Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-04-22

receiving marked attention throughout the
eOautFy-nOt only on account of is nsg-
nitads, bit lis significance 1t Is re-
garted az an unnissakAble indication that
orr people want 10 make their State free
State, aad cannot laiI 10 have favorable
influence upon Congress in the eousidera-
tion Of orr application for admission. /,
should be remembered always, 10 speak
ing Of this vote, that IL was ELECTED under
the most unfzrorabls Circumstances that
cza De Trn.gfssd. Il i about The first ez-
preston Of the kind in the history Of this
Country, certainly the frat IL the history of
this State, znd necessarily had arTayed
against il sll the objections arrayed against
anything that lacks 3 precedent. Our
people ~efe not in the habit Of holding
elections Of their ogn accord, and many
dida; Ike 70 do il while Others never
troubled themselves 10 ind out just how
i could be done, simple Is the process
wss. The Convention k4d seen st il rs
wisdom 70 deny the people any expression
OF the subject, and the vote proposed 70
accomplish no apparent result. Fer this
:eazon. thousands who voted OF the Con-
s!IaIion alone. wonld have voted f3r
Emancipation, had vote been ordered By
the Convention, while great nunte:s, de-
Ptived Of the vote they chiefly desired 10
gre, stayed away from the polls altogetb-
e. very numerous class didn't vote on
the subject because it promised no prac-
: teal result. They could not vote anything
into the Constitution or ou, of il. or change
!; il any respect by votiag, and they did
not care TO look 10 the future for a result.
Ta-y we're very practical 10 their views,
aud did not vote at all. Bat the chief OBJ
stseis 10 : full vote on emancipation
EaE, that poll-b0oks were not opened
II lnADy counties AZ all, aad at some
prsSinets IN Others Ills was not on
scount of any hostility to taking the
vote, bat simply the result Q: indifference;
simply because it vas nobody's business 10
attend to 1t Pollock and clerks for the
vote on the Constitution were provided in
every county and at every precinct by the
SsAte authorities, hut in a great many
counties nobody felt interested enough to
see thai they were provided for vote on
emancipation so that although in many
cases votes we're offered, there was no
one to record them, while as a general
thing there being no provision for record.
ing them, none were offered. There were
no candidates, who always make it their
business TO see that pOII-books are pro-
Tided. There was nobody to bring the vO-
tiers to the polls. There vas nobody to
make speeches and excite interest
and rivalry. People we're Indifferent be-
cause Of the general disappointment at the
sciiOn ofthe Convention. They had about
made up their minds that present success
for thesneE State had been sacrificed; and
voting Tor principle. when the vote
promised no immediate good, was rather a
dull business to induce them to leave
their vocatiOns at busy season.
In many counties there were Jealous and
devoted men who made it their business to
see that preparations for vote were made
They deserve to be houored, land the time
is coming When they will bel for their adj
herenee 10 a good causein :discouraRing
hour. One thing that should be marked in
this connection is this: that wherever a poll
was opened for vote on emancipation the
people voted. The vote in such counties
compares very tavorably with that on the
Constitution. 1t is also to be observed
that nearly always where the vote for
emancipation fell short Of the vote for the
Constitution, the residue is not against
emancipation, but simply sileut-men who
were timid perhaps or Indifferent, but no,
Pro-sIavery; for We may be sure that
every pro-slavery man who voted ON the
Constitution where the other poll was
open voted agafnst emancipation-and we
find the number thus voting very small.
To any friend of new aud free State
in Western Virginia understanding the pe-
euliar and complex difficulties under which
this vote was elected, it is a very CRAFTY
ing exhibition. We realize that there is a
considerable old fOgy elemen, in the new
state, but not nearly so large as it would
have people believe. 1t was represented at
least double in the Convention, but does
not comprise more than three tenths of our
PEOPLE. Only give them any fair chance
at a legal expression on this subject and
the result will verify the assertion. Every
thing considered, The recent vote taken in
spite of the Convention, and in spite of the
politicians, is gratifying evidence of this
fact, and one that has surprised many at
home as well as abroad.
There was great rejoicing among the