Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-03-19
Jeferson Davis, when West Yirrinia lin

JEFFERSON Davis, when West Virginia will
pSa great, free and prosperous State.
/ IL Is not, and cannot be, within the prov
ltqee of this brief essay to discuss The
themes which the consideration of this
question presents. Volumes could not ex-
Haust them, 1t is not even proposed to re-
new elaborately any of the advantageous
results OF this separation. For twenty Eve
Years they have been household words on
the lips of this people. They have been
eanvassed on every hill aud in every valley
lRf West Virginia for twenty months past.
k5Otner aud abler pens have examined, and
tmay be exhausted, these topics. This
tattempt has had the humbler design of
travelling a less frequented path, and Clear
Flng away some of the things that embar.
rassed if not hiRdered progress. Yet
since no sufficient objection can be found,
We may IN this conclusion at least glance at
some OF the most obvious of the manifold
benefits to arise from the adoption of the
Constitution now submitted for final choice
We shall have for the basis of all our
leglslatlon1 equal instead of partial repre-.
sentation good instead Of bad system
OF State finance, based on uniform instead
OF discriminating taxation prudent and
economical instead of reckless and waste
tul administration of the various depart
ments of government. Instead of a con.
stantly accumulating debt we shall have a
continually growing treasury. At the same
time the taxes will be light instead of on
pressiye. We will have an excellent free
school system and general intelligence in
stead of no school system at all and preva-
lent Ignorance; ballot instead of viUu voce
Votlng-perfect freedom of franchise in.
stead of the old constraint We shall ex-
change the present for a system under
which there shall be no favored classes, no
privileged few-in which every tub shall
stand on its own bottom and every man on
his own legs. All the white people shall
have an equal voice in incurriug expenses
and an equal share in paying them, and
the varied interests of the State shall
be equally fostered by its legislation. We
snail substitute the admirable township
system of the free States which Mr. Jaffer-
son once zealously sought to make the sys-
TEN of Virginia, for the cumbrous abortion
of our county Courts under which the
whole people shall legislate by direct vote
on all their county affairs instead of con-
hdlug them to half dozen men with mix.
ed functions, legislative aud judicial. We
substitute laws for the encouragement Of
tree labor and enterprise for those that op-
pressed both, and as the consequence we
snail have an immigration instead of an
exode of population; material progress. in
stead of material retrogradation railroads |
instead of mud turnpikes; canals in place
of creeks; mines where before the surface
was as unbroken as when the savage roam
ed our forests; mills and manufactures
where untamed nature now reigus solitary
aud supreme; and the steam engine will |
shrek along rivers and wake echoes in
yalIies where only the silence of the viii
derness dwelt before. And above ali we
shall have teemiug, busy, intelligent,
prosperous and happy population to devel-
ope and adorn region blessed With as
great a profusion Of natural beauties and
advantages ms any that ever came from the
hand of the Creator. -
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