Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-03-24
Th.TnrI.a, Plea.

Convention" at Parkersburg has made its
appearance There is nothing remarkable
about it except its uutruthfuluess. 1t is a
carefully studied perTersiOn from frat to
last. 1t is the apology of few old "ren-
sgade Whigs' as Ar. Van Wrinkle called
them who undertook to revive what the
Prets called the democratic" party here
in Yves, Virginia. II il The lame excuse of
few men who have recently discovered
how much they mistook the temper oftheir
people These men repeat in elaborate
argument the effort made by Mr. CarliIe in
the Senate to discredit and defame the
Convention which framed the new State
Constitution. They even go further and
declare that neither it nor the convention
which called iii. {. the convention which
re-established the State Government
oouId-in "Any proper sense be regarded as
the representatives of the people of their
respective counties" Oue of the men Who
pu, their names to this declaration was
member of the Convention which reorean-
lied the State, and member of the Legis-
Iature under it, held both positions as long
AS be could and drew his pay for the same
Ali these acts were proper and legitimate
enough then, and in now making this de-
clarauou be writes himself down but
as one who was either both traitor
and hypoerite then or simply traitor
now. In either category We do not con
ceive he is proper adviser for the loyal
men Of West Virginia.
We do rot intend to review this paper at
any length or with any sort of minuteness.
Esery falsehoOd contained in it has been
exposed over and over again in these col
umus. We are only surprised at the eff
frOutery with which they are reiterated.
1t made grievous source of complaint
that there have been inequalities in the
public bodies 10 Western Virginia. aud all
this is laid TO the charge of the loyal men,
when the truth is, as any one knows. that
it has been the rebels with whom these
men have been in tacit, if not active ALI.
ance, who have forced such state OF
things upon us that full representation iu
some cases was impossible. The argument
that therefore We should have waited till
even these inequalities were removed, is
simply that there should have beeu no re-
establishment of State authority +; that we
should have remained in a state of anarchy
which would have made us TN easy prey
to JED Davis and John LeIcher. All the
unfortunate necessities growing out of
such an emergency are laid to the charge
of everybody else but the Internal traitors
who are responsible for the whole of it
There is no word or even imputation of
eeusure for them. They object to the
doctrine of necessity" that is, that PEG.
pie have any rights of self defeuse or safe
y. We should not have resisted the Rich
mond usurpAtion, but have su omitted
tamely to its Ou,rages, because the dreadful
emergency they had driven upon US com
PEELED us to adopt a course of proceeding
not warranted by the Constitution in time
of peace. That is precisely the gist of
theis argument. They wanted the people
of the West tied hand aud foot, and would
have had US now marching to the tap of
rebel drums.
After all their attempts to sow disnffec-
ton among the people and excite them to
oppose the new State have failed, they have
the unprecedented effroutsry to come out
and sign their names to a document reiter.
atiug the same falsehoods with which thew
had SO siGnalIy failed to deceive, and which
had been nailed to the counter one by one,
over and over again. 1t is a record whose
blaekuess in coming years will cast It's
shadow for generations upon their pos
terity.
Tho auiunus Of the whole argument from
frat to last is ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS less.-
Not only so but tbelauguage itselfis open.
" sedi'iOus. They counsel their friends
to uaequiesce 10 the St,sands of the govern.
meut" whether our government sis re.
Earded as one Of rigkt or sinPly as one ia
fact" Our government is one of right and
nobody but traitors entertain or express
doubts about it. If it is not, then John
Letcher's must be.
These usu talk about being denied lib.
erty of discusstoul Why their paper here
has for months and months not only enjoy.
cd every liberty that any paper could, but
has actually INDUCED in a breadth and II.
csnriOuSness Of sedtsiOu aud treason that
would hardly have been tolerated BY soci.
ETY. in time Of profound peace. The
community has not been protected
against lite violence. because it would
afford AZ excuse for traitors to make use
Of this very argument. The same is true
Of discussion on the stump everywhere that
II has taken place. No allowance has been
made for the fact that We are engaged in
dreadful war, with treachsry at home as
well a. ensmiss in the field. and that ..atd