The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-04-14


\ governments as useless and expensive In:
cumbrances TO the central despottsm at
ResolUed, That by the bills in question,
/ Congress has endeaYored in favor of the
negro, to subject the white inhabitants OF tne
| country to the continuation OF military rule
and the Jurisdiction of tribunals foreign to
their habits and institutions, and destructive
ReSoIred, That while we would protect the
negro in his civil rights and freedom by just
State legislation, we are opposed 70 negro SUI
| frage, because we believe II impossible to sup
| port a republican government upon negro
| Constituency; and we regard with abhorrence
she policy of the Congressional majority ied
| ed by a party In this State, intended TO pre-,
vent any restoration OF the Union until
negro suffrage Is forced on the several States
Resolved, That they are Uliontsts who
seek to restore the Union, and they are dts
and he alone is loyal who is faithful and true
| to the Constitution OF the United States and
| tRsSoired, That the test oaths, Registration
act and the several acts of the Legislature OF
this State to suppress the freedom of ofelection,
| lie Officers TO violate the constitution and
protect them in so doing to establish the
reign OF n single man In the Ninth Judicial
| Circuit, and to prevent n portion OF our peo-
pie from asserting any right by legal proceed
| fngs, denying them the protection oflnw, and
plumber Of pretended Ioyallsts, are unwtse,
destructive Of the welfare and prosperity OF
| the State, and inconsistent allk6 with the
provisions of the constitution, and the prtn-
clpleS of free government ~.
Resolved, That II the Legislature may, by any
device, set aside the PROVISIONS OF the consli-
| tuition declaring who shall be voters, there
will be no longer any limit 10 thelf power
over the right OF suttrage-they may pre-
scribe whatever tests and qualifications they
deem necessary to perpetuate the power Ot
their party; minority In possession OF the
| rule in defiance OF the will OF the majority
and there would be no security for the
rights of any one under such system.
the constitution OF the State. permanently
depriVing OF the civil and political rights OF
citizenship, all who, under any y GirG1mstSn 1i
TO rebellion, must operate most un1ustly, ana
at the same time disaStrously 70 the Interest
| and welfare of the State. 1t Will, we believe,
prevent the re-establiShment OF peace, order
and good government, drive away immigIn-
ton and capital by causing constant STRIFE
and diScord among the people-compela por-
LiOn OF our people to abandon the state, or
become enemies of its g0Vernment-and lead
to new exccSSes of power and persecution on
the part OF malignant men, who will regard
the ratification OF the amendment as sane
tioning the system OF misrule anu extrava-
CANT legislation, to which we have been sub
iecled We regard 1t AS unwise, and at the
same time cruel and unworthy OF christian
people. q, 80.
ty 10 delude voters into the support OF such
measures, by denouncIng their opponents as
rebels and copperheads, and raising an out
cry that the new State Is in danger; is but an
artince to raise false iSsueS-to draw away at
tentlOn from their own mtsdeeds, ana pre-
Yestigatlng the character and effect OF the re-
cent acts OF legislation.
ReS0tUed, That we earnestly appeal to the
voters OF the State, Without regard to former
party names or divisions, to unite in OPPOSE
ton to these measures, and IN support OF the
policy of President johnson. organize, reg
Iste = vote. :rhese are the only peacea-
bic means to protect and defend civil liberty
and popular rights.
The Convention made some appoint
ments of executive committees in
pursuance of the report, and hav-
ing finished the business in hand, spent
the rest of the evening in hearing har-
angues, intended to prove that the
Legislature and Congress were illegal
and revolutionary bodies, and the
"radicals" rebels and disunionists, and
that the returned rebels and their con-
federates are the only simon pure Union
party in the country, and that it is
prieVous wrong to keep them out of the
offices. There was nothing new in
these harangues. Your readers may
find them from day to day In any of
old howling of the whangdoodle
which mourneth for its first born, ah,"
1.-THE Constitution.) Everything was
nroyed to be unconstitutional" eX-
cept the rebellion. That being an un-
pleasant topic was not mentioned.
NV impression is that this conven-
tion is not considered, even by its man
agers, as very promising affair. 1t
HaS small in numbers and not uncom-
monly enthusiastic. So far as can
speak from personal knowledge, it was
made up mainly of men who voted for
the ordinance of secession in 1851, who
all lIthrough the rebellion wished IL sue
cess, and who are still sore, disaffected,
and bitter against all persons and
measures that contributed to the over
throw of their friends. There are n few
exceptions-cases of men who ostensi-
bly, at least co-operated with the Union
party during the war, but who now
Joining in what they expect is going to
be asuccesstul reaction.
Taking the declarations of this body,
claiming as they do to be loyal
to the United States, it is curious what
an interest in its proceedings Is mani
tested by the returned rebels of this
town and county. am strongly re-
minded by the faces see here around
the corners and doors ofthe Court house
and among the body of the delegates
of the stormy meetings in this County
in the Spring of 1881, when Garlic and
Lewis on the Union side and Robert
johnson and Ben Wilson on the seces-
sion side. were canvassing for the Rich
mond Convention. Miugling freely
with the delegates in the courtroom,
laughing, chatting, button-holing and
in confidential contab with them, see
this ga me Robert johnson ,,,who should
cred his musket and went into the rebel
army early in the Summer of 1861; and
Wm.TP. Cooper, who advocated seces-
sion here with all the might he could
infuse into hispaper, the Register, and
who having done all he could to destroy
the Government andthe people hereliv-
ing under its protection, marched with
johnson to Join Portertield, and did all
in his power as an armed rebel to ac-.
complfsh the same work. i see also
here the face of Judge Camden, late of
the Confederate States, whom last saw
in this court house in May, 1861, sitting,
black us thunder cloud, under the ex-
coriations of Frank Peirpoint, (then
scarcely known. to fame) who was max
ing one of his most telling speeches to
an enthusiastic Union mass meeting.
1 see many faces here of men who
lacked courage to illustrate their prin-
ciples as did the three named, but who
come out now like torpid snakes on
some warm May-day, revived into life
by the hope that somebody will yet be-
try the Country into their hands.
Those'named and others like them
defeated and broken down-naturally
oome back to their old haunts. Their
stay-at-home confederates feel encour-
aged by the leniency shown them to in
dulge hopes of ultimately retrieving
the fortunes of their lost cause. II
seems strange, however, to see such
men as some your city sends out here,
hobnobing and fellowshiping with
these recently returned rebels; strange
that men who bear fair characters for
private integrity and have hitherto
professed loyalty, should SO eagerly
strike hands now,with these amnestied,
tsHr n a