Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1858-10-22
Baltimore Election.

civil and political prof,gscy which now
insults and dishonors the protested civil
iza.ion Of this community, is q question
Tor serious Consideration. 1t isNconceded
that the press may be greatly instrument
tai for good or for evil; but it is equally
true that il can be only consistently and
permanently instrumental for good
When it becomes the agent Of evil. the
shield Of the ruffin aud the apo!ogist tor
crime. its inconsistency is betrayed 10 the
most csusel observer, and its degraded
tate may be predicted with a certainty
commensurate with the virtue. morality
and civil and political conservatism OF the
people. Hence the press can be really
Influential only consistently and perma
nently for good. With these sentiments,
it becomes, as we have said. question
of very serious consideration what course
should be pursued by the honest. truth.
tut. independent press at such time as
this. that whatsoever influence it may ex
ers shall be good. and not even by mis-
take. or by an erring judgment will.
The facts before US as d. veluped on
Wednesday last in references to the mum
cial election. so called. furnish a record
for outrage. la"lessness. rillany and ru'
iuism. full blown. audaciuus. fearless OF
c nsequences. and practiced with the
most culpable immunity. The effect Of
this thing has been that thousands ot our
ci'izens have been despoiIed Of their
rights; hundreds maltreated at the polls,
and the lives and limbs OF all. with very
few exceptions, who ventured to offer a
vote in opposition to Mr.. Swami. menaced
with peril. Now. if such an atrocity had
been perpetrated against the American
people. under circumstances which pre-.
cluded all hope oil redress but through an
appeals to arms, the duty Of the true man
and the true press could not be mistaken.
The time for revolution would have come
and there would be an instant rail- ing OF
the people "to do or die" For instance:
supposed We had continued in colonial
dependence upon Great Britain to this
day. with a nominal. and. to some extent
practical liberty. including suffrage and
he vote by ballot; and British power.
jealous Of Popular sentiment. and appre.
bending the purpose OF the people to
throw off the yoke BY the ballot. box, used
its hired myrmidons and resOrLed 10 kin
dred measures with those Of Wednesday
last. 10 perpeIuate its reign. while its civ
il officials stood tamely by. either to ig-
more or couutenance the outrage or not
daring to interfere. can any one question
the result None. Nor would there be
a hesi'ating pause with the press in the
premises. The cry would be- ITO arms;'
u revolution would be at once inaugrated
aud the ins"lenL tyranny. with all its arm
ed, lts prOudest, its meanest instruments
Scourged from the land.
Under the shadow Of our glorious re.
public while the evil is a great in it's con.
sequences, and the insult not less nffen~
sise. the crime is aggravated and the in
fanny OF IT'D perpetrators intiuirely magnI6
ed. Do you ask why? Because i. is
committed in defiance Of the great princi
pies OF our republican nationality, aud un
der the nominal ascendency Of popular
liberty. anu the (Iiteral) absolute supre-
macy Of equal rights and equal laws.
Then the inference would seem to
be hat it is the duty Of the press so much
the more TO counsel an appeal to arms.
and so much the more the duty of true
men to take them and so redress their
wrongs. But it is not so. We are in a
common brotherhood of citizenship, how
ever violently men may be estrangeu for
the time; and while the redress of the evil
dues not seem immediate. on the contra
~. remote aud contingent upon events
which cannot be now ioreseen, yet il is
as certain and reliable as truth iteeIf. 1t
all come. and legirimately. effectively
overwhelmingly, against all the mon
strous evil Of the day. aud all who are or
tcially affiliated with it. All good citi.
zens deluded by it will in process OF time,
by its very enormity. be driven from the
sphere of its pollution. They already
shrink from the recognition Of it. The
low. lawIess and degraded instruments
who work its fsgitions purposes will shriv
81 into shudderrng obscurity: while upon
those whose names are identified with its
public and oste ntatious display will inev.
tably devolVe the iniamy Of the time.
We say. then. with the utmost conf
dence to all our iellow>ctiz MS, that this
great wrong by which they are now agon.
zed will be Ultimately redrtssed. The
evil will be througtly eradicated. And
we have almost equal confidence in The
declaration that it will not be long before
the law and the outraged dignity OF the
people will BIZ peacefully blrodlessly and
et1ctu"lly indicated. But it will be
asked. what may We not be exposed to,
what succession Of outrages may we not
be required to submit to before the day
OF re'rlbution comes? TO this we can an
sWer only inferentially. Crime, iawless.
ness. rufin violence. like every other thing
have their eliminating period. Our
elections" are now the incidents for the
full. organized. political development OF
their uses. But good men will not Ing
be Identified with such things. their vile.
uses. or their nominal, unlawful results
while no man who has an interest. a per