Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-10-30

The Wheeling knights of Pythias ar
rived home from Charleston a short time
before noon yesterday, and it was then
disclosed that the friends of Major James
T. MCGEE were very warm over the re-
cult of the alleged election of Colonel
for the First Regiment. number OF
them were seen, and they were unanl-
nous, so far as they were adherents Of
the cause of Major MCGEE, in declaring
that there was at present no Colonel of
the regiment and could be none until the
protest, which they had taken and which
will be lodged with Major-General Carna-
han. had been decided.
Captain Weisgerber was one of those
seen for Major McGee's version of the
controversy, and he said:
.''Before we went to Charleston Com
panies Nos q and %, of this city, held
their meetings At both motions were
made and carried to send the line officers
to Charleston to use all honorable means
to secure the election of Major James
MCGEE as Colonel of the First Regiment.
When Company No l was called to take
the same action, there was no quorum,
and no action was taken. Major MCGEE
is the man the Knights of Pythias of
Wheeling want for COlonel-nine out of
every ten favored his candidacy, and we
never knew Captain Geiger was a candi-
date until we got to Charleston. When
we got there, we found that the Captain
and his friends We're electioneering, had
written letters, etc, although Company
No. had taken no action. We interview
ed Colonel S. NJ. Poster, and he said he
was not candidate for reelection, and
would not have the Office again. We told
him that if he was a candidate we would
withdraw Major MCGEE and re-elect the
Colonel. He repeated that he was not a
candidate. We then asked him to support
Major MCGEE, but we got no satisfaction
although we told him it was his duty to
support the Major, who had organized a
new lodge of one hundred and eighty
members and organized Companies Nos
81 and %. In the actual words used, we
said The oats ought to be given to the
horse that does the work. When the
test came, the Colonel held that Ma ior
MCGEE was not entitled TO a vote, and
made the same ruling as to the two Lieu
tenants of Company No. 90 claiming that
they had not been legally elected. He was
asked to state his grounds, when he said
the vacancies should have been reported
to the brigade commander, who would
have ordered an election for company line
officers. We then went to the Brigade
commander and he said the election had
been reported to him, and that he had
the commissions ready to issue, which
showed the officers had been legally elect
ed We had majority but with the Ma
jor and two Lieutenants ruled out the
other side had the majority, and we had
no show. We stated the facts to Captain
Baker of the Parkersburg Company, the
best drilled company in the United States.
and he said if he had known the facts
his men would have remained away
Companies Nos. g. q and 90 then with
drew from the contest and Captain Gel
ger was declared elected. We then pro-
tested the election, and will carry it up"
Major MCGEE was seen and said:
THE article published this morning that
the protest had been withdrawn, is untrue.
The protest has been entered and it will
be taken to Major General Carnahan. and
will be pushed to a finish.
The controversy has stirred up a good
deal of feeling among the local knights.
as may be well imagined.