The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-09-26
Our Country, and Oar Raiers.-Whaf
the One Wants, and the Other Must

If the government, whether State OF
Federal, desires to give the country true
peace and lasting prosperity, it must Sc
cure mutaal respect and confidence in the
different States and sections--South as
well as North; and TO effect this end
equal rights to all must be given. This
is necessity Without it the wounds
inflicted on the country and the consti-
tuition will not heal. and these wounds
are deep and severe. We must seye mu-
tual respect and confidence, with equal
rights and equal laws in both sections.-
A brother can not wrong a brother and
be brother A free people can not en-
slave free people, and themselves re-
main free. 1t is impossible. Liberty will
not harmonize with violence and can not
dwell with hatred, malignity and tyran-
ny Let it never be forgotten that our
country is republic, and that the soul,
or life of a republic isnot simply union
it is liberty. A monarchy, or an aristoc-
racy, may we'll stand tcith union, but not
with liberty. The body without life i'm.
mediately corrupts and decays. and so it
is with republic, when it loses its lib
erty. Under the lead of New England
ideas and notions, we once tried the harsh
experiment of alien and sedition la,Cs, aud
we know that the result was most un-
happy, nothing less than the reign Of ter
rOr or discomfort.
On the democracy coming into power,
these harsh and odious measures, by
the advice of Mr.. Jefferson, were repeal
ed, and content, harmony and prosperity
Immediately followed, and continued till
New England ideas and principles again
predominated in the councils of the coun-
try. In Western Virginia a party has
arisen which is under the influence and
control of the same kind of New Eng
land men and principles, and we see it
laboring night and day by the most
harsh, deceptive and unconstitutional
means, to establish and perpetnate its
power. As the people did in the year
1900, so must they now do. They must
shake off their lethargy and arise and
put down this hard and INSCRIPTIONS
party, and choose men for Legislators who
are inspired and controlled by the large
and liberal principles of equal rights
and mutual confidence and respect in all.
The party in West Virginia, which is
now in power, is not Republican or
Democratic party in its proper sense, but
it is essentially a narrow, aristocratic
party--a party of the fen against the
many, and hence its base and nefarous
arts and efforts to deprive the people
of their right to vote,a right secured and
guaranteed to them by the constitution
of the State.
The identity between this party in West
Virginia and the old New England party,
which was led by John Adams, ,is remarka-
ble This old John Adams party was
very regardless of constitutional restric-
tions and guarantees, and very partial to
broad principles of construction; while
the Democratic party, under the lead of
Jefferson, Madison and others, held that
a constitution of government was very
high and sacred instrument, and that its
pfdrisiops must be inferibly maintained,
"a hot d li5ostet 70 ss,e Aezpfafned sway
'under any pretense whatever.
In former times all PARTIES held that
the liberty Of the people, and the safety
of the State equally demanded that the
right of suffrage, as given and defined
by The constitution, should be rigidly
supported and sustained, and no one as
much rs even dreamed that this sacred
right of the people could be in any way
altered, lessened or impaired by the Leg.
islature. Such thing as the Legisla
ture altering, adding to or amending the
constitution, was left to the Legislature
of West Virginia, with the aid, comfort,
and assistance of our Governor and At
torney General. Our constitution defines
the right of suffrage and declares, who
may, and who may not vote But our
Legislature last winter passed law most
materially Impairing and altering this
part of our constitution. And that this
iniquitous and grossly unconstitutional
legislation may not fall to take away
the right Of suffrage from the people, we
LOW have the opinion Of the Attorney
General, that the Judges Of the elections
cannot look at the constitution to see
who is entitled to vote, but must follow
the act of the LegislatUre-not the con-
stitution-in deciding who may vote
and who may not vote, because, says
the Attornty General, all laws are pre-
sumed to be right though fatty and plain
ly contrary to the constitution. Thus
maintaining and establishing, 50 far as
those officials can, the monstr0us propO.
sition, that the constitution must be
presumed to be wrong because the act
of the Legislature is contrary to it. If
both are presumed to be right, till the
contrary is decided by the courts, then
the constitution must prevail, because
the constitution is above q mere act of
the Legislature, as every body knows
aud admits. But lest this PLAN view of
the matter should be taken by the Judges
of the elections, we have the Governor
out in proclamation, commanding the
Judges to follow and obey the act of the
Legislature, and to disregard the const-
tuition. Under these circumstances there
fore are we not right when we declare
that the dominent party of the State
have deliberately concocted a scheme to
cheat people out of their votes II gives
me no pleasure to make these observa-l
items, but desire to maintain inviolate
the constitution, and the right OF suf-
frage, on which hangs the highest and
dearest right of man, and the safety OF
liberty and the State compels NE to make
them.
Let it be remembered. that l do not
support the right of the people to resist
law because il is unconstitutional-by
no means. But I do contend that the