The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-04-12
A d r S S
56. az oF.rnE a
UNION CENTRAL COMMITTEE.
To the People Of West H1rafnfa :


To the People Of Vest Virytnta:
In addition to the usual township
elections you will be called upon on
the fourth Thursday of May next to
vote upon the following proposed
amendment to our State constitutions:
'.No person who since the 1irst day of June.
1881, has given or shall give voluntary aid
tfUniIed States shall be q citiLen OF thIS State,
S,or be allowed toyvoJe. at any election held
therein. unless he has volunteered into the
Estates, and has been or shall be honorably
" "" discharged therefrom. uHT TyHN
.5iThis amendment has been before you
since the first day of March, 1865. Our
constitution requires that all amend
ments, other than those adopted at a
regularly called constitutional conven-
ton, shall pass both branches of
the Legislature at two successive seS-
sions, and be afLerward submitted to "a
direct vote of the people at the polls.
The proposed amendment, in accord
ance with this provision of the. cOnsti-
tuition, has twice passed the Legisla-
.ture, the first time on the 1st day OF
March, 1865, and the second time on the
18th day of February, 1886, each time
by large majorities of the two Houses.
The general scope and purpose of the
amendment are therefore not new to
you. Aside from the published dis
cussions in the Legislature at the two
sessions referred to, the amendment
was made generally familiar by the
denunciations of our opponents in the
canvass last fall for members of that
body. In some Of the counties the re-
suit of the elections turned upon the
amendment, and sol far as there was in
this way an ex preston of public opin-
ion upon the question, it was general
yfavorable. So much SO was this the
case that the Legislature at their late
session in voting to ratity what had
been adopted by their predecessors, felt
that they were but carrying out what
had been approved by their, constitu-
ents in their own election. Indeed,
under 1.-The circumstances, 1t is difficult
to see what other course could have
been pursued, having in view the well
known sentiments of the loyal people
of the State in regard TO. all who have
had a'guilty participation in the rebel
lion.
In view of the election now so near
at hand, when you will be.called to de-
eide finHllyupOn this portant tamend-
,Lhent, the Undersigned who were APP
pointed Central Committee by the
convention, ofloyal men from all parts
of the State that met in this city on the
22d, of February llast,i desire to su ubmit
to you u few considerations involved
in its fate at your hands. Most ofgyou
are entirely familiar with the origin
of the present issues between the loyal
and diSloyul elements in this State
between those who have been through
out the friends of the Government and
those who have been its enemtes-be-
tween those who have sIeadfastly clunE
to the new State and those who at eve-
ry stage of its progress have offered all
the opposition in their power. These
issues sprang out of the war but they
have not passed away with the war
There remain to us as the fruit OF the
rebellion dangers scarcely less to be
dreaded than those we feared when the
war was raging. We cannot conceal
from ourselves. that we have in our
midst "a reactionary party whose sym
pathies have never been and are not
now with the party nor the principles
that triumphed in the, late armed con-
fict with treason. What that party
meditates in all respects in the way OF
a future policy it is difficult as yet to
determine with precision. Taking
their record throughout the war,
as u criterion, we would say as
their status in single SEN
tence, that they mean no good to the
principles that have been cherished and
upheld by the loyal people of West
Virginia Throughout the long and dark
suit his party to profess III the way OF
future intentions, it cannot be denied
that the past isrwholly against them.-
In this world 10 Isl soSoTdered that { pAF-
ties, not less than individuals, are to be
judged by their performances instead OF
their promises.
For ourselves, disclaiming all desire
to provoke new agitations, or to re-
neVa,old ones, or to pursue in any
spirit of mere vengeance those who
so long and SO deeply wrongedi
the State and the country, we look
only to the adoption of such policy as
will certuiply secure to ms the leEtti-i
mate results OF the dearly y bppgh ght vic
tory. by which, al the-last; loyalty tri-i
umphed over treason in the field of but
tie. AS a matter of plain common sense
all of us know that the mere overthrow
of that great treason by force of arms
did not change the sympathies of SIN.
ple PERSON, Mho in any way aldedtor
it. Reason teaches us
that only the character, net the spirit,
of the warfare has ceased. The animus
of the rebellion lives on. And the source
ofour present danger is that we no long
er confront it under its former colors,
but under specious disguises we'll cal
culated to deceive us at the hrst glance.
In this State it is now arrayed under
the name of the Conservative" party
after having for years been the ally of
the radical destructionists of the South
.oETT.those whosy would mott have
left one Ustohe InpOn another in
our great Government had they.
been successful. In the hope OF
dividing the Union strength, and thus
power, it suits this party 10 pro-
fess the most ultra support OF the Presl-
bis policy sSa 1t
who stood by the government when
this party was standing by the Conted-
eracy, simply because these true men
are determined not to restore to power
and influence rebels who resigned their
under the government in or
der 10 attempt the dissolution of the
Union. Men who wore the rebel uni
form for wears are now leading editors
tive paffyS Men whu never recognized
West Virginia as a State for single
moment during the rebellion, are now
aspirants for the control Gof the State.
And that large mass variously made up
from the overthrown aud scattered de-
bris of the rebellion, who voluntarily
abiured theiEaltegIancetot the commons
wealth. and who never voted through
out the contest until after the surrender
flee and J Johpston, are Fepownarshall7
ing as of old under the lead of these or
ganizers of this Conservative party.
We point the loyal people ofthe STATE
to the fact that with scarcely a single
exception the conspicuous men in this
movement were the conspicuous men in
every movement during the war that
WAS calculated to render aid and COM
fort TO therebel iion.g nd in nlikemanuer
they were alcOuspIcuouS IN every move
ment against the new Stale. We espoint
them also to the fact that to-day some
OF the newspaper organs of this party
boldly refIisa 10 so.far recognize the le-
pitimacy of the State as 10 print its
name al the head of their columns, and
the editors openly gboAst of their desire