Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-05-25


never knew faltering, or shadow of turning in
his devotion to pro-slavery interests" On the
other hand, they pointed scornfulIy to the
"Abolition Letcher''-''a traitor" to his State
who was "worse than. Joshua R, Giddings." If
Virginia does not elect Goggin, said they, then
will the whole South set her down as "untrue
and Enthusiastically upon the vital question:
the converse of which assertion was, that if she
did elect Goggin, then would the whole South
set it down as certain that she despised Ruffner-
ism, and "spurned the odious antecedents OF
John Letcher."
Now we put it to any man who believes that
in the the year 1s47 DIR. Ruffncr spoke the truth
when he said that slavery drives free laborers,
farmers, mechanics out of the country" to say
how he can support man who seeks an cleo
ton, and who will be elected Gf elected at alp
altogether upon the amount of adherence
which he has manufactured for such a sentiment
in the minds of the people. And we further
ask aay man who believes that Dr. kuitner
smoke the truth when he affirmed that "SlaveTy
is demonstrated to be not only Improbable but
deeply injurious to the public prosperity, wheth-
err he is prepared to recant Qike Letcher) that
sentiment, and to assist in placing stigma
for such the South will interpret it-upon his
own convictions. And yet again we ask him
who believes that DIR. Ruffner spoke the truth
when he said "that it was unjust that Eastern
Virginia, having only minority of the poPu-
lation, should be able to govern both East and
West for their own advantage" whether he
considers that the endorsement of it by any man
ought to disqualify him for holding place of
public trust in the State. Let every man who
votes-let every man who believes that Western
Virginia has rights of which she is unjustly de-
privcd-that she is oppressed with an undue
proportion of taxes-consider how he places
| his seal of condemnation upon the sentiments
that we have quoted.
| DIR. Ruffner SAID the other day, and he said
truly, that the day was near at hand when his
justification at the hands of the people of West
ern Virginia would be complete-that soon they
would learn to neither regard him as traitor nor
as all abolitionist Knowing and believing that
fact, DR.. Ruffner, with the proud consciousness
that buoyed up "Aristides the just" can afford
to submit to the imprecations which Mr.. Goggin,
in his speech at Petersburgh, and in other places,
and which Marmaduke johnson, and others of
Mr.. Goggin's staff, all the East and all
through the canvass, have showered upon his
head DR.. Ruffncr is, doubt not, both phil
osopher and historian enough to know that he
/ who is the execrated of to-day, like BnrnaVe of
the French revolutioni may he the idol of to-
morrow. And he has no doubt read that there
was n time once, as there has been many times
and in many countries since, "when Caesar. had
his party and Pompey had his party, but the
State had none"
For our part we can truly say that we have
opposed Mr. Goggin on principle. 1t is neither
agreeable nor profitable to be alienatcd from
those with whom you are in the main agreed
But as VIC opposed the feature of religious in
tolerance in the first outbreak of Americansm,
30 we oppose the political intolerance which
holds sway East of the Ridge, and which as
serts that no man who holds to the sentiment of
the Ruffner pamphlet, is fit to be elevated to
position of public trust. We will never volun-
tarily assist in putting such q stigma upon our
convictions.
Dr. johnson has left it on record, that as he
was passing by fish monger, who was SHINING
an eel alive, he heard him curse it because it
would not lie still. Exactly so it is and scarcely
! less strange too, that some Of our readers have
decried our opposition to Mr. Goggin. He has
been going from place to place, over the East
and in some parts of the West, denouncing and
holding up to public excavation, such sentiments
as those which we have quoted from the Ruff.
ner pamphlet, and such sentiments as we believe
to be sound and true, and yet we are expected to
say amen to Mr.. Goggin's denunciations. a
| principle that is worth no more consistency than
that, is worth nothing at all. The sincere and
the good Girondists said in their day, "pcrsh the
colonies rather than principle" though we
do not say anything like that, for that is setting
up individual opinion par with divine infalli-
bility, yet do say that man who can be at
one and the same time, the friend and advocate
of two sets of antagonistic principles, is not Of
much account to either.
-&.O.S
THE seven gentlemen who are in nomination
for the House of Delegates, from this county,
and who are to be voted for to morrow, are all
pretty well known to the people of the county,