Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1912-10-29
CONDUCT OF ELECTION TO BE
NEITHER FAIR NOR HONEST,
CONGRESS Is TOLD.

1.-THE manipulation of the Hatfield ma
chine in that county, have become sc
notorious that there is always a joke
in the rest of the State near elec
ton time as to what the returns
from Mcdowell will show. and
whether the vote viii be he'd bach
TIL it is known what majorities will
be required in the county. Probably
many persons have heard the old
reference TO the colossal frauds oil
that county repeated till they have
ceased to consider it a serious mat
ter and regard it as a matter for lev
ity only.
But when the Congress of the Unit
ed State puts its stamp of disap
prevail upon the political practices
pursued by the machine OF which
DR.. II. d. HatfIeld is the head, il
is time to give the matter serious
consideration and to begin the work
OF publication.
When man is nominated for the
highest office in the State solely be-
cause he has demonstrated that he
can always produce large Republican
majorities in Mcdowell county; and
| when the methods by which these ma
lJorities are returned are found to be
as corrupt as was shown in the re-
port of conditions there by the cleo
ton committee of Congress; it is
then time for the friends OF honest
politics and those who condemn cor
rupt practices in politics to stop and
think whether the right man has
been nominated for their governor
or not
Congressman Solomon r. Prouty.
of Iowa; Charles Matthews, of Penn
Sylvanla; and Frank b. Willis. of
Ohio, are the Republican members Of
the committee on elections of the
House OF Representatives which in
vestigated conditions in Mcdowell
and Mingo counties in connection
with the contest- made by Rankin
Wiley for the seat of James A.
Hughes in Congress. They joined
with their Democratic colleagues in
an unanimous report to Congress,
stating that in the election of two
years ago the conduct of Or. Hat
field raises a strong presumption
that the conduct of the election was
to be neither fair nor honest" and
| that the circumstances are ali strong
as showing a deliberate intention to
commit fraud in The interest Of the
contestee'
OFFICIAL report to Congress.
The report made unanimously by
the ELECTIONS, committee to Congress
was as follows:
The Committee. on Elections No
|. to which was referred the con
tested-election case in which Rankin
Wiley is the contestant and James
A. Hughes is the contestee, respect
fully submits to the House of Rep
resentatives the following report
According to the returns duly GER
tilted by' the proper officer OF the
State Of West Virginia at The cleo
ton held in the Fifth Congressional
District of West Virginia on the Sth
day of November, 1910, in which Ran
kin Wiley, contestant, was the candi-
date of the Democratic party and
James A. Hughes, contestee, was can
didate of the Republican party for
the office of Representative in the
Sixty-second Congress of the United
States, the contestee received on the
face of the returns plurality of 2.942
votes. The contestant, Rankin Wiley,
in due time, served upon the contes-
tee, James A. Hughes, a notice of in
tenflon to contest the election, con-
tanning charges Of fraud, corruption,
and intimidation of voters, and con-
tanning also an allegation that the
said James A. Hughes, the contes-
tee, is not citizen of the United
States.
TO this notice the said James A. !
Hughes, contestee, filed an exception
and also an answer charging certain
irregularities, which the contestee
claims resulted favorably to the can
didacy of the contestant in certain
counties of the Congressional district.
The issue was Joined upon the answer
of the contestee, and a large number.
Of witnesses We're called and exam
ined on the part Of both the con
testant and cantestee. The case
was fully argued by counsel for both
sides, and it has been very carefully
by the committee. +
Negroes voted by Postmaster.
The Fifth Congressional District is
composed of twelve counties, and no
question has been made with refer
snce to the returns from any but {
'iHSo anu MCDOWeli counties. Inc
contestant specifically charges illegal
md fraudulent voting and irregular
ty in the conduct OF the election in {
hose counties, and in support of !
hese charges, particularly with ref t
,rence to nine precincts in Mingo /
he shows that negro floaters S
we're voted by and under the direc- v
ion OF the postmaster of the town of d
williamson, Greenway Hatfield, and c
ther Republican officials. The coun- T
Ell for contestant and contestee in g
heir briefs and by oral agreement o
Eliminated practically every question n
the case with the exception of the
harges of fraud in the nine precincts
Mingo county and in Mcdowell e
ounty, and the question of the citi- O
enship OF the contested, before the G.
ase was argued before the commit IL
ee. lei
During the course of the argument Il
lingo county was eliminated as a te
Ictor in this case by the admission al
counsel for the contestee that fraud ii
as committed in that county in the d.
terest of the contestee, and that It d
as so fragrant and outrageous that "
e returns from the nine precincts M
mere the frauds were perpetrated Vi
light to be excluded in countinn tbs n