Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-11-01

1892. 1896 and 1898 will bear out the
Democratic claim that there were
frauds in 1896 and that without them
Mckinley. would have had but a small
majorityssR he would have had any at
all in the State. 1t was charged that
the Republicans had resorted to colon
ization and ballot box stuffing. Now
look at the returns In 1892 the DEM
ocratfc vote in the State was "a .4S7;
in 1896 it increased normally to 92.927:
in 1898, an .off year" the vote fell OF
to S5.421. In 1892 the Republican vote
was S0,293; in 1896 it increased abnor-
mally- to 104, Al yet in the next "off
year" 1898, the Republican vote fell
back to S8,022 This shows that from
1892, when the Democratic plurality
was 4.174, to 1898, when the Republi
can plurality was 2,601, there were Re-
publican gains, but it does not explain
the remarkable increase In the Republi-
can vote in 1896 and the decrease two
years later.
While, with the growth Of the State,
there was a natural increase IN the He-
publican vote as well as the Demo-
cratic vote all over the State, 1t VIII
he seen from a careful study OF the
figures that the greater part OF this
remarkable increase in the Republican
vote in 1895 was in few counties
| where the Republicans had the cleo
ton machinery and could do about as
they pleased. For example, take the
counties of Kanaw--a, Fayette, Nc
Dowell. Ohio and Marshall. five coun-
ties under control OF the Republicans
In Kanawha the Democratic vote in
! 1892 was 4,549; in 1896 il increased
normally to 4,S19; in 1898, the "off
year" it decreased to 4,07S. The Re-
publican vote in 1892 was 5,07S; in
i 1896 it increased to $3.50; and in 1898
| it fell off to 4,425. In Fayette this
state of affairs is even more noticeable.
The Republican vote there in 1892 was
1855; in 1896 it increased to 4,544;
and in 1898 it fell off again to 3,l74.
In the same county the Democratic
vote was as follows: In 1892 it was
1892; in 1896 it was 2.7So; and in 1888
it was 2,610. In Mcdowell the Demo-
cratic vote in 1892 was 607; in 1896 4.
was 9S6; in 1898 it was LOIS. The
Republican vote was: In 1892 it was
| .265; in 1896 it was 1852; and in 1898
it had dropped again to 1883. In Mar
shall the Democratic vote was 1900 in
1892; in 1896 it was 2,107; in 1898 it
was / .665. The Republican vote in 1892
was 1858; in 1896 1t was $3.50; and in
1898 it was $50 In Ohio county the
Democratic vote in 1892 was 1920; in
1896 it was 5016: and in 1898 1t was
4.6S3. The Republican vote in 1892
! was 5.061; in 1896 it was 6,727; and
in 1898 it was 1858.
In Democratic counties only the nor
NAL increase in either the Democratic
or the Republican vote is noticed. The
vote of both parties is little larger in
1896 than in 1892 or 1898, but neither
party showed enormous increases in
1896 In any of the counties which were
controlled by the Democrats and
the abnormal increase was in every in
stance in the Republican vote. These
| figures go far toward establishing in
the public mind the truth OF the
I charges made at the time of the cleo
ton that the Republican majority was
won by fraud.
Eliminating this fictitious plurality,
| it can scarcely be claimed by the most
| partisan Republican that the honest
| plurality OF Mckinley in 1896 was
more than 5000. In order to get a
basis on which to work, admit that
! 5000 was an honest plurality in 1896
| At the very lowest calculation 5000
) gold Democrats voted the Republican
, ticket in 1896, of whom at least rs
per cent will vote the Democratic
ticket this year. Ninety per cent of
the Populists will this year vote the
Democratic ticket. Add to these the
anti-imperialist Republicans and the