The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1866-04-25
ADD r E S S
or THE
UNION CENTRAL COMMITTEE.
To The People ef' West Virginia:

To The Ptople IF West Virginia:
In addition to the usual township
elections you will bc called upon on the
fourth Thursday Of May next to vote
upon the following proposed amendment
to our State constitution:
"No pcr,on mho, since thr first aaY cf JHn',
1861, hds yiren or shaN gire roiuntarv aid or
assistance TO tie reJ,iion agrinIt tie Cmif"d States,
shaH be ciii;-n of thi, Statr, or he "ho"ed to
cote at any ei-ction hcM therein, anless lie hu'
volunteered into the military or narM srric' y iht
Nnit.d States anil hd, been Or ,haH be ho"orddy
discharged Mer:)roa."
This amendment has been before you
since the first day Of March, 1865. Our
constitution requires that all amendments
other than those adopted at regularly
called constitutional convention, shall
pass bAh branches Of the Legislature at
two successive sessions and be attcrward
submitted to direct vote Of the people
at the polls. The proposed amendment,
in accordance with this provision Of the
constitution, has twice passed the LesIs'
lature, the first time on the lst day Of
March, 1865, and the second time on
the 18th day Of February, 1866, each
time by large majorities of the two
Houses.
The general scope and purpose Of the
amendment arc therefore not new to you.
Aside from the published discussions in
the Legislature at tho Two sessions re.
fcrrcd to, the amendment was made gen.
orally familiar by the dcuunciations Of
our opponents in the canvass last tall for
members Of that body. In some Of the
counties tho result Of the elections
turned upon the amendment, aud so far
as there was in this way an expression Of
public opinion upon thc'qucs,ion, it was
generally favorable. So much so was
this the case, that the Legislature at
their lutc session in voting to ratify what
had been adopted by their predecessors,
lc. that they we're but carrying out what
had been approved by their constituents
in their own election. Indeed, under
the circumstances, it is difficult to see
what other course could barc been pur'
sued, having in view tho we'll known
sentiments Of the loyal people Of the
State in regard to all who have had q
guilty participation in the rebellion.
In view Of the election now so near at
hand, when you will be called to decide
finally upon this important amendment,
tho undersigned who wcro appointed a
Central Committee by the convention
of loyal men from all parts OF tho State
that met in this city on the 22d of Feb.
ruary last, desire to submit to you few
considerations involved in its fate at
your hands. Most Of you arc entirely
familiar with tho origin Of the present
issues between the loyal aud disloyal ele'
men,s in this Stutc--bctwcen those who
have been throughout the friends of the
Government and those who have been its
cncmics-bctwcen those who have stead
fastly cluus to the new State and those
who at every stage Of its progress have
offered all the opposition in their power.
These issues spraug out OF the war, but
they have not passed AWAY with the war
There remain to US rs the fruit oil 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
mids, rcac,ionary party whose sympa'
,b;cs have never been and arc not now
with the party nor THO principles that
triumphed in the late armed conflict with
treason. What that party mcditates IN
all respects in the wuy Of future policy,
| it is difficult as yet to determine with
precision. Taking their record through
out the war, however, as II criterion, VIC
would say us expressing their status in
single sentence, that they mean no
good to the principles that have been
cherished and upheld by the loyal peo'
pic Of Vest Virginia throughout the
! iong aud dark struggle Of the war,
| Whatever it may suit this party to pro
ress in tho way Of future intentions, 1t
canuo. be denied that the past is wholly
AGAINST them. In this world it is SO
ordered that parties, not less than indl
viduu!s, arc to be judged by their per-
formanccs instead Of their promises.
For ourselves, disclaiming oil desire to
provoke new agitaticDs, or to renew OLD
oucs, or to pursue in any spirit of mere
vengeance those who so long and so
deeply wronscd the State and the eoun'
try, VIC look only to tho adoption OF such
a policy as will certainly secure to US
The legitimate results Of the dearly
bought victory, BY which, at the lus''
loyalty triumphed over treason in the
6cld Of battle. 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 sympa'
tbics of single person who in any why
aided or countenanced it. Rcason teaches
IA that only the character, not the spirit,
of rho warfare has ceased. The auimus
Of tho rebellion lives on. And the
source of our present danger is that VIC
ro no longer confront it under its former
eolors, tut under spccious dissuiscs we'll
calculated to deceive US at the hrst
ulonce In this State it is now arraycd