Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-01-25
rIlE NEw sTArE.

THE NEW STATE.
lFgf a. lsuilElasr,l
.Vs,sys E3iorR--Thcrc Is great anxiety
felt vs. the people, rs 10 thc character q
our New States Coa6litgti0u. There are
Of least ,Lrce opinions cu,edaiasd and ex.
pressed, 80 ar as il shall aaect iAe nsiitl-
( lion Of slavery. Tic dtsi, that Il SHOULD
provide for the gradnal emancipation. at
no very dislaat day, Of III persons "heldtO
Ih1ryice" 10 the hnEnd3 Of The New state
Second, thatiJ should le Silcu; on the sub.
1 jocl, lea,iugthO Legislature TO deal Eith rs
lRud, thirdly, that il jhOa,d be pr0-s!averi.
/ II 10 but Just, however, 10 say That The
ltidrd class Is small cowParatyeiG TIC
great majority are ngreed that II viii uli'.
malely be y Tree State ] judge also, That
that class desiring thO coastltuaoa to be
IsleBt and leave the Legislature to mapase
lii, is very decided minority. II is very
I objectionable whether these two classes are
d majuliiy -indeed is ptobAbie they are
not,
I This is very grave qnc3iion, and wIsl
I rlVulFtAli ihH WlshuaI VI Aus N"H'NH''v"
% manage Il, SO that the Constitution may
inOt bc defeated by the people on the
ohr hand, aud by C0sgres1 on The
other, Tia; Congress viii not admit
US, with pyo.slayery Constitution,
lis preiy generally cpueeiedi Ihea to
make such constitution would 1e to de.
| fiat the whole New Stale movement, Ana
tren surprising that Congress did admit ns,
would uottho same causes that haze opcr-
aied to prgyent The prosperity OF Virgipia,
shll be 10 fall Iorce? Before this position
Is assumed, eitharhy the Convention orlhe
people, souc facts are worthy Of Ihetg
most serious consideration, that Virginia Is
behind many other S,qtes-Statrs, too,
lihst are Inferior 10 her IN age and natural
resources, is a fact, too patent y the uiosl
superficial Observer, toNltcmpt to prove. i
would only bs insulli0g ihs ip!rili-
lgth. reader. She Is, indeed, behind
all those elements lhat make . great
State population, wealth, internal in
Iproycmcuis. and intellectual developments,
| The honest aud competent staiciGIan will
nluirc With deep so,leitude, WAY Is thts
Surely the answer will not be found Ia any
want Of natural resources Der soil Is ler'
tile, her mtneaIs-coal, iron aud hmc-
arc gbuddnnt. Her timber is not Inferior
to any ia the worldi Virginia oak is At
premium IN the i.oud0n market Her eli
mate is as saluLrious as Hnt in the North
American cunlincat,. Her water power is
proyCrbial. The capacity Of her youth Is
not inferior, indeed, sir, hearlau cduca-
tor, WHO bad charge OF students trom sew.
eral States, aud nota Virginiau, say that
students from Western Virginia exeelIed,
Surely she does not want the prestige OF
an honorable position and great naIncs.
Then, repeat with au emphasis, phg ia ~
There eau be but ouc answer, labor TO con-
ccal il as we may, and that is found in the
pFtssaes oCslayery. We wall be helped 10
Iulcttcr understanding o. this answer BY
comparison OF some ot the free aud slave
States. VIC 10 not propose to make this
comparison exaclin;tll its miautlnr neither
lis Il necessary for our present purpose.
| Look ut Virgiuia, she commands The
advantages OF tie Atlantic on the East, AID
the valley Of the Mississippi By mcaus OF
tile Ohio on tho West No State Of lhe
Union has more varied territory; she IS
fued ior agriculture, for grazing, and for
manufactures; her mineral resources and
her water power SHOULD have made her
long ago the weailhicsi manufacturing
State OF the New World, Her access TO tie
West, and her central position between the
northern and aouthern States, with ono Of
the best harbors OF land at Norfolk, should
have given her precedence over New York,
aud made her the commercial centre Of the
continent. These are not hypothetical
opinious, they are written on he: very &C.
| ography, But where does this magnificent
State stand today with all her rare hiaiort-
cal excellence 2An assessment made o. the
State not long sibcc, reports the total value
az real estate ia hercities and country a. y
| $4,000 coo. This equals mol one half the
value OF tbe city VI New York alone-an
area OF thirteen By lhroe miles. Her in
crease from 1850 to 1855 has beeu only
about thitly-six per cent. showing an Gc-
tnal decluaton, ior tho change OF prices
in all things proaaccl by the Increase Of
gold within that time has .hecn much
more than thirty.six per cent. Tue increase
of Ohio is stated at more than one thous-
and per cent FOR the last tgenty yeRrs-its
valuation htving arisen from $50 100000
70 over $500 100000.
She has a public debt Of out little less
than S50, 900, ,00O--her magnificent system
of internal improvements still uncomp!e.ed
aud failug-her six per cent. stocks not
worth more than 40 cents Uu the dollar
Reputation is inevitable. The whole
banking capital Of the State in 1850 was
less than SlO,0U0,O 600, while that OF New
York ri;y exceeded 100000, 900, What is
done with the mineral treasures OF tue
| State? What are her slave lands east Of
The Blue Ridge bceomiugl Whileemigratiou
has been eyoGiug into new lIe States al
most year by year, in the free West, whit
has il been doing with the magnificent do.
main west Of The Blue Ridge? Does hisIO-
ry record morc astounding c1ample Of
seli.abnegatiou for a traditional instilu.
tion than this slerIice Of Virsinia OF ma.
Itlonal pre.eminence IN opulence aud power
| for the sake Of slayery-aud slavery too,
which can hardly be said to extend over
halt the State, and which has long ago
exhausted itsclf2' Can there be y citizen
/ in whom the old Virginia honor and cbiy-
airy sill linger, who does not contemplate
the curse which has come upon his noble
State from this one cause with indignalioni