Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1865-01-20
THE CITY ELECTION.

as 10 the merits OF the issue involved 10 the
present Charter Election. Several times
il has alluded both editoriaily and by COM
municatious to our personal hostility" to
Mr. Sweeney. 1t would have people sup
pose that we are prosecuting him on come
private ground for some private end. We
submit that such a pTetence Is a miserable
come of. We are aware OF no feeling of
personal hostility between US and Mr..
Sweeney, and We presume that he on his
part is conscious OF none. Socially we
have not disParaging word to say of him.
Neither have we ever uttered one. AS a
business man and citizen we recognize
and assent to his merits. Why then come
al US with the cry of persecution when no
such motive from any cause assigned is
attributable? 1t wonld be much more man
ly and creditable to meet the facts present.
ed by US on some other ground. AS we'll
might We ascribe the Registers persistent
attacks on Mayor Crsngle and his police
Tor some weeks back to desire to prosecute
him aud them. The stick used by the Reg e.
lister ia tarred at both ends and cannot be
handled with impunity. tits always a small
business in an editor TO be casting about
for motives when there are matters of facts
to be disposed of. So far as regards our
reference TO Mr.. Sweeney's administration
in the troublesome and dark days of 1861,
the Register did oil in its power to induce
such reference. The editors themselves
especially invited US to consideration of
that period in Mr.. Sweeney's mayorship.
We had made no allusion to it previous
to the challenge thrown out by the Regis
ter, We had confined ourselves strictly to
the issue presented first in Mr. Sweeney's
uominntionr viz-his agency in the dis
tranchisement OF our soldiers on the gath
OF last January. The editors chose to ig-
more that issue by substantially admitting
that what we said in regard to that trans
action was undeniabe, and raising an
other issue to the effect that Mr.. Sweeney
had been the most efficient Mayor who
ever held the office in our midst. In order
10 show that we represent the editors
Alright we will quote again the extract
from their article OF Monday last:
against Mr.. sweeney's administration
OF the affairs Of the city, not one word OF
censure has ever been said He held the
Office of Mayor during the stormy times
which attended the breaking out of the
war, in 1861, and his administration is, to
this day, referred to as eminently wise,
prudent and yigilant. There is scarcely a
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, are the citizens OF
Wheeling indebted for the prevention OF
riot and bloody insurrectiou.'
We presume that the editors expected
US to acquiesce in the above along with
such OF their readers as were unacquainted
with the facts of the record. Because we
did not do so, but went back and exam
ined the statement in the light of our local
history in 1861, the cry is raised that
we are now moved by persecutive spirit
towards Mr.. Sweeney. Nothing is further
from the truth. There are plenty of the
ar5t citizens of the town who will verify
every word we wrote in answer to the reck.
less sassertions of the Rsguter. We said
on Tuesday morning, as We say now, that
the extract is a string OF peryersious. They
are not true. They are absolutely false.
The attempt to credit Mr. Sweeney With
the restraining Influences that operated
upon this community in the spring and
early summer OF 1861, is simply a talsifi.
cation Of the record. The Union men Of
this city preserved their own peace and
that of the city's as one and iuseperable.-
The RsgiItsr would have its readers believe
that the then Mayor held them at bay
Had our loyal population been bent on out.
break, Mr.. Sweeuey's influence would have
been as pOwerless as the green withs
around SIMPSONS wrists. But it was no
part of their programme to make war on
their opponents, with whom Mir. Sweeney
was recognized as sympAthiziag. If ever
there was Wabidiug elementin any town
OF this size that in a season of great excite.
meut was conspicuous for its zeal to preserve
the peace, it was the Unisu element here in
the days referred to. Their idea in armiup
themselves was to preserve the public peace
not less than TO defend themselves from the
seeessiouists who were rising in the int.
rtor and burning bridges and advancing
this way. 1t is tor Mr.. Sweeusy's spolo.
gists to answer why he was regarded as
hostile to the armiUg project Why he was
not consulted 10 reference thereto. Wbv
he did not meet with the two or three
scores OF Union citizens that were
thsa recognised as leading and active
supporters of the government in tbis
city as against he: spreading rebellion.