Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-02-05

will, when finished, include the vast majority OF
gas consumers in the city. By an advertise
ment IN our regular columns it will be seen
that in addition, public meeting will be held
on Monday evening at the Court House.
From all this, we should infer that gas stock,
at the present time, cannot be quoted as either
"upward'' or ''stifFn-but rather as SETTLING"
with the advantages in favor of buyers"
THE SLAVERY QUESTION IL THE PAN.HAN-
DLE-The Pam Handle of Virginia, is, perhaps,
of all other places in the United States, the first
position for a political observatory. We're it
not to be considered an unwarrantable innOva-
ton on 'tan ancient custom, we would propose,
and. with all the powers We possess. urge upon
Congress the propriety of appropriating few
millions for the establishment right in the CEN
ire of the n-Hande, of such an institution as
one we have mentioned, where a select few of
our wisest, most discreet and most disposition
ate political sa0ans might be constantly kept at
the public expense, to take observations of the
state of political sentiment in our blessed coun-
try. 1t cannot but be obvious to the dullest ap-
prehension that such an institution, properly
conducted, would be fraught with inestimable
blessings to our political welfare, and it must be
equally evident that 10 site could be more eli
gible than that already indicated. The Pan
Handle, itself (without looking ont, all over our
big Republic) forms, when compared with the
whole Union, kind of microcosm, wherein may
be seen almost every phase of American politi-
cal sentiment Ecery, did we say?-we meant
every phase except that reflected from the alb
sOlute disuniopise Here is none of that-Hea-
ven be praisedl We have. though, it is true,
the conditional disunionist, but Ito our praise
we say it, he is amongst us the rara auis in ter
Tis. Besides, we have the Know Nothing in all
his multifarious grades, to-wit: the x. N. ex-
travagant and K. N. temperate, the Roman Ca
thoic K. N. and the non-foreigner K. n. and so
forth, Gd lib. OF Democrats, we have the Buck
Democrat and the Douglas Democrat,-the
Walker Democrat and the Paulding Democrat,
&C., and so on. Here, too, breathes the senti-
ment of the Slaveryite, pro and anti, of every
class from the Abolitionist to the propagandist,
from the restrictionist to the extensionist In
Short the Panhandle is kind of citizen Con.
gress where ovcry party and every political doc
trine finds resident representatives.
There is unity on great question of nation
al concern. The question in which the Pan
Handle feels the most interest, and that on
which there is most diversity of opinion, is the
slavery question. If the rabid men of Massa-
chusetts whose education and interests are all
extremely Northern, cannot, on the one hand,
and the hotspurs Of South Caroliua, whose train
ing and interests are all extremely Southern,
cannot, on the other hand, agree in their senti-
ments on this all-aSsorbing subject, how is it to
be expected that the intelligent citizens of the
Panhandle, who are extremists neither in in
terest nor in position, should be unanimous on
such question:
So far as it regards the abstract question Of
slavery-that is, slavery per 90, morally viewed,
we are safe in saying that there is decided pre-
ponderance against it; and in this particular,
the Pan Handle is Northern in sentiment. Yet
this preponderant antislavery sentiment by no
means runs into abolitionism. On the contrary,
it is directly opposed to all such fanaticism.
The balance of opinion is also against slavery
upon various other grounds, upon which it is
most frequently objected to; as, for example,
because it is antagonistc to the interests of the
poorer free-Iaboring classes, because it is the
fruitful parent of vice and slothfuness, and is an
incubus upon the energy and enterprise of the
fairest portion of our wide country. There is
still, notwithstanding the overbalance of anti
slave sentiment, pervading sentiment of the
purest conservatism respecting the peculiar
institution" We would make no unjust attacks
npon the rights of our brethren of the Old Do.
minion, or our brethren of the entire South, but,
for the sake of ourselves, of our children, and Of
humanity, we would ask that the aggressive
march of slavery be now stayed. We are stu
ated SO that We can form, if any community can,
AUST comparison between the political advan-
tages and disadvantages of slavery. On the
North, We find our neighbors moro wealthy,
more prosperous, more happy, than they on the
South. Let neither us the writer, nor them for
whom We speak, be accused of prejudice; for If
we have any prciudce. tell us tokV il is in favor