The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-02-14

or will take in the affairs of the State?''
We could hardly expect harmony to
exist between a people who cherish
such "a sentiment as that and the peo-
pie. of West Virginia. The one section
is thoroughly democratic; the other is
able political fellowship between them
in the same municipality ~
/ beg to refer you to another consld-
efation which the people of West Ntr-
ginia will do well to observe. Look at
the condition in which the war has left
Virginia-her desolated fields and farms
and villages; her depleted and bank
her decimhted population. West Nir-
ginia, though by no means exempt from
similar. r.injuries, is, nevertheless, COM
paratively free from them. She is Grip
pied to some extent, but by no means
exhausted. She is ready and able still
to march straight and steadily forward
in the new fcareer of development and
prosperity which has been opened be-
lore her. In this condition of the States
it is proposed tounite their fortunes for
the future In suggesting this thought
to General Harris the other day, he en-
forced It by a homely but apt illustration.
Eyes, p said he, sit is as If there were
two owners of conterminous farms.-
One of them had been provident, indus
trions, and discreet. HIS farm is in
tolerably good repair, we'll stocked,
productive, and profitable. The other
has been reckless, thriftless, and ne
glectfal. His farm is dilapidated, the
fences are gone, the barns are burned,
his stock is destroyed, and his means
are all lwasted. Hesays to the former,
Come, let us unite our farms into one.
Willis we'are Repairing mine we can
use yours, and when mine is restored,
n TaFN1onsSkpeiHr Ntye will hnUn n l1fRn
farm indeed.'" Such, in fact, is the
proposition which East Virginia makes
to West Virginia. She proposes to
avail herself of'the benefits, of our pru-
dence andproyidence to repair and sup
ply her want of them, shall be great
ly surprised il the people of West Vir-
ginia are willing to enter into any such
bargain; and ben they remember that
these melancholy desolations of East
Virginia are not the result of accident
or misfortune, but the legitimate con-
sequences of wicked and unjustifiable
rebellion against the most benign Gov
ernment "the sun ever shone upon,"
and especially when they remember
the vigorous and vindictiye efforts
made to drag them also into the same
vortex of ruin and rebellion, 1 imagine
their disposition to accede to the propo-
sition will in no wise be increased
They will most probably consider that
it was enough TO have given the lives
of their fathers, sons, and brothers, to
repel the aggression without contribu-
ting of their means to restore the losses
of the aggressor. a., e 2. sE.Et,
Moreover, a reunion of the States
would doubtless result in the surren-
der of those fundamental reforms inau-
purated under our new constitution,
and thelaws made by our Legislature
in accordance herewith. Itwould re-
Il II Il
surrender our system of free schools
and popular education, just going into
effect. Itwould destroy our Improved
organizations of county police, town
ships, &c, 1t would remove our consti-
tutfonal protection against the creation
of burdensome public debts, and place
us back again under the domination of
a sectional political majority which
would go on, in iall probability, in the
future as it has done in the past, in en-
larging our public debt for internal inn
proyements. none of which would ever
or could ever find their way into West
ern Virginia. In short, 1t would ruin
us. Nor may we forget the probable
confusion which would ensue in the ne
cessary effort which must follow to re-
concile and harmonic the different
systems of judicial proceedings, modes
of recording title papers, prohntes of
wills, and granting letters of admins
tration, &c, growing out of thenew or
der of Things in West Virginia.
But 1 must forbear this multiplica-
tiohs of reasons adverse to the proprie-
ty of reuniting the two States. Many
more equally, and perhaps more cogent
must suggest; themselves to your own
mind. fI lsi5Hf ~,
Ifiyou had not requested it should
hardly have deemed it necessary to no
tice the extra ordinary remarks of Mr..
faFlI
without consideration, and under the
influence of passion. Here they are, as
contained in the Journal: n Ga
l"Mr. Garnett moved the indefinite post
ponement of the above preamble and reSolu-
tons He % was opposed 70 %Ii the pToPoSed hn5 re-
voluntarily Withdrawn, and he was willing to
letfheni choose for themselves this matter.
he could not consent to invite them back. :"
"Nlr. Garnett again addressed the House on
the subject. II simple resolution OF inquiry
on the subject had been introduced, he did not
know that he should have offered any oppo-
sitfon 10 it but look at the preamble! The
t,st stiaS1an fnon1 RoclSInGhon mad zone tOo
far on this question. We did not drive West
Virginia Oh, nor had she any good or sufficient
ded to the course of East NirRinia In giving
her such improvements as she desired, while
East Virginia had to be taxed to pay for these
improvements. In view OF the past, he
thought West Virginia had exhibited a want
or gratitude by volun ntarily seSerfng the con-
nection. We did not drive her ott-and he
should not be the INST to invite her back"
Highly complimentary indeedl "Un-
der the circumstances of their deSertio1l,"
0uoth he. Does he mean that we ever
wentin into the rebellion with him and
then. deserted? He cannot mean that.
BE knows that West Virginia never fall
tered in her fealty to the Union. He
must mean, III his words mean any
thing, that we refused to follow Virgin
ia into treason and rebellion. Virginia
deserted us. She was a traitor; not we.
,,ttE9e alluded 10 the course of East Pr
diniu in giUihg her tWeSt Yfr5iaiGl 8ttch
improVenleIlts as she desired, iUltiLe East
Tirginia had to be taxed to pay for those
fupToUements."
That was the "unkindest cut of all 7"
What improvements does Mr.. Garnett
aIlude to? Where are they? If Mr..
Garnett wRs not iesting, he is certainly
ienoiant of the boundaries of West Vir-
Gfnia; or else he has laid himself liable
to be suspected of an effort to deceive.
Does he refer to any railway? If so,
what is itR Where is it? To any canal |?
Where is that2 Or was 1t the North
western Turnpikeroad? We make our
acknowledgements for this small boon,
albeit such iantiquated improvements
are at this day OF comparatively little
value. Perhaps he had the Kanawha
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS connectipn
with the james river canal-or the GUY
andotte Improvement in his mind. Still
we are rthahkfnl for small favors."
Or was it our "mud pixies" as being
peculiarly suited .'to the peasantry of
the West" and fully equal to their
deserts3 For these, too, weare CRATE
ful. But what do they all amount to
in comparison to the railways trayers-
ing every section of East Virginia2
+ Thave no recent official statistics at
hand, showing what the State of Vir-
ginia has contributed to works of in