Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-04-01
THE FAIR CANDIDATE.



/ parties of Butte county was at work.
The wheel horses of the organization
were in executive session, and the man
ufaCtuTe of a slate for the ratification
of the county convention was in prog
. reSs. Everything had been settled
without friction up to a certain point.
but here the making of the candidates
came to a full stop. Some one must
be selected TO run for superintendent OF
. schools, and some one else must be
( found who was disinteTested enough to
stand for the place Of county surveyor,
with the nominal emoluments pertain
ing thereto. This latter problem was
settled. after a brief discussion, by the
powers insisting that Al Wood, the IN
Cumbent, who was present, must Stahu
for reelection. whether he liked II or
not. but a duly qualified candidate for
superintendent OF schools was not so
easily found. The man who herd that
position for two years past had the bad
taste TO give up his Office and the grasp
on life al the same time, only two weeks
before. thus leaving his party in guam
diary Tor q candidate to succeed him. VI
course there were plenty of aspirants
for the nomination, but most OF them
were unavailable for reasons political,
and the candidate must be a person who
was popular with the voters Of the coun-
try
Jimmie" Van Vert, the handsome
Young assayer of the Spread Eagle mill,
had been sitting in dark corner OF the
office i'm which the conference was being
held. smoking quietly and saying very
until now. but he finally put in his
oar long enough TO suggest that Pro
fessor" Striker, the young principal OF
the local school would make good
man for the office.
'Ya-as." assented Judge Bullock, the
venerable justice of the peace but they
don't know him out in the kentry, an
we got L have some teller th't en- ketch
th' aOutside vote. Now Jimmie, look
we're. What's tn matter with you run
min Tr super ntend'nt y'rself?'
Don't set me mixed in on a deal like
that, calculated Van Vert, fervently.
Il don't want any old Office. I've got
troubles enough now.
But Judge BullOck's suggestion met
with unanimous approval on the part
OF all the others present, and, very much
against his will. Mr. Van Vert was sla-
ted for the nomination, and duly
placed ia nomination by the convention
a few days later. IL was two weeks be-
fore he found out what sort Of an OPP
ponent he was 10 have, and then, much
20 his disgust. he learned that the other
party had nominated a girl
This was almost enough to make him
throw up the canvass. The idea of the
other fellows thinking that he could be
beaten by a woman Then ne cOnsoled
himself with the reflection that per-
haps they knew they couldn't beat him,
and had merely put up this Miss Smith
to- act rs a fOrlOrn hope. Thenceforth
he did not put much activity into his
canvass. but attended to business pretty
much as usual, serene in the belief that
che voters OF Butte county were not yet
arrived at the stage of progression
when they would permit a woman 10
hold Office. And all this time, be it
known. this heretofore and unknown
mysterious Miss Smith was becoming
known 90 the voters of the county, and.
what was more. she was winning a good
deal of support from sources upon %hicp
Van Vert confidently counted
To lacked only about ten days of cleo
tion day when Van Vert, viii a sudden
shOOfN,, zee 20 his senses. y wo or three
thin occurred to Getract from his
nVcrc1----4oce. Among these was the
avowal on the part of several personal
friends of their intention 10 support
Miss smith. giving as their reasons that
she had q good record as an educator
and was without doubt we'll qualified
for the office: that she wanted the office
and was making a fight for It, and that
Van Vert didn't want it and didn t
need IT, On top of this he was informed
that his opponent had been in the Cow
districts and had the cowboy vote
pretty well "cinched. This cheering
announcement came from two or three
of the "bOsSes' who called on him to
see if he didn't think il worth while
to get out and save his political scalp
bv "rustliug" like the rest of the candi-
dates. Wen have the committee fix
some dates for you TO speak, and you've
got TO I'm EN-, Jimmie; if you don't,
you're gone goose.
So. with the inward fear that he might,
after au De defeated, Van Vert began in
earnest the effort 20 save himself. lie did
no, care for ,he office, but he dreaded de-
feat az the hands of q woman being ona
OF ,le kind of men who do not believe the
eu.ier sex has any business i'm politics.
Hs pictured Miss Smith as bis saun;.
rcd haired. self-assertive person. with large
rel hands and snappy way of speaking
and was quite surprised TO learn that she
Was really a very ladylike young woman,
thinning the beam at about 10 pounds.
Ir lacked but four days of election, and
the various candidates were putting in
every hour possible in making speeches
and SEEING their constituents and other
u.orie. Van Vert had put iu some very
telling work i'm several places where il
would do the most good. but i'm two or
three precincts it was found that strong
s.atim,n. I'm favor of his opponent had
developed. and must Doe overcome by some
means If nc hoped 90 win. Unfortunately,
ha was worried. and his actions showed il;
ou. 0.e or two occasions while speaking
ho had giv,n way 10 puerile bursts Of
temper that 10y no means enhanced his
chance for success. Some Of The older
heads had warned him that by making
surriug remarks about his opponent he
would only hurt himself, to which he re-
spouded 10y the chudll5e query: well. if
n woman doesn't want TO get herself talked
about she'd b5tter keep out of politics
This he practically repeated 10 a mixed
crowd at Cooover's school house. i'm one
OF The strong Cow districts" on Friday
rtsht before election. adding: 81 cannot
b.ri.va that parents interested i'm the fu-
turs welfare OF their children are willing
TO- ntrus, their early training to the hands
and the methods OF one who so far forgets