Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-11-18

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ThsHew state Question IA = MGteria1
There - no aspect Of the New StRte
ques.ioa n which it exhibits itself TO better
advantage than IN respect % solid material
results. Iadsed this REV Of It Is all in All,
for II embraces slmos: every consideration
that suggests itseif IN advocacy Of the
measure. After all the fine spun theories
that nsy be addneeI 90 any subject to show
OF this Of thatIfeaturs Of proposed Improve
nent, the real test i. the material one, viii
Itpsy7 Like All other questions Of poll
tics or craftsmanship, the proposition To
erect new State here 10 Western Virgin
Il, must be tried by this insezibIe standard
Of material results- twill bear the or
deal. 1t will pay.
A favorite argument Of the seeessiOnists
here, is to say that separation from East
ern Virginia would be a sacrifice of our fu-
ture commercial prosperity. They tell US
thu. With Wheeling and Western Virginia
In 4 Southern Confederaey. Wheeling
would beeOAe the Manchester Of the
South" aud Western yirginia its great
4orkshoP; while, they tell as, if We cast in
or lot with the free States: We shall al
sSsyEibe the outstrippedy competitor in the
race for commercial prosperity and power.
They tell as that Northern composition
HoaId suPpIant aud ruin Us, and that We
rnust look Sonthssrd aud SonthWestWard
for our CUSTOMERS Such an argument
Rnds Judgment in the minds of many who
are content TO take bat superficial views of
. things IN general. and accept everything for
granted that Is asserted. Such an ar
gumest without distinctly asserting it con
templates, or rather predieates itself npon
something that will never happen. viz a
SEPARATION Of tie Northern aud Southern
States into two distinct and hostile Gov
ernments. II Il based on the presumption
which does not exist, that Western Virgin.
ia has to choose whether 1t will go with a
Southeru Coufederaey or Northern Con.
federaey, The question is not whether We
are 70 be free Stale in free confederAcy.
or slave State in slave Coufederaey, but
whether We are TO be a free or slave State
In the United States as they exist and will
exist wheu the rebellion is crushed out.
The consideration ofthis fact alone destroys
the sophistries with which the admirers Of
Southern nation and ourselves as a part
eEit. seek 10 miElsad the uaWary. We are
20 consider how our prosperity is to be
infected by remaining As ne are in orr IN.
happy conuection With the ruiuea East, OF
z cutting on from her decaying institutions
and beginning the world for ourselves or
a new aad different basis.
- For the sake of eIearness then let rs Sc.
what We are to become and what we shall
then need. We do but repeat what all In
tsllisent men know when We say that the
hand Of uature clearly intended Western
Virgins for manufacturing country. We
need not enforce the opinion. Il is uniVer-
sally Recognized as true. We are then 70
become manufacturing people if we be-
come anything. Az such We shall wait
outlets and channels of trade, and, Of
eonrse, customers. These the secessionists
tsllus Gre to be had only in the South. Is i,
trus9 No. Ithas never beenourpraetice to
accept = thing as true only because It was
reiterated BY interested parties, until 1t be-
came common belief. This used TO be
0tho old Iargumsnt of the isecessionists, rep
resented BY KIdwell, Resell and the Vince
ling UaiOa, that We must look to the South
for the consumers Of our manufactures.-
Now it is the argument of their at sueees-
sots, the secessiouists of the wheeling Press
We deny the assumption. Il is 40 error Of
fact. The truth Is that Of articles manu-
featured IN the city of wheeling, the con-
sumption has been much greater in the
western aud Northwestern States than 10 the
southesn and Southwestern, notWithstaud-
ing the much greater, AREA of the latter aud
the facilities and cheapuess Of water nayi-
CATION ia favor Of the latter over the former.
Why should the Southern people be better
customers than the Western people The
first essential In the customer is his ability
% eonsume !; the next his ability to pay
The, other ,eonsideration then viii be the
comparative uumser of customers Now IL
isnel empty territory that buys and con
sames manufactured articles, II 1t were
the soath would be the best customer IN
the world. II is population that CONSUMES.
It Is population that carries on commerce.
Now II is within bounds to say that a half
dozen counties in Ohio or nlieois where
there is dense population, high state Of
agriculture, an active prosperity; where
stsam, iron, aud machinery do the work Of
muscles; where there are houses to build.
railroads to make, apd towns and cities
sprinsing up at every crossing; where
! re4pers and planters do the work Of
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