Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-02-16
A MEETING OF THE RING

A MEETING OF THE RING
Held in Charleston for the Purpose
of Giving the Freer BombsheIl
n Critical Examination-A queer
Compromise Proposal.
Special to the Register.
CHARLESTON, w. Va, February Is.
The contest between Romeo H. Freer
and A. B. White for gu~bernatorial hon.
ors has almost reached the spectacular
stage. 1t is certainly growing intensely
interesting. A meeting Of Whites up
porters was held here last night to as
certain the exact proportions of a
bombshell that had just been exploded
in the White-Elkins oamp. Among
those who met to examine the bomb
shell were Col. Eugene Dana, w. M. O.
Dawson, o. A. Petty and Grant Hall.
The explosive referred to was in the
shape of a manifesto delivered to Mr..
Elkins by Freer's supporters to the
effect that if he, CMr. Flkins), desired
to preserve his own s1alp he must not
endanger it by poking his Senatorial
nos into the fight for Governor, and
by way of a suggestion, they reminded
him of the fact that they control five Of
the follower State Senators, whose
votes will be Withheld from MFR. Elkins
and counted for some m else when the
time comes to elect q United States
Senator unless Mr.. Elkins walks very
straight, looking neither to the right
nor to the left in this little affair be-
tween White ard Freer. 1t seems that
the occasion for this message 10 Sena-
ter Elkins. from the Freer people was
his activity among his appolntees in
West Virginia in Citing them all lined
Up as Whites supporters. The Freer
people say they will not submit to this
intermeddling on the Part Of Mr.. Elkins
in State affairs, and they want him to
understand this in the beginning so that
if he persists in this thing he will do
so at his peril.
II is said to have been the concensus
CT opinion at the meeting last night
that the situation did indeed lcok seri-
Gus for Mr.. White, and in fact for the
whole Republican party, if this sort of
thing went much further. 1t was seri-
Gus for Mr.. White because IL Eikins
withdrew his support from the Park
ersburg statesman he would be stranded
in less than forty-eight hours. If Elk
ms continues to lend his influence 10
White it will result in the Senator's de-
feat for reelection. 1t was agreed
therefore that at least one member Of
the ElkinS combine must go down, and
1t was a question which it should be.
They were quite willing to sacrifice Mr..
White to save Mr.. Elkins if the trou-
bile would end there, but it wouldn't.
If White were pulled Off, or permitted
to fall under Freer's scalping knife and
the -gubernatorial nomination were to
be secured by the Ritchie county man,
Mr.. Dawson's head would also fall into
the. basket. That would be sacrificing
two members of the combine to save
one. Someone speaking for Mr.. Elkins
ventured to say that the Senator would
consent to Judge Freer's receiving the
nomination as a last resort, but the con-
sent Of Mr.. Dawson could not be OBJ
tanned. He would consent to no ar
rangement that contemplated his re-
tirement from the position of Secretary
of State. He suggested that a PROPOSE
tion he made to the Freer men to this
effect: That both White and Freer be
withdrawn and a few disinterested par
ties like himself and Mr.. Elkins, name
a compromise candidate on whom the
entire party could unite. This was con-
sidered a happy thought, a wise sug-
gestion, fer that would permit the Elk
ms party to choose a candidate for Gov
ernor who, if elected, would reappoint
Mr.. Dawson Secretary of State, and
that, too, would prevent the loss OF but
one of the ring members instead Of two,
and the loss of Mr.. White would be
compensated for by the destruction of
Freer. They therefore agreed TO make
this proposition to the Freer people in
the interest OF party harmony.
A prominent Freer supporter told the
Register correspondent tonight that
Freer would never agree to the PROPOSE
ton made by the ring. They did not
propose to pull off their candidate Just
as he was getting the g~ubernatorial
nomination almost in his grasp. And
even in the event that they found it
necessary "in the interest of party har-
mony" to withdraw their candidate.
they proposed to have some voice in
the selection OF the compromise man.
1t is not likely that Freer win be
withdrawn, at least not for some time
yet. He has not been given a fair
chance to show what stuff there is in
him.
The Register was informed tonight
that some of the Republican leaders
here had been sent for to come to
Wheeling to straighten cut a difficulty
there among the Republican voters. 1t
is reported that the labor people pro-
pose to run an independent legislative
ticket, which, IL they do, would de-
stroy Mr.. Elkins chance Of getting n
votes from Ohio county in the election
for United States Senator.
ASSESSMENT HIGH ENOUGH