Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-12-13
10 GATHER AT CHARLESTON.
A Suggestion to Democrats to Be on Hand
When the Legislature Meets.

"A SuSSesCI0h 70 OemucfoAn - % On 0uusA
When the Legislature Meets.
To the Editor OF the Register.
Middlebourne, w. Va, December IL.
~ read with disgust and bitter feeling
an account of the acts and doings OF
the Republican officials of our State
at Charleston in their vain and in
famous efforts to steal the West Vir-
ginia Legislature elected by the sov-
ereign voters of our Little Mountain
State on November last, and to you
and your gallant paper let it be said
the vile conspiracy Matched by Yves
Atkinson {: nd his cohorts will come to
naught, when the whole people OF the
State learn the true state OF a1alrS,
and these worthless will have to call
halt and Dawson & Co can hide them
selves under the wrath of an outraged
Commonwealth; for if there ever was
an outrage attempted to be perpe-
trated upon the people this is one. IN
the first place, it cannot be done II the
men elected to the Legislature do their
duty. Let the members exercise their
constitutional rights and be on hand
on the day the session opens, and II
the Secretary of State does not da his
are not on his list, let each man VINO
the Secretary of State does not DO MS
seat end vote and stand his ground anu
upon the Constitution and l am sure
III the men in Charleston will not dare
to modest or attempt to disturb him IN
his rights.
AS all should know, there are three
departments of government in this
country, the executive, judicial and leg
islative, and each is separate and apart
from the other and possesses certain
rights that cannot be trenched upon or
infringed by the other. The members
of the Legislature are chosen by the
people direct, and when elected have
certain powers and duties that no man
mot even the Governor-dare abrldge
or modest. The members elected, those
having a majority of the votes ana
declared so by the county courts, are
entitled to organize the House, and II
any man wants to contest let him do so,
but no man, not even the exalted Sec
rotary of State, can by any device de-
priye him of his seat by Omlttlng MS
name from the rolls of members.
This is the plain duty of the men,
bers elected, and if they do it all Will
be we'll, but woe be unto the man or
set Of men who attempt to thwart the
will of the people; the people have
spoken. and if the men who the Re-
publican leaders say have no right to
their seats and are trying to have the
defeated members contest, let them put
the blame upon the Republican courts
of the counties of Taylor, Cabell and
T fo how tho who have
done their duty as sworn officers the
law, and decided that the Democratic
members in those counties were elected
instead of the Republicans. And be it
said to the men composing the courts
of those counties that they will be re-
membered as honest men when such
men as Gov Atkinson will be buried
in oblivion and upon whose name the
stigma of usurper of mems rights will
rest to his everlasting shame. He has
done things in this campaign which, II
true, as published in Republican
papers, he should resign his Office. 1t
was published in the Sistersville Ga
zette before the late election that he
and others of the Republican party
went to Sistersville and promised the
saloon keepers of that town if they
would vote for the Republican candi-
date he would see that the town got
its CHARTER, and made other promises
of like nature. We will wait and see
IL the Governor makes good his word,
If he did do so, and as yet he has
never denied it.
We could go and enumerate his acts
and doings, but sufficient. He has
done enough. But not content, he is
now scheming to deprive the people
CT this State of what they declare by
their ballots was their verdict. Let no
man stand in the way of an outraged
people; let our men be called together;
let the Democratic committee call a
meeting of our party leaders, and let
one thousand true and brave Democrats
assemble at Charleston when the Leg
islature mee,S, and by their voice and
influence show to these cOnSpiratOrS
that the spirit of liberty still lives in
the breasts and hearts of the people,
and by their presence there teach the
proud tyrant who sits in the Governor S
chair that he has been weighed in
the balance, too, and found wanting"
Let him know that among 1.-The peas
antry of the West" the love Of our
homes and fresides are still dear to
the hearts of the West Virginians, and
that we will, if necessary, teach our
Governor a lesson the barons of Old
England taught King John when they
assembled on the river Thames, June,
1915, and wrung from him the Magma
Charta." Therefore. let the serried
hosts of Democracy gather at the State
Capital on the second Wednesday of
January next, and by our aid and
voice stand by our representatives and
see that they get their rights. This
right we have to assemble, and let us
do so, for it is no time now to stand
idle and not do our duty. Therefore,
let all true Democrats stand by our
men and see that they do their duty,
and so doing we will have done ours.
G. d. SMITH.
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