Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-08-21
The Demonstration Tuesday aiKht.

spirited but very slgotncaht auhtrs Auu
il was altogether impromptu. There was
no set programme of any kind. Neither
speakers or bearers had anything arranged.
We pUin, especially to the speech of Hon
Chapman Stuart, of Doddridge county,
as not only illustrative of his own progress
sive opinions on the war question, but
emiuenlly illustrative of those ofthe people
There were men before him from all parts
of western Yirginia-soldiers from Han
cock aud DodGridge-frOm Marshall AID
MArion-ohio aud Harrison, aud ma
ny other Counties-sous of the sOil-eome
together as if by accident, and yet all of
one mind-all breathing the same spirit
of deadly, Incorporating hostility to the
rebellion. his most radical expressions
were those which went home to the hearts
of the soldiers. and the ones that drew
from them the heartiest responses. When be
said that hereafter there we're to be no
stumbling-blocks in the prosecution of
this war; that there were to be no hesi-
taucies in the mode of prosecuting it; that
NO sacred institutions or superstitious of
any kind were to stand between them aud
the Union, the soldiers knew what be
meant, and they cheered him loudly. bis
scathiug references TO the reasonable and
discordant efforts of Yailaudigham. Car
lileG Co. were in exact unison and SYM
patty with the spirit of his audience
His feeling was their feeling.
How wonderful it is to look upon the
public sentiment of our Western Virgins
people. It is self made public sentiment.
Despite of leadership-despite of old part
sanism-despite of all Influences that were
called Yirgnian in their character, look
how firm front the loyal counties OF
Western Virginia present to-day. weTen-
ture the assertion, strange as it may SEEM
that there is hardly to be found such
UniOuism ia any State of this Union as
We can ind in many of the counties Of West
Virginia. Marshall county, for instance,
is representative of it, aud there are
other counties just As much so. These
people were accustomed in times gone
by TO look to certaia leaders for eoun-
sci. These leaders went into re-
belliou. They made Efforts for months to
seduce tie people to follow them. But the
people would not. The whole troape of Rus
sells aud PendIetons aud Martins and Nee
sons and Kidwells Sc, went out almost
alone. To that point aud no farther the
people followed them. And there thepoV-
er of PARTY machinery. failed.
Now look. at these people. They don't
debate the question of this war. They re-
foe no system of policies il their minds.
They, look to the one thing only. Wig, the
putting down of the rebellion. To them
the slavery question is nothing, They don't
see slavery in this war at all as an issue
Their plan is to go straight through to the
end OF, the rebellion, cutting down and
sweeping away all obstac.es that present
themselves. To their practical intelligence
the great eud to be Obtained addresses it
self without reference tO::wbat disasters
may befalI those who are 10 arms against
the Union.
A remarkable phenomenon in the case of
public opinion ia Western Virginia, is the
fact that the politicians, those OF them that
are on the Union side, have followed the
people, and have been led by them. The
people were as far along on this question
almost at the very outset as they are now.
They saw but one course 10 pursue. They
had no other plan from the beginning than
to put down the rebellion regardless
of consequences to the rebels. The slavery
question never hAmpered them. 1t was
only the public men that that question ham
pared. Aud strange it is that IN all the ed6-.
eational processes through which the lead
ers have passed, they have at last only come
out on the road to the place where Ihepeopls
have been waiting for them. Now We
stand pretty near all together. There is.
practically no division of sentiment IN the
loyal counties of Western Virginia. Trea-
son has been crushed out. All the persist
tent efforts that have been made to force in
30 life the old slavery prejudices have been
fruiuess. Mr.. Carlile and his partisans
tried it afeR weeks ago, aud no man since
the record of history commented, ever re-
csiyed in the same length of time such a
unanimous and Overwhelming reblks and
Reputation. The people will not be
distracted. They scout the meanness
and treaehefy of any attempt at it,
Aud this : is the cheering feature |
of their loyalty. 1t is what gives an OBJ
server an abiding hope in the very princi-
pie of popular government. The fact that I
a people situated as We are here 10 West
ern Virginia, where politics were received
secondhand frorn,the mouths of doubtful
men on the stump, rose up as it were by
aud fsp1diate all their old
leaders, aud all ths old issues, and rallied
Al slss 70 the grest cause OF the country,