Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1900-08-14

HARIEo TOWN, w. VA
waited by fraud. and from which he
had resigned by the act of accepting
captaincy in the army. But when
Mr.. Campbell appeared at the bar OF
the Senate, in January, 1899, and ask
ed to be sworn in. he found Getzen-
danner there claiming the seat, and he
found Republican majority there
ready todeclare Getzendanner entitled
to it. Getzendanner's job as soldier
having run out, he concluded he would
return to his ancient calling of states
man, and having been seated in the
first instance without the Formally OF
previous election, he decided this
time to not even go through the mo-
lions. If his Republican brethren
could make him member when he
had minority vote in 1897, they could
just as we'll make him member in
1899 without his having any vote at
all. And so they did, Mr.. Campbell,
duly elected and accredited, being kept
out, and Mr. Getzendanner, never
elected and never accredited, being
again put in.
Also Pierson.
E. G. Pierson was elected to the Sen
ate from the Ninth Senatorial district
in 1886, and in 1898 accepted Heuten-
ancy in the army. Mr.. A. ]. Stephenson
was elected to succeed him, but as Pier
sons army job expired before the Senate
met in 1899, he also decided to go back
to the legislative business, and, as in
the case of Getzendanner, the Senate
decided that resignation did NOT
count in the case of a Republican whose
vote was needed in the election of a
United States Senator, and Mr.. Pierson
was also declared entitled to his seat.
1t is respectfully submitted to the
people that if such acts as these are
allowed to go unrebuked the day of
constitutional government in West Vir-
ginia has passed away, and the hold
| ing of elections is farce that may
well be done away with. A people
who think themselves free, and who
are yet deprived of their liberties, are
suffering the most dangerous kind of
slavery, for before they can be aroused
to the point of throwing off the yolts
of oppression they must first be
awakened to realization of the fact
that they are wearing such yoke.
How are they to govern themselves If
their votes when cast are not to be
counted? How are they to determine
who are constitutional officers except
by the Constitution? And of what
value is the Constitution in determin-
/ ing such things if its plain provisions
are to be deliberately. set aside at the
lYtl and to suit the pleasure of the Re
pablican party? Getzendanner, hav-
Jig been twice allowed to usurp a
seat in the Senate to which he was
not entitled, may well think himself
4 entitled to sit in the next Senate on the
strength of the claim that having once
held the seat, and having no desire to
give it up, nobody has right to take
\ it away from him. The fact that tie
term for which he claimed the seat in
the first instance has ended, need cut
no figure with Getzendanner, and prob
ably will not, if by the force of fraud
and the grace of the Secretary of State
the prima facie majority in the next
Senate is with the Republicans. AL
he will need to do will be to appear at
the bar of the Senate and say that he
wants to be perpetuated in the pos
session of the seat into which he
was put by fraud and in which he was
kept by force, and a subservient Re
publican majority, If the majority, by
any incalculable misfortune, or mis-
counting, should be on that side, will
readily grant him his request. A Re.
publican majority can refuse Getzen,
danner nothing that he asks, and the
records of the Senate show that he i.
not at all backward about asking
mus. though Getzendanner is not
candidate for election Che could not b.
for re-election) We will most likely Sc,
him at the Capitol next winter read,
to offer himself for membership il
) case the Republican Secretary of Stat,
5 succeeds in manufacturing a prime
e faeie Republican majority.
The outrages of 1899.
j After the revolutionary proceeding
of 1897 the outrages of the session O
: 1899 easily followed. Finding that tn
Democrats had elected to the House
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