The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1865-01-11
Past, Present and Future.

EDS. JOURNAL: ALLOW one Of your renders
to say few words upon the above subject
shall speak for the most part by way Of
remembrance, asking my fellow-ci,iaens TO
hear and honestly consider the testimony Of
the facts us may be hereinafter mentioned, Of
which they may have personal knowledge, to
the end that tho free loyal citizens Of the
State Of West Virginia muy arrive at the true
practical application Of both the spirit and
principle in which our Government is
founded.
This principle may properly be declared to
exhibit i.elf in oneness Of pcople:-that
is, one in intercst-one in hope-onc in nspi-
ration-onc in fact-ono in destiny-and, in.
deed one in oil things which 60 10 make up
tho sum OF n permanently solid and perpetual
government Of q people who huvc undertaken
10 govern themselves.
To apply this principle 10 general gov
eminent, where interests nrc diverse, or,
rather, the manner Of doing go mny have been,
in the days Of cur fathers, considered profile
mntical Not 20 now; for the fact is over
whclmingly established -"That the people
are capable Of; clfcovernmcnt:' the SOW
creisn power Of State being vested, by strictly
equal distribution, in truly loyal citizenship.
This unquestionably is the proposition made
by our forefatkcrs in founding the Govern
mcnt Of the Un:cd States. When they said,
I" We the People, do orlain, &C., they meant,
that the whole people a, one "ordnincd' the
laws; but it is nbsurdto infer that they meant
to includes traitors, or those Who could sym.
pathize with them, in awe, the People" Nor
could they havo meant that loyalty to the
Government could, By any possibility, b.
compromised with treason thereto; or that
the loyal people thereof should ever abct or
defend pcriury-,for they dccrecd that traitors
should suffer death.
Therefore it is just to conclude, that amy
mud all who arc opposed to the facts, as estab.
lishcd By our patriotic ancestors, are traitors
TO md enemies: Of the Government Of the
United States; md it is also good and right
GUS to treat them as such, until they "rcpcn,'
thoroughly. 49,
1t is also just Snnd proper that the loyalty
Of this country should declare and make
known, in the most emphatic manner that
upon no other tsrms, than hearty, conscien.
tious repentance Of the iniquity of their trea-
son, can there ever be n reconciliation Of Cit
izensllp among u free and Independent peo-
pie; making it known to the present, and TO
generations TO come, by such declarations and
act, corresponding thereto, so no to settle The
question for all time, that secession and trca-
son shall never exist in this country.
say tina, the yery foundation and perpet.
ual;on Of our government, calls upon the
loval men Of thia generation to establish such
precedent as shall prove TO DC m insur.
mcuntable ba rrier to all schemes Of traitors
for all succeeding time. To do less than this,
VIC shall full to 60 our whole duty 10 our chill.
drcn. To do less than this, NC shall come
short OF tho duty which We owe TO the or.
pressed Of other lands. To stop short of.:his,
traitors yet unborn. / soy TINT this much is
required of the loyul men of thi, generation,
because verify believe That the living God
foundation for our government-onc resting
that lie gnvc such ,upcrabundance Of the
good things Of the earth, with which We have
hitherto been blesscd-bccnuse OF that prin.
cip!e Of eternal justice in which the Govern.
ment of this Nation was founded, and not Ut
all QcCnuBC NC WIN tuOiC LIhutSOuo VI USttEE,
and therefore pleased Him better than other
peoples. Therefore conservatism" MS be-
tween traitors and loyal men. or treason and
loyalty, or between the cause Of secessionists
and our Government, is nothing better than
would be conservatism" between good and
era! Conservatism might do between one
rampant organized political party, and
another, where the sword is not unsheathed,
but it cannot by any possibility have any
place AS between our Governments and treason.
I speak here of TINT use Of /" conservatism"
which partizan 'dcmagogues made Of it in
times before this rebellion, and which is now
sought to be made OF it, Us plainly indicated
in certain articles published in the Kanorha
Republican Of late.
True conservatism in this country now, is
the executing of stern justice anl judgment
in defense and preservation Of our Govern.
ment, without compromise with those who
have made war upon us. They voluntarily
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