Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-02-23

may refer 10 OLnef PROVISIONS III the
Code of Virginia. In section 81, chapter
person who shall bring u free negro into
this State, shall be confined in Jail and
fined
Ii is also provided in section 80 of said
chapter, that-''If free negro not au-
thorized by law to do so, come into, or re-
main IN this State, any person may, and
every sheriff. sergeant, and constable is
required, to apprehend and carry him be-
fore some Justice, who shall require him
to pay one dollar to the person apprehend-
ing him, and give bond in a penalty not
less thaR 500. to leave the State III ten
days and not return. If the free negro
fail to pay the fee aforesaid, or give said
bond. he may, by order Of the justice be
punished with stripes, and repeated so
long IS he remains in the State.
| say nothing of the humanity and pro-
priety of these provisions. But surely
those apprchending danger from the IN
fux OF free negroes, could not devise
more stringent measures to prevent it
And now, sir, refer you TO article IL,
section =. of the new State Constitution.
It reads thus:
':Such parts of the Common Law and
OF the Laws of the State OF Virginia, as
State Of West Virginia, when this Consti-
tuition goes into operation, and are not re-
puguant thereto, shall be and continue
the laws of this State until altered or re-
peaIed by the Legislature.
What then will be the effect of the ad :
mission of the new State into the Union,
ON this question? 1t will be this, that
thereafter no free negro can come into
West Virginia, nor can those who are now
in it, or who, under the operation of the
condition proposed by Congress, If adOp-
ted by US, will hereafter become free, re-
main in it, unless they shall get permits
sion according to law-that is to say, no
free negro outside of the new State can
come into it, and all those in it, may be
compelled to leave it. And yet we are
warned not to vote for the new State, be-
cause if we are admitted under the act of
Congress we shall be inundated with free
negroes Sir, where does this warning
voice come from? But, sir, | will not
longer detain the Convention in exposing
the taliacy of n pretcXt so himsey.
There is another objection invented to
cmbarrass this great measure. 1t may be
we'll enough to bestow upon it passing
notice. Appeals are being made, IN
derstaud, to the fears of the people lest
they should, by voting for the new State,
involve themselves in debt by an increase
of expenditures in the construction of the
necessary public bindings, &c. Ofcoursc,
sir. this will involve some expense; not,
however, exceeding few hundred thou
sand dollars. | will venture the assertion,
that the simple act of complete admission
US an independent State will, on the very
moment it takes place, increase the value
OF every tax payers estate, within the
limits OF the new commonwealth, to the
amount of five hundred per cent. on what
lac will ever be required to pay for all the
public buildings and expenses of organ
ring the new State. / believe, sir, that
on the day when we shall be finally and
completely made an Independent State of
the Union, every landholdcr within our
borders will be worth more, by an aver
age Of from twenty-five to forty per cent,
than he was the day before. And every
merchant and mechanic will have secured
to him the certain prospect of an increased
aud better business, greater by a hundred
fold than ever they enjoyed before. Such
an objection, when contemplated i'll the
light of the great and manifold advantages
of new State, sinks into insignificance.
AS to our assumption of II Just und
equitable proportion of the debt of Vir-
ginia, existing at the time of the Ordin-
ancc of secession, that is cminently right
aud proper. We should not deserve to be
admitted into the Union on any other
terms. Any attempt to evadc this would
he dishouorablc. But, sir, how will our
admission rs II new State increase our liz.
bilitics i'll this behalf? If we remain UNI
divided, will we not be made to pay our
equitable proportion of that debt of Vir.
gImia? Nay. il the policy of the Eastern
II
be hereafter as il has been heretofore, we
shall bc made to pay more than our cauit.
able proportion of that debt. The same
discriminating and unfriendly legislation
against which we have been demonstrating
for forty years, will be fastened on us and
our posterity forever We shall simply
be taxpayers to build roads and canals
for the benefit of that sectional majority
who have no identity with us in gcograph.
zeal location, social habits, or commercial
relations, and not much in political prin-
clpc. Shall we still, and forever, with
canine docility aud compliance, continue
to lick the rod with which we have been
beaten?
But. sir, this is not all. We shall, by
remaining III the old State, not only be IL
able to the payment of our pro rate share
of the public debt of Virginia, as it exist
w "llth Viz OENlluiuSS Oh secession was
passed, but we shall also be subjected to
the payment of, ut least, u proportioned
share of the enormous debt which Virgin
Ia has incurred since the passage of that
ordinance. 1t was bad enough to be
compelled to pay taxes to build railroads
and Internal improvements on the other
side of the Blue Ridge, which few of us
would ever be able to see, and none of us
ever derive any benefit from. say ii was
hard enough TO be compelled 10 pay that
old debt. But it was contracted accord.
ing to law. The good faith of the State
was pledged, in lawful form, to redeem it,
and, therefore, no good citizen dare shrink
from the obligation to pay it. But what
obligation is there resting upon us loyal
West Nlrginians to assume this new deb?
How and for what purpose has it been
created? 10 forge weapons to slaughter
our tetlow-c'tlEens, our fathers, and sons,
and brothers.! To raise means to destroy
our prOnFrtV, Our lives md ,,n,. Il ,.,,.,; !