Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-11-01

He BID CAUSED ~ tho Fairnont
appointment.
Tow Mr.. A. 4. Hoffner Got the
the Worst of It, and How Dayton
Blames it on Elkins. and Elkins
on Dayton.

Fairmont, w. Va, October 31.-The
Fairmont postiffice contest was de-
cided last week, but we are promised
Developments in the future which Will
make it very uncomfortable for both
Senator Elkins and Congressman Day
ton. The defeated labor candidate,
Lloyd Heffner, leaves tomorrow,
for Baltimore, where he Will
attend the meeting of the Joint
Protective Board of the Brotherhood OF
Firemen of the B. & o. railroad system,
and the treatment of their endorse
ments by Elkins and Dayton Will
probably be discussed
Some of the members of that organl-
cation have stated their views to the
Register, and one or two OF them
openly attack the Senator and Con-
gresham. The petition signed by
forty Flemings, they claim, should
have less influence than petitions sign
ed by 800 laborers.
Heffner was great friend of all the
laborers around the town and was en-
dorsed by all their organizations ana
even by the miners at various mines.
He was backed by the brotherhood or
Locomotive F'iremen of the whole b.
& o. system and was acknowledged by
even the other aspirants to be the peo-
ple's candidate. Heffner contends that
these petitions were never read; that
thew were too soiled by the dust OF
honest toll to be touched by the dainty
fingers of either Elkins or Dayton.
Heffner announced himself as. can
didate for the position early last De-
cember. Both Elkins and Dayton were
seen and stated that no promise IN
regard to the place had been made. He
then went to work with vim and Sc
cured the endorsements given above.
IJp to the last no word was given him
that these endorsements were to be
disregarded, and he, nor none Of the
candidates, except Col. Fleming, were
called in to the conference at Elklns
last Wednesday week. Again, He'll
ner circulated petition for an cleo
ton by the patrons of the office. One
hundred and eighty of the best citl-
Zens of the town signed this, but 40
Flemings balanced them. Had
DAYTON allowed this election there is
little doubt that Heffner would have
been selected, as Editor Powell, OF the
West Virginian, would have been the
only candidate besides him that would
have figured in the race.
Early in the summer Senator Elklns
wrote Heffner that the appointment
would be left solely in the hands of
DAYTON. Last Saturday Dayton wrote
Heffner as follows:
PHILIPPI, w. Va, Oct %.
Mr.. A. L. Heffner, Fairmont, w. Va:
My Dear Heffner:-I took all the
papers in the Fairmont postoffice up to
Elkins by arrangements made with the
Senator on Wednesday last, and we
then determined on the presidential
offices in this district that had not yet
been determined upon. Fairmont
caused more trouble than all the others
put together, and we had a long dis
cission over it, and at one time it
seemed as if we must come to a dead
lock on its account. The proposition
submitting the matter to an election
was not satisfactory to Senator Elkins.
He had heretofore favored Powell, but
when he came to the letter of Gov.
Pierpont and the petition of Fleming's
signed by 40 voters of that district
bearing that name, he insisted on
Fleming's election. A. G. DAYTON.
This letter must have been written
without consulting Elkins in regard to
what to say, for his letter to Powell
does not agree with it. Both of these
letters are quoted from hearing them
read, but we are sure they are sub
stantially what was written.
Heffner, after reading the letter to
Powell quotes it from memory as fol-
lows:
ELKINS, w. Va, Oct %.
Dear Powell Yours of the Goth at
hand. Dayton spent last night here.
Most of the time was given to the
Fairmcnt postoffice contest. To be
frank and confidential, he felt inclined
to appoint Arnett 1 favored your ap-
pointment, although you know the
matter was not in my hands. AS q
compromise we took Howard Fleming.
I told him before we went into the
can .a:epce that ] would sustain him in
VIA. ayer Dc did because the matter
was n his hands and l felt that
snoIid stand by our Congressman.
This IS the best I could do. An early
settlement of the case was desirable
for many reasaas. You know you
urged this, and you know how I felt
towards you from the beginning. There
are some other features in this case
would like to talk with you about when
we Eeet.
Very truly yours,
S. B. ELKINS.
~ B. You know the matter was in
:,a.ton's hands from the beginning,
AID l had to sustain him in his de-
c;sion.
There are still more letters which
would be equally amusing to
the general public. Elkins claimed
all through the fight that
Dayton would name the man.
~ the same time Dayton con-
suited him before shaking the hand CO
one Of the candidates. Clear through it
was q game which several prominent
Republicans have taken upon them
selves to make plain to the general
THE CURSE
nf rrapIr;pd-cop+oc ;oua b1ood