The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-01-16
Civ Politics.

made to the approaching charter cleo
ton, and due degree of Importance at
tached thereto. Our city government
has been organized for the ostensible pur-
pose of providing, in various ways, for
the welfare and security Of the people.
1t is supported at heavy expense, and
has. under its protection, the lives OK
twenty thousand persons and property,
valued at a great many millions of dol
lars The officers of the city government
are, we believe, the servants of the peo-
pie; they are employed and paid by the
citizens, and to the citizens they are
amenable for the proper discharge
of their duties. If they fail to
administer the affairs of the city sat-
isfactorily, they may be dismissed, at the
expiration of their term Of office, and
men chosen who gill perform the duties
of their offices Alright. We are not aware
that it has yet been claimed that the Of
ficers of the municipal government are,
themselves, the government Of the city,
as, according to the modern creed, is the
case with the general government Of the
United States; hence the pains and PEN
alties of "disloyalty," which have been
so often denounced against those who de-
sire change in the administration OF
the general government, can scarcely
be incurred by those who desire to see
our municipal offices filled more efhci-
emily than by the present incumbents.
We know of no good reason why the
present officers should be reelected; we
have heard of no argument being put
forth in their favor; they are utterly I'M
able to show cause why they should not
be displaced. On the other hand there
are various reasons why change in the
administration of city affairs should be
made. Prominent among these, and per-
haps the most important of all, is the
alarming increase of crime, and the utter
indifference to its growth which seems to
be manifested by the present officers
whose duty it is to see that crime is pre-
vented and order secured Who IN this
city, has forgotten the scenes of the Goth
ccDecember2 Who that loves law and Or
der and peace can forget the dangerous and
disgraceful transactions of that day and
the sublime Indifference and unooncern
manifested by our municipal authorities.
The daily record of thefts and robberies
and murderous assaults; the fact that
many peaceable citizens dread to walk
the streets of the city at night without
being armed for self-protection; are so
many arguments in favor of such a
change i'm the administration of the city
government as will tend to secure the
public safety.
The rival candidates for the Mayoralty
are Mr. A. j. SWEENEY and Mr.. HENRY
CRANGLE. Both these gentlemen are old
residents here; they are both well known;
each has held the Office of Mayor of this
city, and the official and personal char
acter of each has been known to the pub
lie for n long time. Against Mr.. SwEE-
NEY's administration of the affairs of the
city, not one word of censuro has ever
been said He held the office of Mayor
during the stormy times which attended
the breaking out of the war, i'll 1861, and
his administration is, to this day, pointed
TO as eminently wise, prudent and vigi-
liant There is scarcely Republican IN
this city who will deny that Mr.. SWEENEY
was the most efficient Mayor who ever
held the office here. To him, more than
TO any other man, are the citizens OF
Wheeling indebted for the prevention OF
riot and bloody Instruction Atvarlous
times, during the year 1861, Mr.. SwEE'
NEY's official vigilance frustrated plots
calculated to array one class OF our citl-
zens in arms against the other, and to de
stroy the peace of the city. These things
were we'll known at that time, and their
recollection has not yet passed away
In addition to these official virtues, his
private character is above reproach and
invulnerable by any assault that his ell
emies may make.
The only charge that has yet been
made against him, and the only argu-
ment that has yet been adduced why he
should not be elected mayor at this time,
is that one year ago he voted, in the
COMMON council Ito deprive the soldiors
of that elective franchise to which they
were entitled under the laws of the State"
We have already, in former articles upon
this subject shown that his vote upon the
occasion referred to did not justly subject
him to the charge we have quoted. The
whole attempt to fasten such charge
upon him was a miserable piece of
trickery, concocted and harped upon for
political effect Its utter wOrthlessnesS
and the hypocrisy of those who sought
to make use of it is clearly apparent in
the recent nominations made by the Re-
publican party. Mr.. CLAToR who voted
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