Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-10-02
ST. CLAIR AND ATKINSON

~~<~@&AN
Meet in Joint Discussion mt Eliza
beth, Writ Countryside Governor
tration, Though He Promised to
Discuss 1t.
Special to the Register.
ELIZABETH, va, October This
was gala day for the Writ county Dem
ocracy. The Circuit Court began to-day
and General j. w. st. Clair was adver-
tised to address the people, as was also
Governor Atkinson.
A joint discussion between the two
gentlemen was arranged and pulled Off
before about 700 people.
Governor Atkinson opened the ball
in an hourHe stated that he would dis
cuss four topics in which the people
seemed to be interested in the pres
ent mpaign-Imperialism which he
said, however, was a mere bugaboo;
trusts, finance and State politics.
He then launched forth into a dis
cussion of Imperialism, and although
he declared time and again that it was
not an issue, and that there was moth
ing in it, he spent his whole hour in
the discussion of that question, and
never touched either of the other three
propositions, and especially did ne
stoa, olaar of Ctata iccpac
General St Clair went after the Gov
ernor in the regular hide-remoying
style for an hour and twenty minutes,
in which time he completely demol-
ished the Governor with the very facts
that gentleman had recited. He showed
up the true inwardness of the Philip
pine question, how the unfortunate ma
tives of these islands. after struggling
for centuries TO throw off the yoke of
the Spanish oppression, had hailed as
their deliverers the United States
troops, whom they regarded as free
men, and the lovers of freedom, and at
once became their friends and allies,
against the Spaniard, under the hope
and belief engendered by the acts and
words of the Americans that the Fill
ipinos should throw off the Spanish
yoke; not to exchange 1t for another,
but to become freemen. ''Freemen,"
said General st. Clair, such as you
love to see, such as love to see, SUCH
as all liberty-loving American citizens
be they Democrats or Republicans,
down deep in their hearts. love to see,
in all ages, and in all climes."
The thunderous applause that greet
ed this declaration left little doubt as
to the sentiment of the audience Cen
eral st. Clair proceeded to ventilate
the faIlacy of every point urged by tho
Governor, and when His Exeellency
came to the scratch for the second
round he was groggy. and wobbled Wis
IDLY.
The crowd thought they would hear
SOubJulHS duOul soldIS lSouto OH SG-5
inning, but the Governor was so busy
patching the holes in the armor of the
National ship of state that his little
state craft was again overlooked, and
never once referred to in his last thir-
ty minutes.
st. Clair went after him again for
final ten minutes, and the fur few at
every stroke He referred to the fact
that the Governor had promised to
comment upon his own State admins
tration, and had failed even TO men
ton it,
He remarked that the most signif-
cant fact commentary upon that adj
ministration was the fact that the Re
publican party had utterly and abso-
lutely repudiated it, and had refused
to nominate single man connected
with that administration for re-elec-
ton.
The Democrats Of Writ are jubilant
over the result of the joint debate.