Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-10-18


! regretted very +hael your determination, as In.
dIcate 70 me your letter subsequent to tho Prei-
dental election. very much desired to see you In
Congress instead of Brovn, aud the times were more
prOpitiOus for you than any other man. ifl'
No man can gainsay what here ASSERT
ed. Almost every man in this section was
for Mr.. Oldham. Hon. Wm. G. Brown de-
sired Mr.. Oldham's nomination and cleo
ton, and did not wish to be candidate
himself, though he was subsequently nom
mated land "tfere6y hangs tai, ]" which ut
the proper time shall take the liberty Of
laying before the public) and elected
Thinking that probably Mr.. Oldham might
acknowledge the right of secession l fur
ther wrote, (Which seems to accord with
his views previously expressed to me.) -a
GENow do not believe In the right of Secession.
but do believe in successful Revolution. For the
time being Virginia is ReyolutloniLed by the Con-
fedeEates with the exception Of these two Congress
septed Ge IN the copgre S o the % unsG sta.e until
they are TsE1lutioniLed alsas and perhaps rep
rescntative there might Al his Southern fiiends
| more thanhe conldin any cther Poaitiohs
Now do not.wfsh any person to infer
that I desired or expected that these two
Congressional districts would also be Rev
olutionized by the Confederates On the
other hand, it is a desire OF mine which
the Confederate army may never. be sue
into Western Virginia; and believe that,
with the proper exercise of caution by the
commanders of the Union army, in guar
ding and defending our mountain passes,
such dire result is an impossibility
What meant by saying that Mr.. o. might
aid his Southern friends more in Congress
than in any other position, was that, by
offering and advocating some proposition
for an honorable adjustment of our Ma
tional difficulties that would end the war,
he would confer a greater benefit on his
Southern friends than he could in any 9TH
er position. But 1 did not mean any one
to infer that he would not benefit his
trends at the North also. Indeed think
such a course, if successful, would have
conferred lasting benefit on the whole
country. The next paragraph in the let
ter is,
81 should like to talk with you fully and freely on
the present condition Of the country; but cannot
wIite Us the mails more the carriers Of prirdte
correspondence" t
was aware that the mails were uudera
surveillance; that letters to all suspected
persons were opened; that Mr. Oldham
was suspected person; Though | be-
lieved unjustly) and that, in all probabili-
ty my letter to him would be read by some
Postmaster or other agent of the Govern
ment. This fact itself is evidence that /
was not aware that | had written n sem
tence which could be construed into any
thing inimical to the Federal Government.
The reason would talk to him more free
ly than would write is, that owing to the
excited state of the public mind almost
everything one might iOTitc or publish can
be and will be improperly construed by
the injudiciOMS friends of the Government
or by destyning men. For instance, the ar
ticle wrote when first returned from
New York, urging the immediate formu-
tlon of separate, State, was construed by
some into disunion. Notwithstanding
was standing on the platform on which
Western Virginia was almost unanimous
before, was condemned us disunionist
because did not follow the leaders at
Wheeling and turn somersault too. No
man can read that article and find an ex-
preston fayoring disuniou.
And having the experience of my
Wheeling article before my eyes and the
sensitiveness of the public mind, 1 wrote
to Mr.. Oldham that would like to talk to
him on the presen: condition of the coun-
try. | could give him my views in relation
to the probable result of the War; of the
manner in which the Union cause had
been managed ; of the corruptness of Gov
ernment officials, and of many things of
kindred nature which deem it imprudens
to publish to the world, for fear that ],
might embarrass the cause of the Govern
ment, thing which Rm not desirous to
do. Does not every man discuss, in pFi-
vate, questions, and advance views which
he would not desire published, for fear it
might iDjure the cause of the Union, or be
miscOnstrued by the excitable public mind?
But wrote further: aa ie +.''
sWestern Virginia has been disgraeed by her POSI-
ton which Is merely nominal one--not 50 In TACT
Thereare not oyer 1000 citizens OF Western
'ssTruIy yours, NJ. NJ. DENT.H
What meant by this is, that Western
Virginia has taken position for the Union
against the rebellion through her repre-
sentatives in Convention at Wheeling that
she would restore the State Government
that her citizens would join the army of
the Union, and assist the balance of the
army in reducing their brethren of East
ern Virginia to submission to the laws of
the United States. Yet, notwithstaud-
ing this her nominal position-notwith-
standing our homes were menaced by the
Confederate army-notwithstandin our
40, 600 Union majority there were but one
Thousand Virginians in the field. l had
conversation with Col. Evans, of the 9Th
Regiment, about that time, and he told'me
Hthat he believed there was not over one
thousand citizens of Western Virginia in
the army And presume this s-estimate
was very nearly correct Mt that time.
shall not attempt to prove this statement,
for thewant of spaces but refer any one
who does not believe it to Col. Evans, who
has been industriously engaged for some
time, trying 70, raises Regiment.
After signing the letter added below:
ewe must await events now.
P s-I forgot to mention that amer peace shall
be restored toour distracted country, should
be glad to celebrate the event by receiving Mr.. and
Mn Oldham at our house. Mrs. Dent Is now with
her mother at Elmira, New York. --.r-.l
The remark "we must await events
now" simply meant that nothing which