Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-07-09
YERY SENSIBLE.

of Martinsburg, judging from the whis-
| ky and beer they consumed for their
loyalty in the mayoralty election
The Republican remarks:
j. II. Clifford, editor of the above pa
per, should try to teach his race to be
above selling their votes, If he expects
| the Republican party to recognize them
| in the distribution of offices. So long
as their votes can be purchased for con-
sideration, just so long will the Negro
! remain an uncertain quantity in politics,
and in proportion to their willingness
to sell their votes will their influence be
| lowered.
1t is true The man who buys or
offers to buy a vote is an abominable
scoundrel. But he is a good deal
more of man than the man who will
sell bis vote for any consideration.
We ought to have law, and it ought
to be rigidly enforced, providing that
the man who buys or sells, or offers
to buy or sell vote, should be for
ever disqualified from holding office
or voting, and we ought to have a
public sentiment that would make
the buying or selling of vote so dis
graceful that the man proved to be
guilty of it should never be able again
to hold up his head among honest
men.
The other editorial in the Republi-
can to which we referred very proper
ly condemns the rather rank demurrer
alton of candidates in which some
Republican papers are indulging even
so long before the convention. We
have referred to it heretofore. 1t can
only tend to factionism ind The party,
and faction and dissension in the
presence OF the enemy always invite
and precipitate defeat. OF course,
every one has right to choose his
candidate. but the welfare of the par
ty and of the country ought to be of
more value to any and all than the
qualification of personal ambitions or
personal antagonisms. -Keyser Echo.
AS to the first proposition our
friends are both right and wrong. On
the occasion referred to, there was
very little selling of votes on the part
of the Negroes. There was an effort
made to disfranchise about a dozen
colored men and when the trick was
exposed there were many very angry
men both white and black. Then
not all the engines on the B. & o.
could have hauled a colored man to
vote for Democrat. They may have
been drunk from an excess of anger,
but not from drinking rum. We do
not pretend to claim that none were
drunk, but we do claim there were as
many or more drunk Democrats than
Negroes.
The second proposition is more ser
ious. Already Democrats are build
ing high hopes of carrying the Dis
trict because of the ill-feeling that
certain indiscreet Republicans and
Republican newspapers are engender-
ing A Democratic editor remarked
to us Monday that-"What we will
do to Mr.. Dayton this year will be
a-plenty." Asked upon what he
based his prediction, he said Mr.. Day
ton would surely be nominated and
that he would be slaughtered by dis
gruntled Republicans. If this editor
is correct in his estim ate of the Re-
publicanism of the opponents of Mr..
Dayton, they are very good men to
be without post ions.
We wish to state, however, that
such is not our estimate of the men
who are opposing Mr.. Dayton. They
have grievance and it is a pleasure
to them to air it; but they must know
that this is a very bad time to kick
out of the traces, While some may
feel sore toward Mr.. Dayton they are
shrewd enough to know that the cleo
ton OF a Democrat kills all chance of
securing a position and as nine out of
every ten are Office seekers they are not
going to thus jeopardize their chances.
They we'll know that were it possible
Mr.. Dayton would find place for ev-
cry one of them and as hope eternal
springs, they are not going over to
the enemy. They may now be of the
opinion that a new man will do more
for them, but after the convention is
held they will iall into line and do
their whole duty. That is our cpin-
ion. 1t is also our opinion that the
course some are pursuing is decid-
eddy against themselves. They
are cutting a club for some tried and
true man who may best them in the
next contest for place, and then they
will have another grievance. Like
the young bears, they seek troubles
and are certain to find them in album