Evening star., 1898-07-29
West Virginians Lining Up for the
November Election.
D. S. SENAfORSHIP TEE CHIEF PRIZE
The Probable Outcome in the Sev-
eraI Congressional Districts.
REP U BLICANS HOPEFUL
special Dispatch to The Evening Star.

| CHARLESTON, w. Va, July 29.-The
republicans having carried this state
| by such a handsome majority in 1896, they
are confident their victory, when President
| Mckinley was elected, will be repeated this
year.
| The question Of the successorship to Sena-
| tor Charles ]. Faulkner, whose term ex-
| pires March next, is the all-absorbing
| one. so far as politics are concerned. 1t
| goes without saying that if Judge Goff will
| accept the nomination he will be supported
| by every republican member of the legisa-
| ture. Great efforts have been made by
| friends of some of the aspirants for the
| senatorshp to get Judge Goff to make a
| formal declaration of his wishes in the mat
| ter, and if unwilling to accept, TO take
his name from the list of candidates The
distinguished West Virginian, In response
| TO inquiry. recently sent a letter to friend
| who wrote to him on the subject, inform
| ing him that he would not be a candi-
date"
| Notwithstanding this there are many
| members of TIE republican party, as well
| as a large contingent of democrats. who
| think that Judge Gofr is justly entitled to
| the senatorship if he wants it. They point
| to the fact, generally believed, that
Judge Goff was In 1888 elected governor
| of the state, but was counted out by the
| claim that he ought to be elected in spite
| of the language of the letter above referred
| to.
What Is Said of Judge GoH.
| Judge Goff is referred to as remarkably
| able and singularly unselfsh. Before he
| had reached the age of twenty years he
| was practicing 1 nthe courts of the state,
| and even at that early age was frequent
| ly pitted against some of the foremost
I e
| was for years United States district at
| torney, several times a representa-
| tive in Congress, and served as Secretary
of the Navy in President Hayes cabinet.
For thirty-fve years he has devoted him
self to the advancement of the best inter-
| ests of his state. and there are thousands
| of citizens, regardless of party affiliations,
| who feel that with Golf and Elkins in the
| Senate their state would be as well repre-
| sented as is any other state in the Union.
| There are, however many of Judge Goff's
friends who believe that when he used
| the words quoted above, that he would
| not be candidate for the vacancy which
will be caused by the retirement of Mr..
| Faulkner, he meant that he would not
| cept the office even If rendered to him af-
| ter an election, and that he prefers to con-
| tinue to serve his country in the position
| he now occupies, unless President MchiiI
| ley shall see proper, should a vacancy oc-
| cur among the judges of the Supreme Court
| of the United States, to advance him to
| the higher judicial office.
! Lively Contest in Prospect.
| With Judge Golf out of the way there
will be lively fight among the other can
| didates when the proper time arrives. At
| this time the leading aspirants are
| Mr.. n. L. Scott, commissioner of internal
revenue and Governor George w. Atkil-
| son, both of Ohio county. but the best
| posted among the leaders think that IL Go6
| finally decides to decline the honor ME-.
| Scott will be elected. Others who have
been named in this connection are Seymour
| Edwards, the present candidate of his
party in the third district for seat In the
national House of Representatives.; Joseph
H. Gaines, present United states district
attorney at Charleston; George PoTenber-
ger, a young lawyer. who lives at Point
Pleasant; A. B. White, collector of internal
revenue at Parkersburg, and Captain Mel
son E. Whitaker, who at present represents
the Wheeling district in the state senate
L is stated that the friends of Senator
Eikins who IS looking after the election
of the legislature, concede that 1t would
be good politics to elect a senator from
either the third fourth district, IN case
Gof continues his declnation the judge
being a resident of the first district.
The conservative leaders are inclined TO
defer the discussion of the senatorshlp
question until after the legislature is eject
ed as a bitter contest among the various
aspirants might lose some of the counties
to the democrats. The last legislature had
in the senate twenty-five repuhEcans ana
four democrats, and of these eleven repub-
licans hold over. The house Of delegates
has seventy-one members, the repuolcans
having a clear majority of six. Besides,
there were two Independent democrats VINO
acted with the republicans.
Solid Republican Delegation.
AS is already known, West Virginia has
a solid republican delegation in the House
of Representatives at Washington, and the
Ue aS the democrats. to
large degree, anticipate that the delegation
in the next House will consist of four re-
pubicans although it is admitted that
there is a possibility that a democrat may
be chosen IN the third or Charleston dis
trict owing to serious differences among
the republicans on local questions which
are expected to be carried into the coming
campaign.
At the election two years ago Capt. B. 3.
Dovener who represents the first or Wheel
ing district had about 600 majority, and
he will, it is believed, poll as heavy vote
in 1898 as he did in 96. At the same cleo
second district, had about 1900; Dorr, in
the third district had about 5000, and Mil
ler about 1900 in the fourth. Dovener has
been again chosen as a candidate for re-
election-his third nomination. 1t is eN-
pected Dayton will be renominated and the
friends of Dorr claim he should have been
similarly honored. As a matter Of fact.
however, those opposed to Dorr succeeded
in having him pushed aside in the conven-
ton. which gave the nomination to Mr.
Seymour Edwards The latter will be op-
posed by the democratic nominee, Judge
David E. johnson, who is alleged to be
very popular and his friends claim he will
be able to get the votes of enough disap-
pointed republicans to defeat the regular
republican nominee The nominating con-
ventfon Of the fourth district republicans
will meet at Point Pleasant August 10, at
which time it is expected Warren Miller
will be renominated. Romeo H. Freer Of
Ritchie Court House, L. T. Peck of Kenora
State Senator Hensley of Mason and G. B.
Glbbens of Wood county are spoken of as
aSpirants for the nomination OF those
named Freer seems, next to Miller, to be
| the leading candidate.
Probably Democratic Choice.
The democrats do not intend, however, to
| let the senatorship go by default, and,
should they control the legislature, will 1t
| is believed, choose Col. John T. McGraw,
the democratic national committeeman for
West Virginia, to succeed Senator Faulk-
ner. Col McGraw is owner of the Charles
ton Daily Gazette, the organ Of the demo-
cratic party In the southern portion of the
state. Col. McGraw claims the distinction
n uf hi lima p