Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-02-08
TERMS. OF WEEKLY.

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/ General Goverumenc has wisely Rbstained,
SO far as know, from any suggestions TO
OF lnterterence with the deliberations
OF this body; and speaking only from
Mqat IS IN tho reach of every mem
DER here, l state only tho plain
truth whenI say that so tar from our be-
ing convened here under the especial pat
rOnage of the Federal authorities, it re-
mains TO be seen whether We are here even
with their approVal.-But we ara here ut
1.-THE instance aud in the behalf of the peo-
pie OF the proposed new State Of West
virginia. aud of them alones to form and
prepare State Constitution for them and
Tor nobody else, And this brings me back to
the inquiry which I insist is the only legit-
amate ono in this discussion. What do
tue interests of the people Of West Virginia
require at our hands? Weare not hereto
frame Constitution for either the people
OF Kentucky or Obio.-If they prefer their
present ones they will keep them; If they
want new ones they arc abundaatly aESle
to make them. And while they attend
to their own affairs in their own way.
have yet to learn that they have any
thought or desire of ofeusiVely interfering
with ours. We need not hope to escape
the criticisms of our neighbors upon our
work here-friendly or unfriendly us the
case may belt is n privilege we take
with all the world; aud Il were unreason-
able to expect that it will not be return
ed-but DO assured, sir, that the only eff
fectual way to tiisarm it of injury should
1t come, is by the infusion of manly self.
reliance into our labors.-And | beseech
gentlemen, to put away from them at once
and forever the delusion, f0r.it is nothing
else' thRtthey can successfully ignore this
question of the status OF labor in the new
State.@It Will not doWn..at your bidding,
You may postpone it now but In doing
so you only leave it to come up again and
ag'lin under new and more. aggravated
forms; the one ever present and ever rest
less element of irritation and disturbance
among us.
ask, in conclusion, to be INDUCED in a
personal remark. Having been chosen
member of this body, by theg egencrous suf-
trages OF the people of Ohio county, not
only without my consent, but entirely
without my knowledge, in my absence from
home, iu entering upon the discharge OF
duties here which saw not we'll how to
decline, have not reached the conclusion
to which have come, without much Rnx-
tous thought, Almost my only partiCipa-
ton hitherto in the discussions Of the 5la-
very question, has beenby way of protest.
ing to the extent of my humble ability, not
only against the interference by strnngers
With any legal rights of the institution
hero, but the utter inexpediency of some of
those far distant discussionsO of it, inwhich
some communities have been too prone to
indulge. should, under like Circumstan-
COS, pursue the same course again. Atthe
same time have never concealed my
steadtast conEietiopi either as to the char
ncter OF the system, or as to the duty OF
those who have legally aud properly to do
with it rs civil and domestic institution.
II IS here that for the iirst5time in my life.
J Nm charged, along with others. with any
such direct concern. The direction in
which ..Hl my duty points me, seems plainly
Another remark. The people Of West
Virginia have never yet demanded of me by
way of apology; on which bank of the
riverthat washes their shore, it pleased God
that should for the first time open my
eyes onthe light, Ishail not to-day either
bcmean them or debase myself, by teuder-
ing such apology. They invited me into
their serViceiu the days of my early man
hood and the very labors Of the long
years since that time, as well as the mem-
orY of thousand kindnesses received at
their hands, have cOnsecr0ted in my own
regard, the citizenship among them which
the constitution our common country so
amply secures. Ny past and my present
are here and If Heaven please, my future
will be here, to enjOy.OF suffer with this
people whatever in His providence may yet
be in store for US. 1t hRs been Us fellow
observer, and win add, MS n fellow suffer-
er with them, that my judgment of the sys-i.
tenn of slavery among as has been formed.
We. have seen it seeking to inaugnrate, and
in many instances, NIL too successfully, n
reign of terror in times Of profound peace,
of which Austria might be ashamed. We
have seen It year by yeas driving ont from
our genial climate, and fruitful soil, and
,exhaustless natural resources, some of the
men fthe very best energy, talent, aud skill
among our population. We have seen also
in times of peace the liberty of speech taken
awRy-the freedom Of the press bolished--
aud the willing minions OF this system In
bunting down their victims, spare from
degradation and insult, neither the eyoung,
nor the gray haired veteran Of seventy.
winters, whose every thought was as free
from offence against society, as is that of
the infant OF tsdays.- And last but NOT least,
we have seen its own chosen and favored
futerpraters, standing IN the very sanctu-
aries of our political zion, throughout the
land, blnsphcming the holy principles of
popular liberty to which the very places
where they stood had been cousecrated,
by booming my child aud every mans child
Iuat must i've ON lRp0EtO &YlfLu&l ana nelpe-
less slavery. And asthenatural odtgrowth
of fall this, we have seen this huge barbaric
raid against popolar rights, and against
the worlds last hope. It has been the
merit Of other attempted revolutions that
their. motive at least was a reaching up-
ward and forward after liberty It is the
infamy of this that it Is a reaching back
ward and downward after despottBm. It
Wou1d put back the hand on the worlds dial
a thousand years. It would put out the
worlds light in the darkness OF utter and