Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-05-18
C(lOR[D VOTERS DAlED
BY THE APPLICATION OF RING
METHODS IN THE CLAY DIS
TRICT MASS MEETING.
THEY WERE FLATLY IGNORED.
Rejected Overtures Looking to a
CONFERENCE.-The Mass Meetings
Yesterday Selected a Dovener Dell
egatiOn to the District Convention.
Scott TayIOr's Case-DOvener at
Home-Other Political Matters.

The colored voters of Clay district
had a taste Of ring rule" last night
upon the occasion of the mass conven-
ton held at the Chemical engine house.
There has been quite little dissention
among the colored voters in the Sec
ond ward for several months. AS a re-
suit what Is known as THE Young
Mems Progressive Political Club" was
organized and club rooms were secured
on Main street. The membership of
the club represents the best colored ele-
ment in the district. A great many
are young men, but all the Older mem
berS and number Of the young ones
are property owners and taxpayers.
The resolutions condemning Capt. B.
B. Doveners action towards the COL
ored voters in the district who have
supported him almost to man for the
past six years, which resolutions were
published in yesterdays Register,
showed the feeling prevailing among
the colored voters generally.
An attempt was made yesterday at
ternoon to patch everything up. A
committee composed of Capt B. B.
Dovener, Assistant Postmaster ALT
Davis and Mr.. Q. Buchanan, met the
executive committee of the club at the
club rooms to discuss the matter. The
three named gentlemen had no propo-
sitions to put forward, but wanted to
hear from the committee. The COM
mitteemen were frank They first of all
wanted three delegates out of the
seven to be selected. They named whom
they wanted, Robert Clark, DR.. Still
yard and Stanley Barnett. They want
ed these delegates to go to the conven-
ton uninstructed in. order that they
might exercise their right, as citizens
of the United States to vote for whom
ever they chose. They also wanted
Capt. Dovener to pledge himself to see
to it that two colored men were given
appointments in the civil service. One
of the appointments desired was that Of
Scott Taylor to clerkship in the post
Office.
Cat. Dovener stated that he would
promise to do all he could to secure
the appointment of Taylor and the
other man. But the colored voters
had had certain people give them their
promises before and were little to
wise to be gold-bricked again. Capt.
Dovener was told that it was not prom
Uses they wanted, but a pledge drawn
UP in such way that it would have
to be adhered to. The Captain was I'M
willing to enter into this kind of an
agreement, and so the meeting was
brought to a close. Mr.. Buchanan
stated to Stanley Barnett, of the COM
mittee, that the club would not secure
a single delegate at the meeting last
night. And so it proved.
When the mass meeting assembled
/
men and about ten White men present.
Among the white men were Sheriff II.
c. Richards, City Clerk Thomas
O'Brien, Jr., County Commissioner
Will Gutman, Councilman ]. w. Kin
delberger and John Shellhase, clerk OF
the Water Board, all ringsters, who
were present to look after Capt. Dow
enerS interests. The proceedings
hardly consumed three minutes. Gut
man was nominated chairman and
O'Brien secretary, both going through
without dissenting vote. Then the
oolored voters were given a taste of
ring rule and the proceedings that fol-
lowed put them in anything but an
enviable humor.
The minute the chair was ready to
receive nominations four colored men,
Toby Hayes, Charles Williams, Scott
Taylor and John Smith, arose to make
suggestions. They were ignored by the
chair notwithstanding the fact that
they remained on their feet until the
mock proceedings were carried out.
At one time there was a temporary lull
in the suggestions, for there were no
white men on the floor, and it was nee
essary TO call out to white man to get
up. All this time the colored men
named were asking for recognition.
The nominations were merely made.
No motion was seconded nor was any
man nominated voted upon. AS soon
as seven names had been suggested
Justice Srolowitz, who lives in Wash
ington district, moved the nominations
close and the chair declared the nomi-
nations closed. Sheriff Richards NOV
ed adjournment and the chair declared
the meeting adjourned
1t was the biggest farce ever perpe-
trated by even the Ohio county ring.
The colored men present were dazed
by the rapidity with which the farce
was put through and everything was
concluded before anyone OF them re-
covered sufficiently TO protest. But the
ring predominated and the delegation
which goes TO the convention from
Clay will be solid for Dovener