Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1897-03-13

!
citizens of my native State, and to be
elected by majority considerably in
excess Of that given to the chief
magistrate Of the nation, who is also
Of my own political faith and whose
name was on the same ticket with my
own. are compliments and honors
which any one should most fully APP
preciate. / am profoundly grateful
to my fellow-citizens for the high
honors they have so cheerfully and
willingly conferred upon me. Born
and reared upon the sacred soil OF
your State. my interests are yours
and your wishes are mine. My
utmost endeavors, / promise you,
shall be exerted to administer our
laws carefully, thoughtfully, fairly,
impartially. / am a Republican, and
everybody in West Virginia knows
it, but as your Governor, your chief
executive officer, shall be absolute
ly impartial in the enforcement of the
law.
In the distribution of patronage
shall serve my party first, but in the
execution of the trusts placed in my
keeping by the people OF my State
shall know no party, class, race or
creed. My intention, therefore, is to
be fair and just and impartial in the
execution of the laws of the pros
porous Commonwealth of West Vir-
gtnia. In all public business trans
actions a Democrat will be as welcome
at the State House as a Republican,
! and desire here and now to assure
my friends Of all political parties that
it shall be my aim and purpose to
require an honest and economical
administration of all of our public in
stitutions. ! have selected for di
rectors and regents of these various
institutions the very best men within
the limits of our Commonwealth.
mo board appointed by me shall
be without minority representation,
whether the law requires it or not.
With humiliation have seen more
than one Of our great State institu-
tons crippled and handicapped by
partisan manipulations. ] have seen
our university, which ought to be
greater than it is, wholly under the
control of one political party for
almost generation. 1t panied me
as citizen to see it many times
grossly mismanaged and cramped-
hampered in the great work it was
designed by the law, that it should
do for our people. For a score or
more OF years not a representative OF
the minority party was allowed upon
its board of regents. This was wrong,
grossly wrong. That condition will
never occunagain. If the law did not
require it, would give the minority
party fair representation on the
board of management of its affairs.
"Above all other things politics
should not be allowed to enter into
our educational institutions. Under
my administration there will be no
politics in our schools, from the in
! FAINT department to the university,
if my wishes are consulted. The
people may depend on that. If can
prevent it no teacher will be dis
missed if he is competent because
| he is a Democrat, nor will one be EN-
ployed simply because he is Re
publican. The age in which we live
is too enlightened to allow anything
like that to be done. Because our
educational work has been prostitut-
ted to political purposes in the past
is no reason why it should be done in
the future. 1t will not be done if il
is in my power to prevent it, and l dc
not arrogate too much to myself to
say that 1 believe it is in my power
to stop it should it ever be attempted.
Since the State University was placed
under non-parsisan control, two years
ago, it has almost doubled in it's at
tendance and in its usefulness in
educational work. Its curriculum is
equal to any like school in the West
or South. 1t shall be my purpose
to do everything in my power tc
double its growth and usefulness dur.
ing my administration. 1t is not
claiming too much to say that this
can be done Competency and eff.
fciency will be the only requirements
for its faculty. The question will not
be asked as was the custom in a large