Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-02-15

starving settler who has not even crust
for his famishing children or a garment to
screen them from the piercing cold, and
resolve that you win do your little. what
ever II may be, for the relief of perish
ing people.
IT is proposed in some quarters to hold
National Convention. The proposition
is not new nor novel one. 1t has been
suggested heretofore in many places, aud
aS many are looking forward to it as the
only peaceful solution Of our uatlOuaI
troubles, the suggestien has been pressed
upon the attention of the country until it
has become the theme for general discuss
ion Even Ne. Seward, some time since,
expressed a willingness that a Convention
should be called. but he extended the time
until the country should again become
calm and quHliied TO deliberate with some
degree of reason.
If a Convention should assemble what
would be the aim? To alter the Constitu-
ton for the purpose of Cancellation. Let
us see who are to be conciIiated. Not the
nineteen Northern, Eastern and Western
States, for they do not ask anything; they
have NO case to mako out; they do not
claim to have been wronged. Neither, on
their own showing, are the seven seeded
cotton States to DO COnciliated. They are
now foreign country, or claim to be, with
a Constitution of their own, which is sim
ply the Constitution of the United States
amended to suit their purposes. They, of
course, have no interest in a National
Convention. The number of States, then,
at whose instance the Convention is to be
called narrOws down to the eight border
slave stAtes-quite sufficient, however,
if they are wronged under the Con-
stitutiOR and can show 1t, to ask
such convention. These States, in
spite of the dazzling but illusory pros
Pect offered, and the imaginary in
juries cited by their Southern neighbors.
and in spite of the taunt that TO do so
would be cowardIy, are exhibiting under
all this, frmuess and loyalty to the Con-
stitution which, at least, commands the
sympathy Of their Northern BRETHREN
The Northern people appreciate this, and
they are willing to be just-even maguani-
NOUS. We do not believe that the border
slave States, or even the Gulf States, ever
received any wrong at the hands of the
Government much less any sufficient
wrong to justify the folly of secession.
Yet we believe that many Of the people OF
the South, under the Misrepresentation of
the bold, bad men who do the political
thinking for that section, really appreheud
some expressions on their rights by Mr.
LineOln's Administration. Well, now, If a
National Convention will result in an
assurance to the border slave States,
that their rights shalt not be molested-
such an assurance as would At once and
forever qniet all apprehensions and bring
them back to full sense of justice to the
Government, we shall not object to assem-
bling it. But will it'll Have not the Re-
publicaus, whose advent to power Is Gre
atinE all this terror, through their orators
and their papers, on all proper and posi-.
BILE occasions, given the most thorough
aud unqualified assurance that they medi-
tated no entertainment on the rights of the
South. What more could they do in a
ConventiOn2 The Constitution might be
so amended as to say that nothing in it
should ever becOnstrued into permitting
any interference with slavery in the States /;
but that would only be bit OF superflu-
Gus legislation, for nobody has ever so
Construed the Constitution, or ever could.
As it regards slavery in the Territories,
would the Northern representatives in the
Convention surrender their position on
that question any sooner than the Nor
them representatives In Cougress7 We
think NOT and so the Convention would
really result In nothing-at least nothing
of practical character. and the border
slave States, denied their demands, would
begin to think, or be confirmed where
they already think, that they were really
denied some right, aud so far from salts
flying or cOnciliating them, the result
would only tend to make them dissatisfied.
One good effect of calling convention
would be, that it would give time. delay
and time is all that IL wanted to bring back
the people TO sense of reason and right.
II the border slave States will just wait
till Mr.. Lincoln tells them what course he