The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-07-25
!. e.pinh .heir Reward.
EDITORS OF THE REGISTER:


old friend Blanche" will further tres
pass upon your generosity by asking the
publication of the subjoined epistle from
the same source
It were we'll, probably, that the acts OF
the late Legislature should be ventilated
so that the people might see the asinine
or knavish peculiarities which pervaded
the majority of that body That the
whole Legislature was not actaated by
that morbid, fanatical vindictiveness
which characterized SO many of the acts
passed by that SUPERFICIAL body was plain
ly discernible in the manly, statesman
like opposition of the ever ready, but ev-
er defeated minority. But opposition
was of no avail Constitutions and laws
we're as cobwebs to the rampant leaders
of truly loyal party. The value or sane
tity of their own oath was measured by
the probability of universal conbscatlon
and disfranchisement But my friend
Blanche" opens the title page of their
history. and I will leave the task Of full
and impartial ventilation to him. AS
therefore, it may be expected, be will con-
tinue to write on this subject, Twill, with
your permission, hand you the eommuni'
cations for publication.
My OLD FRIEND:-I perceive you re-
ceived my last letter, by the publication
of it in the Wheeling REGISTER OF the
4th inst, for which l thank you, as the
SUBJECTS worthy of public attention.
Please also present my thanks to the edl-
tors for their lucid and able editorial in
their weekly of the 9TH inst, in which
they so fully aud so clearly enforce every
argument used by myself l was also
pleased with the ventilation they gave
the Legislature of last winter. Twas dis
posed, when last wrote, to palliate the
public wrong done by them in passing
the test oath, but I find the mantle OF
charity can't cover it. have found In
the acts of 1865, p. "a, resolution pro
posing an amendment to the Constitn-
ton to dis4ranchise persons engaged IN
the late rebellion from voting, and there
by showing the Legislature knew per,
fectly we'll they had no constitutional
power to pass the act of Feb. %, 1868, re-
quiring the test oath | expressed my
surprise in my last that men should pass
a law in the very teeth Ut the Coustltu-
ton which they, as well as all other Off
GERS, take an oath tn support. But what
was nv surprise when found they have
shown on the record the guilty knowl-
edge and thereby acknowledged them,
selves to be purjurers. There was u
good deal of brass and much stupidity III
this certainly. 1t may have been the III
difference of the case hardened criminal.
l don't pretend to decide. But there
they stand in the same book, the crime
itself and the confession of it, published
by themselves in braZen faced lmpn-
dence, to go down to posterity and to
damn themselves to fame and their chill
dren's children for many long year
Who will have to be told your father or
grandfather in the yesr A. d. 1861. was
elected to execute u great trust as u leg
islator, was duly sworn as snch to sup
port the Constitution of West Virginia
and plainly violated his oath, and like q
fool, without shame, published to the
werld the evidence of his guilt. wish,
and vet l almost don't, that you would
get the editors of the REGISTER to repub-
lish the names of those who voted for
this detestable oath.
Iwould like to know them-the people
ought to know them in order that they
may be save the necessity of trusting
them again However much | may diff
fer with them, l don't blame them for
simply proposing the amendment to the
constitution, except as in connection
with the act of February 18th, 1865. it
shows crime and the stupidity of ac-
kuowledging and publishing it to the
world What better, morally speaking,
flor unfortunately they can't he convict
ed under the law,) are these fellows
Eyes, say fellows, and if there were any
other decent word in the language to
express mora fully my contempt for them
would use it) than the convicts that
are excluded by the constitution from
the right to vote or hold office. Yet
these villains, Owe found the word, }
would enact law to disfrauchise set of
men who conscientiously believed that
the State of Virginia in 1887, when she
adopted the Constitution of the United
States and i'm the same ordinance reserv-
ed the right to withdraw the powers
thereby granted, meant something
meant to reserve the right of secession
and when the old State in 1861 revoked
the ordinance adopting the constitution
and withdrew from the Union, these men
obeyed their State, followed her, thinking
it their right and their duty to do So
Yet when the arbitramsht of war decid-
ed against the right of secession, they
grounded their arms and returned, like
good men and true, to their allegiance
to the Constitution. Who should in
Justice be disfranchised, this set OF that
I, who profess to be as loyal to my Gov
eminent as any man in the United States,
unhesitatingly say, the first mentioned
When the amendment is proposed again,
rather let it place the ban on these wilful
perjurers, who have no moral stamina i'll
their character. 1t is bootless to talk Of
the right of secession now. since the III
TINA ratio of Kings and governments has
been tried aud decided against it But
there is one thing l am fully assured of,
the secessionists thought themselves in
the right and they are as free from the
tlypitude of crime as or fathers were in
the revolution and We're in spirit as far
above the men who can puTjure them
selves unblushingly Ito secure sinister
end, as the angles in Heaven are above
the demons in He'll. And now lam glad
to say that by the amnesty they are as
clear of legal offence to the United States,