The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-11-21

wings Of the Republican party preiin
nary to the pitched battle in when they
win engage at the opening OF Congress
has already begun. WEED, RAYMOND
g. Co. are marshalling their forces IN ep,
fuosition to the GREELEY faction, and the
fight promises to be lively aud interest;
ing. The GREELEY men are sticklers
for the test oath and will endeavor to
exclude from Congress all who cannot
swear that they have not tal;en any ac-
tive part in the rebellion. The position
of the WEED and RAYMOND fiction upon
the question may be Learned from the
following extract from the A bany Jour
nal 1t furnishes at the same lime, very
good argument against the enactment
aud enforcement of such oatl as the one
required of members of Congress
7 That southerners should demand re-
raal of the test oath, is very natural. LII
Is exceedingly harsh in its application
excluding fIom seat any ma WHO'S I'M
able TO swear that he did net voluntari-
" render aid and encourage lent to the
rebellion. This application is entirely
retrospective. 1t makes no difference
whether party has or has not been par
doned by the President. Tha one fact to
be decided is his status during the war.
If that was disloyal to the Union, he Is
tabooed We have only to remember
how universally the spirit of levolt dom
mated at the south, in order 70 compre-
bend the sweeping character of the re-
striction. Probably there is not score
of men of prominence in any insurgent
state who did not in some form velunta-
rily participate in or give encourage
meut to the secession movement Coy.
Perry unqualfedly declares that thoye
is not single mau III Sonjh Carolina
can take the oath.
OF course, it is desirable, that, as the
work of reorganization progresses, these
communities shall Lerepreseuted by men
rshe are in sympathy with the people,
who have character and abihtYsulicient
To direct them Alright, aud in whom They
will have confidence. No matter how
thoroughly "subjugated" "A soldier from
the Confederate army may he, he will al
WAYS prefer TO trust hereafter those who
were with the South" when he was
honestly though mistakenly fighting her
battles For these reasons re haze neither
expected nor desired TO see men sent up 10
Congress whO hare dhcdys been n0bodtes
heretofore WE ARE QUITE WILLING TIDE
MAN SHOULD HAVE A SEAT THERE WHO
HAS WELDED A REBEL SWOEDs
1t is useless to talk ole thorough uni
ty as having been established, if these
men, who have always heretofore led
their action, and who constitute its
ablest minds, are to he left outside, in q
condition Of ostracism. The sooner we
can extend to them the boon uf complete
and unconditional forgiveness, give them
the warm grasp of sympathy and accord.
aud bid them JOIN with us in iahors for
the glory and prosperity OF the country,
the better To intlict upon them crush.
ing and unnecessary revenges, to abuse
their positions and moTtity their pride,
will be to keep continually fostering and
suppurating wound, which in the in
terest OF humanity, should he quickly
healed. ...
The reasoning of the Albany Journal, u
leading Republicans newspaper i'll New
York, addresses itself with peculiar force
to the people OF West Virginia. The test
oath for voters here is nearly identical
with that prescribed for members of Con-
gress, and contains, to the fullest extent,
its retrospective feature. 1t does not re-
quire men IT, swear that they nerer 1riit
take up arms against the government,
which is certainly all that future secu-
rity can demand, but it requires them TO
make oath that they nerer hare heen en-
gagged in any act of rebellion. The effect
of the congressional oath is to exclude
from Congress, at time when the best
talent and highest wisdom is needed in
that body, all the talent and wisdom OF
the Southern States. No person except
those who, the Journal says were no
bodies heretofore" can take the oath and
be admitted to seats in Congress. In
this State the operation of the test oath
for voters produces results some what
similar and equally disastrous, 1t dis
franchises many who were, before the
war, confessedly the ablest men in this
portion of Virginia. In many Of the
Counties it prevents the election of
competent men to office and il sends to
the Legislature OF the State mrn who
were nobodies heretofore"
If our State is to he prosperous aud to
occupy that rank in the Union to which
our natural advantages entitle us, it
will never do to deprive of all the rights
OF citizenship so large an element of our
population as those men, who were di-
rsctly or indirectly engaged in the late
rebellion, compose. Many Of them are
talented. and influential men and, hav-
ing given every guarantee for their fu-
ture loyalty which the most enacting
can require, their experience and hearty
cooperation is needed in bringing order
out ofchaos and building NJ the fortunes
Of the State.
We are we'll aware that the word ''cop
perhead," or traitor, is the only answer
which the radicals give to any argument
showing the impolicy of their schemes,
but il wont dn Tn imnpach the "lova1tvr