Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-11-22
The Argument OF seIf-Interest.


The Argument OF seIf-Intsrest.
There will never come time wien men
will agree on agJthing abou; which an ar
gumsnt can possibly be raised. From mo-
lives beyond Logical control, re will always
have men combating propositions affecting
the public welfare, IN opposition 10 the
large majority. While We may regrs; this
fact, there is no way Of doing away With it |
that We see. Hence We do not stop to waste
regrets over the consciousness thu, there
are mea II Western yirgisiA Who are not
favorable 70 a new State. While We can
not syBpathize With the preJudiees tbs;
control soue-the Ignorance that beelouds
othsEs-the diElOyalty that Psryerts others.
~sare jet disposed 70 forbesF properly aud
defeTentiRlly, AID content Ourselves with
pressing upon the attsatioa of all persons
the material beuefts which are sure to arise
from . new State. We have lived issg
enough 10 know that there is nothing 50
vital TO the interests of men that they FfiI
NOT disregard it, If ipaansd By resentment.
And hence in times like the present 1t is to
be more than ever expected that . question
like that of the new State, being collateral
asitisto the war aud the merits ofthe var,
should end itself adopted and opposed ae-
cSSding as men have taken sides about the
war.
People who have southern synpathies
very naturally oppose the new State
They see IN its success free State, and s
free State Is not in accordance with their
synpHlhies They see 10 it an anti-seess-
sion success declaration that Western
YirginiA has arrzyed herself o. the side Of
those States that have no AFFINITY either
With secession or the eAase Of secession
Hence al such people oppose il and they
viii % pose, not9ithstanding al that 9e
or any one else can say.
The difefenee between those Who advo-
cate And Hose Who oppose the new State
Is HE old difference of slavery that has
been IN dispuse 50 long. On one side you
zee men Who believe that slaYsry Is detri-
mental and anti-progressive and anti
eTerytbiug that builds mp people in wealth,
intelligenee and power. On the other side
you see men whose prebiudiecs are strOn-
ger ttah their care about these Advantages,
and who really mistrust such advantages,
and who would rather forego them than TO
chfugs status of things under which they
have been born and raised, and which they
consider good enough for themselves, and
more respectable than any alterations.
a man who believes that slave State is
morezespectable than free state-Who
has acquired sort of rePugnauee to the
active life of the free States-who believe
that one,bigifarm With negroes on itgiyes
more dignity aud character to u man born
in its Vicinity, than dozen small farms
with no negroes on them, OF course goes
against substituting the one condition OF
things for the other. He will meet all the
facts and figures with his prejudfces, and
argument Is lost on him. The same Prsju-
dices make him seeessionist in nine cases
out of ten, and how much more consistent
IL an Ruti-neE-Stats man. fftIg.
But we do not appeal to such men. We,
appeal to those who are earnestly devoted
10 the BEST Interests Of West Virginia,
without regard to their Prejudiees We
are not appealing to fanatics of any kind.
Our ATgum ent is1to those,Who have intel
ligeutly cOntrastsd West Virginia with the
country ON either side of it-with Western
PennsylE4nia, and Eastern Ohio, and who
haye 1otsd. the difference IN. the price of
isnds-iu the density of Popalhtion-in the
atssnca d school houses-in the absence
ofpa6Iic improYements-iu the lack of di-
versified iudustry-inr the wan. OF all
agesciss 81 material development. To
these men We address ourselves. The
minds of such men are aEaksueds They
feel that there is great want of some.
thiuE-that great retardatiOn has been on
usEthat;we lag behind-that weneed new
influence among US: Such men know that
Ws6aTe tried the slave State system and
they. know that having always had that
system, our failure to compete
with, sour neighbors is not attrib-
utabie TO a free State system, for We
have never had one. They very natural
ly eOneiuds that the fsalfis With the slave
stSte system, because it is the only point |
ofdiFsEenSs bstWsea us aud Onr neighbors.
Hence, dragged down and kept doWnsass |
their Interests have been by that system !