Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-01-29

Union DemonAtERtiOn at the
Atheuaeum last nIght-The UnIon
Men out Ia their might.
The old Athenacum was packed 10 ;,s
ceiling last night with the Union men NJ
the city, turned out to greet the Hon
Sherrard Clemens and give him a recon.
ton worthy the Union speech in Congress
this day one week ago. The house was
one immense jam, and a more enthusiastic
and unanimous audience we never sou,
gathered together. Well might neonIa
ask, as they did frequently last night who
are the disunionists in our midst, and
where do they stay? CestainIy if all out.
doors had been scraped together from III.
alleys and lanes of the city and called
"secessionists," they would have made :.
poor show along sids of the Union men.
last night. Mr. Clemens took occasion to
remark that it was the largest audience
he had ever addressed in Wheeling.
The meeting was called to order by Sc
leeting ]. H. McMechen, Chairman, and N.
Wilkinson Secretary. At o'clock Mr..
Clemens appeared on the stage and was
greeted with prolonged aud oft repeated
outburst of applause. The people stamped
their canes and their boots till the dust
was raised from every chink and crevito
in the old dramatic temple, and whooped
and followed and hurrahed until the uoise
was almost deafening. OF Mr.. Clemens
speech( lover two hours long I'VE cannot hope
at this hour to give even meagre outline.
1t was entirely extemporaneous, and on
that account was all the more Interesting
to the people. Not the least entertaining
phase of it was its dramatic character.
The speaker seemed to catch the real
stage spirit that is supposed to linger
around the ''grecn rooms" close by which
he stood, and he certainly made as good
and effective use of his powers of voice and
gesture as ever did Forrest himself. Mr..
Clemens was in high speaking tune, con-
sideriug his recent labors and his bodily
condition, and threw all his might and
energy into every utterance. He never
was more vehement-never launched his
noted iuvective with greater zeal nor drove
home the shafts of his characteristics sar-
casm with greater power. He smote the
traitors hip and thigh, on every tack, in
every way, by argument, by ridicule, by
ineffnble scorn, by occasional flights of
real, heartfelt, towering, patriotic elo-
quence. He appealed to God that he stood
there before his audience, Invested of party
Invested of ambition, other than for the
good of lis country, melted only in the
cause of National salvation, and iuflamed
only by holy zeal of hatred against the
traitors, who were plotting our ruin. 1t
he could give his ''poor broken body'' as a
sacrifice, which would restore that love to
the two sections that ought ever TO have
existed, he would, so help him Gol, freely
give it. lie was satiated and disguised
with public life and all its houors. He
desired to spend the remainder of his days
with his family in the quiet content and
happiness of domestic life, and all that he
wished and hoped to do in this hour of
danger and trial, was to beat back and
beat down and extermiunte these traitor
Gus rebels, who were seeking to UNDER
mine the government by secession.
He read many striking passages frou
Luther Mnrtin-from ReTcrdy Johnson
from Daniel Webster, to show that seces-
sion had no warrant in law or common
sense, and was a remedy to be scorncd
and secuted by every prtrtot. He read
also from the sermon of DR., Breckenridge,
of Kentucky, to show that the interests of
the Border States was not nor never could
be with the cotton States. They, (the
cotton Stalcs) wanted free trade, which
would be death and sure desolntion to our
city OF Wheeling, They wanted to re-
open the African Slave trade. These pur-
poses wero in their secret counsels, al
though the traitors dare not openly avow
them. He warned the people of Wheeling
to look out for these secessionists-to Sc,
their faces against thcm-to give them no
quarter, for there was nothing but poison,
disease and death IN their plans. He
knew the leaders-he was informed of
their intentions-he had seen great de-
velopment of their nnholy plans, from the
labors of Rhett down to the statistics Of
De-BOw, aud it was all of piece: it was
all free trade and more African slaves.
In conclusion, Mr.. Clemens said that he
did not wish to become a candidate for the
Convention; but if the people wished him
to be one, hO would say, their will, not
his, be done. They had heard his views
and his programme, and If they thought
that he could be effective in helping to
wash out secession, they were at liberty to
command him. His own wish however,
would be that other gentlemen might be
substituted.
After Mr. Clemens was done, DR.. Logan
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