Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-04-09
PRoBABIr at no tune during anything that

PRoBABLY at no time during anything that
could be properly termed political contest, IN
this State, has the public mind of this section
of Virginia been so througbiy lethargic and
indifferent as to what the result may be, as 1t IS
now in this present canvass. We are necesSari-
" more or less in daily communication win the
public sentiment of the country round about us
above us, and below US, and we have been, we
must say, somewhat surprised to find how gen
erally uncxciied and apathctic public feeling is,
as to whether Goggin may beat Leteher' or
fletcher beat GogGin The Panhandle population
are about as little concerned on this head to-day
as it is well possible for people TO be In the
first place, most:PeopIe do not suppose that the
result is TO differ materially from that which has
been-and in the next place they care about as
little. This torpid feeling cannot be explained
except upon ono hypothesis. 1t cannot be ex-
planned by n suppostion that il Is from the want
of 4 proper understanding of the complexion OF
the canvass. The fact that this Panhandle coun-
try ofours embraces par excellence, an intelligent
and reading population, together with the fact
that there prevails in sections of the State noto-
riously inferior in these characteristics, much
more excitement, forbids the conclusion that the
present state OF public feeling arises from any
lack of light or knowledge. Whether we are
right or not, every person must as no doubt
every person isiU, judge for themselves, but
we account for it in the total absence of any ap-
pcaling issue or inspritng essence in the can
vass For instance, Mr.. Wiley gave US at the
Court House, the other night, his views of politi-
cal matters they stand in the country nj large,
pretermiting altogether any opinion as to the
merits of the issue, as it is being made at this
present time by GoSgin against Letcher. Eth
er that issue is an important or an unimportant
one: and the active supporters of Mr.. Goggin
may make it just which they choose. lfit is an
Important one, then there is no excuse why it
should be sunk from the notices of one section
of theState, while it is kept boiling uppermost
in another part. If we are u unit in interest and
in feeling throughout the State, why, what is
meat for one section cannot be poison for the
other. II the issue that Mr.. Goggin so earnest
ly and so pertinacously makes with Letcher is
an inaue one, why then let the people so I'M
derstand it, SO chat they may separate the
dross from the substance in Mr.. Gogsin's
programme of State policy. If it is of the
first Importance that Mr.. Goggin should con-
wet Mr.. Letcher of having entertained and
expressed an opinion to the elect that slavery
is n drawback and encouragement to the
industrial development of the State, then
let that be declared to be the first and chief
question upon which voter5 here and elsewhere
are called to pass.
As we have before said, it is, in our opinion,
because that the people of this section of the
State have got wind of the fact that Letcher's
antccedents are being made the turning point of
this canvass, and that they will defeat him, Of
such thing was possible,) that the public senti-
ment around us is so largely indifferent as to
whether "Cassio kill Roderigo, or Roderigo Cas-
sio, or both do kill each other, any way" In
our opinion there is little for Western Virgin
ians TO choose between the who stakes his
all upon the successful elimination of the SEN
timeuts of the RuTner phamphlet, aud him, who
stakes his NIL upon the success of polite re-
traction of his matured endorsement of them.
A GREAT sensation was made in London, Can.