The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-08-29
Editorial Comment
on Current Subjects
THE DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN.

From the Huntington Herald.D Dispatch
The phase OF the Democratic cam.
paign in West Virginia which develop.
ed at Webster Springs on Friday was
neither surprising nor startling. Its
coming was but tho sequence Of clear.
ly heralded preparations.
That tho case. as presented to the
grand jury was in the form TO justify
that body in making return is not
questioned. Neither does any friend
of General O'Toole fear that upon tri-
al in open court he will stand acquit-
ted Of the charge that has been placed
against him. And the same thing Ia
true of those who have been indict-
ed with him.
From date several weeks prior TO
the State wide primary Of June 8,
Federal Office holders-not court Of
ficers nor court attaches-began q
carefully heralded activity In Southern
West Virginia. the object Of which was
to influence the result Of the guberna.
torial contest in the Republican par
ty. A carefully timed sensation af-
fecting affairs in Mingo county was
sprung at what was believed to be the
moment that 1t would prove most eff
fective. In this movement the FEEDER
al political machine cooperated with
men who have alternately, when 1t
suited their purpose, claimed alliance
with the Republican party. 1t is pre-.
sumed, and there is some evidence to
sustain the presumption, that these
Republican, or near Republicans,
conspired with the Federal Office Hol-
ders' Trust in West Virginia to trump
up tho charges against General o.
Toole and the others for the purpose
Of procuring indictments.
There are several points In the pro.
cecding which indicate clearly its po-
litical aspect.
In the first place, a press agent in
the employ Of the Democratic bosses
in West Virginia. was primed with
the story and instructed to spring 1t
in sensational manner In the Demo
cratic papers as soon as the time was
ripe. This was done.
Second. this same press agent was
sent to Webster Springs to cover the
story for the same Democratic papers
Third, Howard Sutherland, Ben Ros-
enbloom and Governor A. B. White
are named as the injured parties.
Neither Of these men has complained
or taken any hand in the prosecution
OF any conspiracy real or imaginary,
in Mcdowell or any other county.
Fourth. II there had existed con.
spiracy and there had been a genu.
inc demand for prosecution the charg.
es would have turned up on the guber.
material and not upon the senatorial
race.
Fifth, II the department Of Justice
had come into West Virginia to make
an unbiased investigation Of election
frauds there were matters in Mellow.
ell, Mercer and Raleigh counties, en-.
tirely apart from General O'Toole's
district, which must have commend.
ed themselves to the attention Of these
agents with overwhelming force.
Sixth, the employment Of a partisan
Democratic lawyer and office seeker
as special prosecutor shows that the
Federal political machine was not
above handing a sop to a faithful ally
who had sought much and received
little.
General O'Toole has already issued
demand for a speedy trial. But this
Is hardly practicable at the present
session, and, II It were, the remote.
ness and inaccessibility Of Webster
Springs would place an instrumental.
BILE hardship upon the defendants.
The whole thing bears the imprint
Of conspiracy-political conspiracy Of
the rankest sort. The conspiracy is
not so much against General o'Toole
and his friends as It Is against the
Republican party and certain leading
members OF that party. who have won
the eternal enmity Of the Federal ma.
chine and a few high grade political
nondescripts who have not been above
seeking secret alliances with the Dem.
acratic leaders when a community Of
interests rendered the intercourse mu.
tually congenial.
The good citizens Of West Virginia
will pray godspeed to any movement
which will tend to establish honest
elections or punish dishonest conduct
OF elections. For the mon who have