Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-04-26
Law OF xArURE-No. ,.
Editor, Lntsiligenes5-

Law OF NArURE-No. ..
Editors Intslligeaesr:
Early in July, l776, Couvention of
great and wise men declared ttat they held
"these truths to be self.evident, that all
men are created equal; that they are en-
dOwed by their creator with certain mali
E.table rights; that among these are life.
liberty and the pursuit of happiness In
other words. they declared the equal right
OF the strong and the weak, the wise and
the simple, the large and the little, the
learned and the ignorant, while abstaining
from injury to Others. to seek their own
happiness in their own way, to be an uu-
questionable law of nature. Some COM
munities have yielded partial obedience
to this great ordinance of nature. Let as
mark the consequences. Massachusetts
has territorial surface less than one eighth
OF Virginia, yet her military force is at
least as great as that of the ancient Com
monwealth, and her wealth and pecuniary
ability probably very much greater Penn
sylyania has a superficial extent equal TO a
little more than two thirds of Virginia, vet
her military force is almost three times MS
great, and her opulence as compared with
that of the Old Dominion, Is probably in
still greater proportion. The comparison
between New York and Virginia, leaves
the latter still further in the rear, iuas-
much as New York, without being larger
than Pennsylvania is wealthier aud more
pOpulOus. Ohio has territorial extent
less than two thirds of Virginia, yet her
military force is to that of Virginia as
twenty-three to eleven, and no one ac-
quainted with the subject doubts that a
srll greater inequality exists in the wealth
of the two States. Hamilton county in the
State of Ohio has a superficial extent of
four hundred square miles. South Caro-.
lima, the guilty and Odious author of our
national calamities, has tWenty-eight
thousand square miles. Yet the little
county has a white population but little.
inferior to the white population of that re-
doubtable sovereign State, and peeuniary
ability probably very much superior,
Second raie counties in Ohio and Penn
sylVania will compare pretty well, as to
wealth and population, with the sovereign
State of Florida. But why particulArize?
The Northern and Western States, not
withstanding the neWness of the latter, are
filled with opulence and prosperity, which
dnrlng the ages of despotism would have
been deemed utterly fabulous and imPos-
sible.
Other communities believe that they
can repel and defy the laws of nature with
impUnity. Let US see if they can. Under
the old monarchy, a woman might be seen
in Paris, around whom other women con-
tended tor the privilege Of helping on with
her clothes, of piuning her dress, of hold
ing her wash-basin, OF handing her towels
At one time a civil War was imminent
in France, because women not entitled by
custom, were permitted to sit in this wo-
mans presence. And the danger of that
war, which WAS very urgent,was only aVerted
by the Government solemnly Withdrawing
the permission, aud thus restoring the
coveted privilege to its ancient and exclu-
sive owners. 5a
West of the Atlantic, in South Carolina,
in. Georgia, in Florida, in Louis
lana, women might be seen stripped,
tied to shipping trees and Writhipg
and screaming under inflic:iOn of the
blood red scourge. Yet these women
were just as good by nature as the French
woman, and far more useful in practice
But the one was called the Queen Of France
and the others were called African slaves.
The old despotism in France and the des-
pOtism in the Southern States had one ele-
ment in common. The upper classes in
both were uuduly exalted, and the lower
classes utterly depressed. The French
Deasantry, az they were called, that is the
useful, laboriOus classes, were treated With
contempt very similar to that experienced
| by the Southern slaves.
The property of the Industrious citizens
| in France WAS subjected TO intOlerable bur-
dens of taxation, was wasted in wicked,
cAuseless wars, and lavished in the erec-
ttion of splendid palaces ia Paris and at
Versailles and ST. Germans, while the
property OF the mobility was entirely ex-
empt. Arbitrary imprisonments, indeE1n-
itely prolonged, were the order of the day.
! Torture MAS inflicted TO extort confessions
of guilt. The rack and the wheel we're in
constant requisitiOn.t The itOn bar ia the
hands Of a merciless, exeCutiouee, broke
| the boneS OF prusrrAte wretch bound to
a plank. And it is not % be disguised,
that these horrible crneIties were often
visited upon the jnnOeeut aud upon those
whose offences implied no moral turpitude,
But the cup Of proTOcatiOn was At length
tfolE, H1man nature could endure NO
more Add the Monarchy, the Church
and the Nobility fell, involved in big rnin
jueYer, through all coming ages, toiawakeu
the slightest sympathy IN the breast of any
man deserving TO be regarded as AZ once
both wise and good.
1 Retributiou oyertakes the Southern des-
\ pots in a manner somewhat different. All
1 attempts of their Helots 70 secure fol
themselves the common rights Of hnmau
1 nature, have been sfeFnly repressed by The
bayOnet, the bullet, the halter and The
stake. But utterly corrupted, as men al,
ways will be corrupted, 1.-THE habits O
! Earbltrary and Unauthorized power, and
1 rendered insane BY q sense of their hncief
\ superiority, our Southern aristOCrats have
4 at length eontriVed to quarrel with I
i tatrouger and steEner race. To qnAFHe
TlcUtth the North aud West, was at 6rst nj
1 easy task, for we have always been -.
- ssFo s0uthaFn tEllti sxeselt6Efyb blIna
10 soathsEu virtues very lind