Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-08-10
For the Intelllgencer.
CIsment LaIrd VaIIandIEham.

With nothing but common place abilities
the intense selfishness of this man has
made him notorious as an abettor of trea-
son and a leader of traitors. He has an
other qualification. His tongue is as sour
rilous as any ever welded by heartless
demagogue. In the debate on the report
of the committee of thirty-three, after
pouring out torrents Of ribald abuse on
his loyal fellow citizens, after attributing
all their conduct in the pro-slaVery con-
troversy to the basest possible motives, he
took occasion to contrast the conduct of
our statesmen with that of the politicians
of Great Britain, much 10 the advantage
of the latter. The Northern people had
sternIy refused all the demands Of the
South for the extension and perpetuation
of slavery. British statesmen would have
adjusted our difficulties in few weeks.
When they had discovered that civil war
was otherwise inevitable, they had yielded
to the demand for Catholic emancipation,
and had thus prevented dissolution of
the monarchy. To avoid this enormous
calamity they gave up principles and meas
ures to which they had long been attached
and admitted the dOwn-trodden Catholic
to the common rights of humanity. Even
the old "Iron Duke" who, by the way,
was an iron bigOt, had declared that
sooner than see his beloved country VS.
tied "with the unutterable horrors of civil
war, he would run any risk, he would
make any sacrifice, he would freely lay
down his life" And accordingly under
the pressure of dire necessity, be had
yielded up the dear delights of tyranny
and had suffered the blood-red scourge of
persecution to drop from his old and with
cred hand.
Except this paltry creature, is any man,
is any demagogue so marrow in soul, so
poor in spirit, rs to conceive that the Bri-
tish Ministry deserved any thanks for yield
ing to tie demand for Catholic emancipa-
tion. They simply deserved execration,
for not having sooner yielded to that de-
mand. Indeed, it might we'll be urged that
their predecessors deserved eXecration for
having disqualified the Catholics in the
first place. If the odious measures Of
Catholic persecution ever had shadow of
excuse, that shadow departed at the coro-
nation of George the Third. Yet, for six
iy-eigbt years afterwards, the brave, gen.
erous, excitable Irish groaned in slavery,
only less atrocious and less mischievous
than American slavery itself. o, If our
arrogant and ineXorabls southern enemies
had demanded nothing of us, more repug-
nant to the moral faculties, than the repeal
of an odious system of oppression, they
would not have found rs laggards in the
race of generosity and justice. Bot, with
Mr.. Vallandigham, and such az Mr.. Vallan-
digham, right, duty, justice, equity are but
empty names. His fnlsome adulation is
bestowed on the British ministry, not for
doing what was in itself right and just,
but for having slowly and reluctantly list
ened to the voice of expediency. Tyrants
are under no obligation to yield one iota
of their expressions until their victims be-
come strong enough to make them tremble.
Every stronger race may oppress every
weaker race. The English may oppress the
Irish, and the Southern Nsbobs their white
and black slaves until danger appears
And when armed opposition resrs its head,
government is to consider, not whether
the demands of the mAlcontents are in
themselves right, just and equitable, bnt
whether the insurgents are strong enough
to make resistance perilous. These Prinei-
pies may be seen underlying all Of Mr..
Vallandigham's discOurses. Perhaps his
obtuse understanding does not perceive
them, tor in him are blended in exquisite
harmony, call those qualities, which are
the proper objects of hatred, with all those
qualities which are the proper objects OF
contempt" See his Record, from page %
to page SO. oAvESDIsH'