Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-01-30


will speak
Let there be grand rally Of the ersnest
men South of the creek. We hope to see
tasm ca, in their full strength. LIE, them
briag cot all their friends aad neighbors
DIG. Kiohsrdsom's Card--HIs Position
the New State Question.
Hr, Richardson, OF This city, has been
announced through the Prsss newspaper as
sbe candidate of the Anti-New State men
Tor seat ia The Convention that meets in
this city on the 18th of February next, in
place Of Gordon Battelle, deceased, snd in
opposition TO Prof. 4. F. Ross of West
Liberty, who Is the candidate of the new
State uer.
Several days ago a communication was
addressed through ihe Prsss to Mr.. Rich
aFison, desiring him to define his position
CT the new State. He was asked the fol-
lowing qsestioRs-Tiz:
"Are you or are you not new State
maa1"
did you or did you not vote for new
State at the elections which have been
held z"
s.If elected, would you or would you not
vote 10 ratify the Wiley amendment: TO the
new State Constitution :"
After several days. and since the city
elecsiOu-Mr. Richardson has replied.
He states that ne originally voted against
= division of the State-that is to say, he
voted against the naked proposition for
division as submitted to the people by the
Convention which met il this city in Aug.
ls6I.
He next states that the proposition for
division having been carried in the affirm
alive, and the new State Convention of
Nov. 1861 having assembled aud having
framed a Constitution, he voted 10 ratify
their work, thar is, he voted for the adop-
tion of the Constitution framed by them.
he next and in the third and last place
states that IL elected to the Convention
which meets on the l2th of February he
will not vote TO rAtify the Wiley amend
men, which recently passed Congressman
without which ratification the new State
falls TO the ground and fails.
The foregoing is statement of Mr.
Nj. Richardson's position. We propose
very briefly to comment upon it.
Near the close of his article, Mr.. Rich
ardsou quotes the opinion of Attorney
General Bates, at expressed in a letter,
showing that a. division OF the State is un-
constitutional. He attaches weight to the
opinion of the Attorney General. Does
Mr. Richardson remember when that letter
was written? We can tell him, if he does
not. 1t was written in August, 1861, to a
member of the Convention then sitting
here. 1t was written many months pre-
Vious to the ratification of the new State
Constitution. Mr.. Richardson read it and
bad 1t before him all the while. He re-
membered it when he came to the polls to
deposit his vote. 1t was present in his
memory while he was debating in his mind
the propriety or Improperly of voting
And yet he voted. He voted to rntify the
new State Constitution. He voted TO rat
ify piece of work, the whole inception,
progress, aud completion of which, accord
ing 10 his own showing, was uuconstitu-
tional. This is an Inconsistency dis
crepAncy RECONCILIATION that Mr..
Richardson must make good to the people
the best way he can He must explain to
them how it came to pass that he, believing
a division of the State TO be uncons,itu-
tional, and having before his mind the
opinion of the Attorney-General OF the
United States, whom he now quOtes-yet
nevertheless, in disregard and in defiance
of that opinion, and his own, too, i, seems
went to the polls and deposited bis vote
in.favOr of the constitution of the new
State.
AS lawyer, Mr.. Richardson must know
that that single act of his, deliberately
done after many months reflection. forever
stops him from raising a cavil against the
constitutionality of the New State. So
far as he has to do with the argument, it
brushes out the opinion of the Attorney
General. He must fall back on to some
more tenabIe ground as the basis of his
opposition to the New State. He cannot
be allowed. to straddle both sides of the
fence, aud take his choice to-day and to-
morrow in the argument just as it may suit
his pleasure or interest.
We have given the points of Mr.. Rich
ardson's position in the foregoing. The
body of his Communication to the Press
is taken up with ..au essay about free negroes.
Mr.. Richardson apprehends difficulty tn
that particular, aud therefore and for 9TH
err reasons he will vote against the Wiley
amendment, if elected. We propose to say
a word or two about this position.