Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-05-25

down of experienced National Guard
officers for political pets may be felt
In the coming campaign. Altogether
Governor Atkinson will not come out
OF Office nearly as popular as when he
went IN, and has failures have chilled
the ardor of many who were led to ex-
pect political millennium when the
Republicans got possession of the Off
ces in West Virginia.
What about White?"
White will be source of weakness,
II nominated, as now seems certain.
Not that he is not personally very
clever, genial and companioabie gentle
man to those who have the privilege of
knowing him well, but he is not
native West Virginianst to start with;
then he has been in public office-and
the best paying offices in the State-for
so long that
The People Are Tired of 1t.
He is also recognized as simply the
candidate of a ring of Republican poll
tlcians who have been for some years
| indulging in Donnybrook Fair tactics
with prominent men of their own party.
| Whenever one of these men raised his
head the ring has whacked it and
White has been particularly handy
with his shelalah while these ructions
have been going on. 1t is not reason
able, therefore, to expect these men to
rally to his support with great deal
of enthusiasm. 1t is bad enough for
the people to have Governor who is
simply Governor for his party, and
not for the whole people, but it would
be infinitely worse to have Governor
who would only be the chief executive
for a small faction of his own party,
and this is about the way people are
sizing White up at this juncture.
However we may expect an animat-
ed campaign. The Republicans will
have barrels of money and they have
on more than one occasion taken des-
perate chances in elections, and every
resource of money and the baser meth
DDS of political manipulation will be
worked to keep West Virginia in line
for the Republican national and State
tickets. With proper organization to
prevent frauds at the polls and the col
oniZation of illegal voters, there ought
to be no trouble, however, to carry
West Virginia for Bryan and the State
ticket. That seems to be the present
temper of the people, and additional
reasons will appear between now and
the election to make them more earn
est in this intention.
will the Virginia debt question be
agitated during this campaign, and If
so, what influences will it exert polit-
ically?"
Among the questions which will be
discussed this campaign will be the
Virginia debt and the Democratic po-
sition on the subject is so clear and
conclusive and the Republican posi-
ton so shifty ana suspicious that it
alone ought to be worth several thou
sand votes to the Democratic party.
Whether the Republican leaders are
really interested personally in the de-
mands of the syndicate holding the
bulk of the West Virginia deferred GER
tificateS or not, the fact still remains
that the syndicate has been much en-
boldened by Republican ascendency in
the State to press for an adjustment
of it's claims, or rather its pretended
claims, for it cannot be conceded that
the holders of these certificates have
any sort of legal demand upon the
State. 1t must not be forgotten that
in the original ordinances between
West Virginia and the mother State, it
was provided in substance that an adj
| justment of the Virginia debt should
be had
Between the Two States
on basis of charging this State with
| all the improvements made within her
boundaries for which the debt was Gre
ated, and by crediting her with the
amount she had contributed to the
treasury of Virginia after deducting
her share of the expenses of govern
ment. This left the question of an
adjustment of West Virginia's por-
ton of the debt open and, this State
in good faith has attempted to settle
with the mother State on this basis.
She appointed commissioners to go to
Richmond and attempt to effect such
settlement, but they were treated with
scant courtesy, and no adjustment
could be obtained. West Virginia was
not consulted when the deferred GER
tificates were issued and is in no
way responsible for them. The Demo-
cratic party has taken the ground that
If there is any question between West
Virginia and Virginia it can be set
tied amicably between them whenever
Virginia appoints commission and
takes proper steps to settle, but that
this State does not know any syndi-
cate and will not recognize the exist
ence of any set of people but the State
of Virginia itself, with authority to
treat on this subject. The Republican
party on several occasions seemed to
have been ready to take up the ques-
ton with the syndicate, which bought
these bonds at about two cents on the
dollar, and which is now pressing a
claim for an adjustment that would
cost this State several millions of dol
lars. This scheme is not from Vir-
ginia, the only other party interested.
1t comes from New York bankers, who
expect to put a proposition through
the Legislature looking to an adj
Il justment, and from circumstances that