The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1864-11-30
A Talk with our Readers.

Are you q SuOScrlOcE ~ Tic wv H''N"'
so, We thank you for your patronage; II not
it IS you to whom We have word to say ne
arc cudeayorins to publish an Unconditional
Union paper; you have undoubtedly seen
enough Of it to know what TO expect OF ltand
OF us. Do You like it? II so you will not
refuse us your patronage,-for you arc GER
,ainly not 80 far behind the age az to refuse
10 take sonIe paper.
But perhaps YOU don't like it. What, then,
i. the fault? Are we TOO radical? Are yo"
on that account, more opposed to us than to
the rebels themselves 2" Not unless yo", too,
arc rebel, or sy,npathzc with them. But,
il YOU have been o rebel or sympa'hizer,
le. us toll you frankly and kindly, that it is
,.o,s too late in the day to adhere 10 that cause
Oh Abo is elected again, and tho cause oil
secession is dooueI. Do you still wish TO be
esteemed q r.,peeta1lc citizen Of kanawha,
and OF Wea, Virginia? 1t is high time then
you were giving up your sympathics for the
rebellion and settling down into GOOD mon
NAN. You have nothing to make and every"
thing to loso by a continued adherence to the
secession cause. Do you adhere from prin-
siple? All, we fear there is very little prin-
cinIc in the cause. We can sec none. The
only excuse We could ever allow rr1'!, was
that Of interest," which We admit is very strong
with some men. But now that is poor one
indeed.
UAr,, Gamma, ucrvc two mnstcrs" You,
il you still sympathize with the so'calIed
Confcdcracy, eannot be good citizen OF Na'
nawha County. Ii you could, We would have
no mere to say. We would devote our time
to something else. But you have no right 10
enjoy the privileges of citizenship here, and
Of the Government which now protects you,
unless You are q faithful subject.
We have no spite against man because he
may RAVE DEES rebel ora rebel sympa,h'zeri
ii he has only seen the error Of his ways and
become q faithful Union man. We fully
agree with the President in p0rdoning all such.
True, By secession they did .forfttall the priv
ilegcs Of citizcnship--but BY his Proclamation
the President has restored i: to such as are
willing to accept it. 1t was forfeited {" Tie
Government; it has been restored, eoHdttt"halty,
by the Government Such as have, IN good
filth, returned to their loyalty, hare all The
raqhts Of onion men who have not sinned.
Let him who has never committed a fault, deny 1t!
But there arc some among us who arc not
citizens IN good faith. We cannot accord 10
.A-,1 the right. OF citizens. If they still have
faith in the Rebellion, and their hearts are
still with il, they should be there also. We do
not want them here They hive no right
il an imposition for them to claim the protection
OF our Government for their property and
themselves.
We will be rs ready rs any man to take
p>nit<n, rebel by the hand and welcome him
back To the privileges Of the old Government.
We will be just rs ready to shoulder our gun
and shoot down those who arc still rebels.
We believe u rebel even who has returned TO
his loyalty may DO trusted, but we could not
place confidence in man who still proves a.
faithless traitor to his Government.
Now, do you agree with our principles? Do
you admit the truth and justice Of what we
have said? We shall adhere to it. But you
are looking to interest instead Of principle.
perhaps; if so, read the following from the
Grafton STATE Journal:
"Fcw persons in any community-unlcss
they &c the more cntcrprising class-fully
appreciate the benefits arising from the reg
MAR publication Of Home Newspaper. 1t is
not that the paper is mammoth in size-nOt
that it contains the latest European news
not that il discourses cloquently Of politics
and reliSiou-that makes it Of value to the
lsnd-holdcrs, merchants and mechanics Of the
community in which it is published. Though
it contains only the titho Of what is found in
the large city papers, yet what little it does
contain is inseparably connected with the
financial interests Of its patrons. Its legal
aud other advertisements, pecuniarily speak
ing, arc very often worth moro to its patrons
than the cost Of ten years subscription. We
will illustrate this point, by noting little in
oident that came under our observation while
engaged in the publication Of paper in
Richie county, in this State. a gentleman
Who had bceu q subscriber to our paper for
several years, concluded, at tho expiration Of
the time for which he had subscribed, that he
could get along for awhile without the paper,
and wc accordingly erased his name from our
books. We saw no more Of him for something
IKE o month, when, one day, he came putting
and blowing into our sauctum, and requested
US to again put his name down for the paper
this time for two years; fer said he, by
not taking aud reading your paper have
lost o chance to have made fvo hundred dol
IArsr We were surprised at this information,
and asked him how Il occurred. He enlight-
cned US BY saying that tract o. land which
he had been wanting to purchase for years,
had been advertised in tho paper for sale,
under tho hammer, and had actually been
knocked OF to somc lucky bidder mo doubt o