Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-09-16
Fer the Intellfgcucer,I
western Virginians Read This !!

If there is any people iu this broad land
that has reason to thank God and take
courage for the deliverance that has been
wrought out for us, we are that people -
1t is but IL little while ago that Western
Virginia, from the Panhandle to the Big
Sandy, and from the Ohio to the noun
taius, was threatened with an utter and
relentless snbjugatiun to the most infu-
nous usnrpAtion the world ever saw. In
that gloomy hour the armies of the FEEDER
III Government brought us rclief-instant
and decisive need not attempt to depict
what would ne Onr condition now, had not
that relief come when it did and as it did.
But the mighty struggle is not yet ended;
the fierce contest, involving nothing less
than the very existence of our national and
individual honor and life, is still going on.
Aud the question which, aus one of the
humblest of their number, ! would press
unon the attention of my fellow -citiZeus
is, Hhatare are doing 10 aid this contest p
Honor to tile men everywhere who have
Loyalty and firmly in times Uf danger, stood
MP for tue UuiUn our fathers formed i
Double honor to our Virginia troops, who
with gtIInntry unsurpassed, have backed
their tror,is with their dc.HS on tlc battle
iridl But repeat, What are nee us a peo-
pie doing IL Mts contest IN 'chirA oUr UsTY alt
Is iaroircd? Are we doing all that we
ought to do? IRE ne doing lie oBe-hIlf or
ihe oae faurih that ,re owgk 10 do GhR cO"id
d.? There are know not how many reg
imrnis from Ohio and Indiana now on our
soil between us and the foe how many are
there from among nmr own peUpleE Tie
General Government supplies L" lis troops
pay food, clothing and bounty and West
rru Hirgiuiuns have this incentive over and
above that presented to Oihcrs-me are
gdjd and iirnished for detcHdiny oHrVClreS n 5
well as the common Uniun. of the tens of
thousands of our aEie bodied Young and
middle aged men. how many have reSpond-
ed to this call 2 In my inmost soul honor
and reverence tie brave few that have
done so but / am ashamed ana grieysd
that that few has not been multiplied ten
fUldI Western Virginia onght tn have,
aud if her people would vigorously set
about il. could have now ut least a dozen
full regiments in the field.
And here for another moment, let us
look another mHtter squarely in the fhce
1t is prl bnbtc that few unthinking per-
sons may have supposed that Western Nir-
ginia, being now, chiefly by the aid of
troops from abroad, free from the presence
of any very formidable hostile force, is
cure, however the general struggle may
terminate; that ia UHy cBsAt our new State
of Kanawhn is to lie Il fixed fact. There
could not well be wider vNgnry than
this. The simple truth is, that if the Gen-
crdl Government. by the aid of NIL loyal
hearts and arms, and ours among them,
succeeds in putting down this rebellion.
ace succeed in our efforts to free ourselves
from subjugaIion 10 traitors but il II .iHiis,
zee fail We are all in the same boat -
We swim or sink together. we would
preserve our librrties-or deserps them
ciIhcr-wc have got to fight for them, and
that is ali there is about il; and We cam
not too quickly make up our minds to the
Iissuel
II is very true that many of our citizens
| in most of the counties, are enlisted as
home guards But there are two reasons
why this ought not greatly TO interfere
with the filing up of regiments for gener
al service. One is, that this ncighborhOod
guerrilla warfare will be most etfectnnl!y
ended by the decision of the national con-
test; and probably not wholly until then.
| Anoiber reason is. that the home guard
service could perhaps in every instance be
made amply effective by embracing cxclu-
| siycly those who. from their age or busi-
ness, are unified for the regular regiments
| Let the old and middIe-aged men go into
the home guards-all of them, ii need be
and let the others 20 into the regiments
and take the Geld. and all departments
will he well supplied. This is the way
and the only one, to have peace speedily
and pernunen,ly. A small force invites
war-an Overwhelming large one very
nearly makes it impossible.
hi A yery good thing to have help from
abroad: it is hetter thing not 10 forget
TO hclp ourselves. For one / have but