Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1910-02-12
"reminiscences OF
DEMOCRATIC DAYS
Hart Tells of Work That Made West
Virginia Republican.
PART SENATOR SCOTT TOOK

Says That the Senator Was One Of
the Steady, Reliable, Neversurrend-
err Old Guard, Who Fought Contin->,
ualIy to Place the State In the Re-
publican coIumn--Refers to the
Goff-Fleming Contest.
Wheeling, w. Va, Feb. 9-Soma
Wheeling men had just wound up a
business meeting, and, as they linger-
ed while putting their stogies, the
talk drifted into West Virginia politics
old and new. One of the party sug-
gested to Charles Burdett Hart that
as editor of the Intelligencer, stumper
and general roustabout in the old
days, he should know something about
the work it took to make West Vir-
ginia republican.
We'll" replied Mr. Hart, that
means at least one more stogie.
Thanks. Yes, these later days are
not much like the old times, when we
went into one campaign after another
with the reasonable certainty of get
ting one more drubbing. It wasn't
always the easiest thing to keep up
the, fighting spirit in the face of such
record of defeat but all over the
state there were enough game ones
to keep things moving. These were
they who gathered themselves up
smiling after every defeat and at once
began to train for the next bout.
The Old Guard.
"By the way, one of the steady,
reliable, never surrender Old Guard.
was N. B. Scott. Busy man though he
was, he found time to be everlastingly
at it. When l began to know Senator
Scott he was a member of the city
council. Bless me. how time flies. That
seems but yesterday, and I think that
am just in the prime of life. with
your kind permission, and yet I'm
talking about time when thousands
of our active young nen-voters to-
day-hadn't yet taken the trouble to
be born. In that day Wheeling was
democratic, Ohio county was demo-
cratic, West Virginia was democratic.
General Golf had been elected to con-
gress, but that was on the strength
of his phenomenal popularity, not at
all because the republican idea had
taken firm and permanent grip on
the First congressional district.
when we came to the Goff-Fleming
campaign, the situation had changed
a good deal. Republican sentiment
had grown in West Virginia. Here
again the cause was helped by Gen.
eral COTS winning personality. Cen
eral Golf was elected, but the tempta-
ton to crowd him out was too great
to be resisted. While we are talking
about the stormy time, let me say
that nobody worked harder for the
republican cause and to give effect
to the will Of the people than N. B.
Scott. If anybody knows about this
we old timers who were in the thick
of it certainly do. A drama of strong
situations? Almost a tragedy. And
while we are talking about this most
stirring episode in the history Of the
Stdlt SlitCC llo ill., thNiC ID GOAhN
thing that should be said.
'aTo us republicans it was as clear
as the nose on your face that General :
Golf was the duly elected governor
of West Virginia. We could not see
how any intelligent man could fail
to see this or how any honest man
could refuse to admit it, How then
could a man of Judge Fleming's grade
accept the office, for he is both in
telligent and honest? To my mind,
the reason is perfectly plain. 1t was
natural that Judge Fleming should
give his own side the benefit of all
doubts. In addition to this the demo
cratic leaders left nothing undone to
convince him that he had been elect
ed. Those were hot times, you may
believe, and nobody was working any
harder than n. B., Scott.
And speaking of that, senator
SCOTS success as business man and
as public servant, is to be attributed
in the main to the fact that he makes
a business of everything he takes hold
of and gives to it the best that Is IN
him. He did this in the city council
of Wheeling; he did it in the state
senate; he did it as United States
commissioner of internal revenue; he
does the same in the United States,
senate, and the same is true OF his
long service on the National repub-
lican committee l heard Senator
Mark Hanna say OF Senator Scott,
There's a man you can tie 70. Hes
good through and through. And
work? He doesn't know when he's
had enough Senator Hanna knew
how to measure man. didn't he?
did you ever stop to think how
long it is since Brother Scott began
his public service? 1t is almost half
a century since he shouldered gun
and went to the front as boy soldier
in the Union army. From that day
to this, if he has ever done an UNI