Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-10-29
THE DESPERATE EFFORTS


Special to the Register.
ST. MARYS, w. Va, October 81
The Republican leaders of Pleasants
county are worried, and they have good
reason to be worried. Last winter they
looked the field over, made a hasty
count of noses, and IN their juDilation
they fell over another in their at
tempts to get on the slate For
they thought they saw a sure majority
ana a big one. LOO, coming their way,
The pleasant exercise OF counting ma
jorities kept them in a good humor un-
til midsummer, when they made the
alarming discovery that the county
should ne considered doubtful That
fact smashed the slate" into smither-
Gems, and it was only with great diff
Guilty that even n part OF it got upon
the ticket-Mr. Murphy, who had been
ro~reordained for the House of Dele
gates. Since the county convention il
mas been rapidly dawning upon the
minds OF the leaders that even the term
doubtful" is a misnomer, and that to
save the member OF the House the
other gentlemen on the ticket must be
sacrificed. How the thing is to be done
may be guessed from the fact that pro-
posals have been made to more thar
one Democrat to swap any or all the
other offices for a vote for Mr.. Murphy.
1t can't be done. No swapping
scheme can be successfully carried out,
because the very proposal 10 swap i'm
plies an amount of rascality that can
not be trusted. But it shows the woI-
riment the little bosses are struggling
under. They have promised the county
to Elkins, and they find that they had
deluded themselves. Ii they fail, their
credit Is gone and their account with
the big bosses is closed forever.
What are the obstacles the little
bosses have run up against? Well,
several. First, there is that confound-
ed old General Apathy. Notwithstand-
ing all their brilliant efforts, the old
general continues to hold his lines well
none of the enthusiasm of former cam
paigns. They can't get men excited as
they were four years ago, when heads
were broken with silver and gold argu-
ments. They can't get UP a whoop and
hurrah such as "grandfather's hat
aroused in 1888. They can't do any
thing except to ask the voters to be
good little boys and don't play out OF
Uncle Marks back yard. For they
know that when once the little men
climb the fence and get sight Of the
broad commons of Bryan's playground
they will no longer be contented with
in the narrow confines of a boss's back
yard.
1t is true that this year there is nc
such thing as Republican enthus-
iasm." The boys won't even turn out
to hear a s~peech-and, forsooth, that's
not to be wondered at, when one con-
siders the kind of material that is
hired to take the stump. Fences In
country districts have been hidden with
colored posters; whtppers-in have been
sent out to bring In the faithful; every
known mean has been used, and when
the speaker of the evening" gets there
he finds an audience of the local com
mitteemen and half a dozen school
children. 1t is absolutely true that
four Republican speakers went to a
well-advertised meeting at Seckman
school house on Wednesday night, and
had for an audience just four voters
one apiece.
, = nc 10 AO QuColIOn liltiI lHlS 10 NV
only general but also genuine apathy.
The story of W years ago is to be re-
peated in this county, just as the cam
paign of 1890 was repeated in 1892.
The stay-at-home vote will be large.
Old soldiers are greatly dissatisfied
with the treatment the G. A. R. has
received at the hands of an administra-
ton of which they once had great
hopes. They can forget the
turning down their committee received
from President Mckinley when he
calmly stated that the money power OF
the country was opposed to any further
expansion of the pension rolls.
Different causes affect different indi-
viduals. Temperance Republicans are
down on the President because he is
not down on the army canteen. Quite
a number object to a second term for
any President, and are pleased with
Bryan's clear declaration that one term
is all any man should have. The for
eign policy of this administration has
embittered some. The shame Of the
Philippine war and the open violation
OF the constitution In the Porto Rican
affair have cost the Republican party
more votes than can be seduced BIZ the
%shibboleth of "a full dinner pail"
There is considerable opposition to
Elkins and Scott and all the other Of
fice-fed bosses. Campaign after cam
paign the Republican voter has put in
his ballot for apparently no other pur-
pose but to keep these men in hight
and dry places, and he is getting tired
When men realize that they have been
used as mere tools, they begin to assert
their manhood, either by voting agains,
their masters or by remaining away
from the polls.
But the Democrats are awake. The
natural trend of the campaign is their
way, and they are helping 1t on. There
is not a more active, vigilant chairman
in the State than W. g. Dotson, of the
county committee. A careful poll OF
the county gives the Democrats nearly
one hundred majority, and with good
work and shrewd management this ma
jority Of one hundred may be very ma
terially increased. Mr.. Dotson propos-
es to do this, and with the able assist
ance he is getting from Democrats all
over the county, who are determined
this year TO show what can be done
there is no doubt that he will succeed.
d. w. Reynolds, the Democratic can
didate for House Of Delegates, is a fine
politician and Is not to be caught nap
ping. Mr.. Reynolds has twice served
the people as sheriff, and now he is
going to serve them in the Legislature
He is a conservative, careful and clear