
RELOCATED to the political scrap-pile
through the medium Of hundreds Of DO
gus votes. One Of the prominent can
/ didates for the most prominent office,
said to a Register reporter yesterday:
From twelve 10 fifteen hundred ule-
! gal votes were cast, for | am confident
that five hundred honest Republican
voters remained away from the polls
in the county. They polled nOn-resi-
dents, minors, Democrats, and even
guests from the hotels, and in addition
| they had repeaters working from one
polling place to another. Had the cleo
ton been closed as the great majority
OF the candidates wanted it to be, this
would not have happened, and the hon
est and legal voters CT the county would
have made the result very different
from what it was. The duplicity and
unfairness of the Executive Committee
is responsible for much of the trouble,
ard | want to say right here that the
Register was right about the action OF
the Committee, when it says that it was
decided lOrg before the meeting at
which the formal vote was taken, what
sort of primaries should be held. There
was a plot laid down early, and it was
carried out without regard to anything
but success for certain candidates.
Members of the Committee not only
acted unfairly, but they lied to me be-
sides. and yet | am to smile and look
pleasant. and accept the result, While
the Intelligencer conSratulates the
party upon the big total.
This is about the way hundreds of
Republicans look at the matter. An
inspection of the poll books would de-
velop some very interesting facts, but it
is safe to say that no such inspection
will ever be made.
A we'll known citizen patronized
little colored boot-black, yesterday, and
this conversation resulted:
Citizen-Did you vote Saturday?
Boots-Oh. dunno.
Citizen-But | want to know; I'm a
Richards man.
Boots-Yes, sab, | did vote.
Citizen-Where?
BoOts-At the City Hall.
Citizen-How old are you?
-Eighteen-but nobody asked
me about that.
This shows healthy growth of the
s. o. p.
At another poll young man handed
in a ballot, and was asked: Are you
a voter" mo. but | will b." His
ballot was taken.
One Aetnaville man Dragged, Sunday.
abcu; having voted in the First ward
and in the Eighth. when he was not
even a resident Of the State.
It is opsnly charged by Republicans
that cOlorsd men repeated in the Sec
Dad. Third and Fourth wards. and that
others voted who were not citizens.
Protests were of no avail. A worker al
enc poll demonstrated against the ac-
ceptance Of such vote. when one of
the election officers, openly accused of
being with the ring. Drofanely threat
ened to come out and whip the man
who made the challenge. The vote
went in.
A lifelong Republican said yester-
day: The primary was the greatest
piece of fraud ever perpstrated in this
county. 1t is humiliating to think that
there is no remedy adequate to the
facts"
Another Republican said: "The plot
was laid long ago, the plans were all
arranged away in advance, and the idea
was to poll so many votes known to be
right that the honest sentiment of the
Republicans of the county would be re-
versed. They made estimates, allowed
a margin for errors, and then voted
enough people TO meet every contin-
gency."
A defeated candidate said yesterday.
What | wonder at most is where the
money came from. There was money
TO burn, and it was used without stint. $
A successful candidate said: my
share of the primary cost me seventeen
hundred dollars" He got off cheap be-