Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1852-10-19
MIR. WILEY.

We had the pleasure of hearing the speech OF
this distinguished gentleman at the Court House on
atu1dny and we hesitate not to say tina the made the
most able and argumentatiye address which we have
listened to for many years. He referred to the pre-
sent position of the two parties and their platforms
respectively. and then entered into an examination
of the claims of the two candidates for the Presi-
dcncy. HeIdepicted in glowing terms the, bene-
fetal purposes to which the public lands to which
Virginia is entitled, could be applied, if they were
only coded to their proper owners He reviewed
the past and the present condition OF Virginia. re-
ferred to the dilapdated and helpless condition OF
her improvements, and drew striking picture OF
the position she would.occupy if her mighty re-
sources were unlocked and market ways given to
the.riches of her hills. This was not now at
tainable as our taxes were high already and an
nual!y increasing. When he came to- speak OF the
s unlettered and untutored condition of many OF the
adult sons and daughters of Virginia unable to read
even the "Word o.Life," grown up in the squal-
idness of poverty and lap of ignorance, we confess
that we felt, more than would like to acknowl-
edge, for her AFFECT condition, compared with what
she should be. But when he spoke Of her glorious
future, if she would but claim her rights in the vast
unapproprated territory which was once all her
own, which she had, with a magnanimity unsur-
passed in the annals of patriotism, ceded to the
Union, as a "common fund for the common bene-
fit of all the States, Virginia inclusive" when he
drew the picture of her, as she might be, covered
and studded over with the march of improvement,
sustained by the hand of science and universal ed
ueation, difusing to all the light of truth, reason
and intelligence. we felt our heart revive again
and hoped that Virginia would be again reinstated.
He then, passed after examining into the tariff
policy of the two parties;: and ascertaining which
was the British platform upon that question and
reading the advocacy by the British press Of Mr..
Pierce, to the public characters of the candidates.
He had nothing to say against Gen.. Pierce as
citizen and gentleman. 1t was his public char
acter that he had 10 do with and that only. Then
he described the civil and military character Of
Scott and seldom have We heard the facts of his
tory more elegantly clothed with the eloquence of
truth. His Subscription of Scotps triumphant march
into Mexico was one of the most touching and elo-
quent specimens of oratory to which it has been
our fortune to listen, but shall not attempt to
give outline of it, it had to be heard and not
read, to be appreciated. When he described the
manner in which Scott was torn from his high COM
mand after the taking Of Mexico, when he showed
how the long arm of Executive envy could
reach even from Washington to Mexico and at
tempt to tear the unfading laurel from the brow
of the gallant hero, how he was brought before a
Court Martial Of inferior officers to be tried on
charge preferably by subaltern, while that SUI
baltern stood charged with higher offences and
went untried even. and how after all, even when
the accuser had his own packed jury, they could
find nothing wrong in him and wholly failed to
make good single charge; and when. in the
thrilling tones OF manly feeling, he alluded to the
great appeal which Gen. Scott had made from the
judge and the accuser to the people. the appraised
shouts Of the assembled multitude told him plain
ly, that the sentiment of gratitude and outraged
honor still lived and inourished in the American
bosom. Mr. Wiley said he had nothing to say in
his own praise. Whatever he was be made him
self by his own effort and the approval of kind
Providence He had known labor in all its forms
and his sympathies were with the poor man. He
asked candid examination Of his claims and a
vote CORRESPONDING with theresult of that e1amina-
on. Ii elected he would only promise to do hi p