Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1866-11-27
tcOrrespondence OF the Spirit Of Jefcrson.I
Berkeley County.

y
/, conversing with many of its good citizens upon
/ political and social matters. The Inference
Judging from the.tone of both the county pa
/ pers, that the people OF Berkeley have been
and now are in favor of remaining attached
| to West Virginia, is erroneous. am satisfied
! from the general expression of the sentiments
! of the more prominent aad Influential of its
citizens, that large majority are anxious TO
/ return to the fold of the .'0ld Dominion. -
| Indeed, if ever any people had cause to re-
| greet their present status, 1t is the people of
| that county. Governed and controlled by an
| INSCRIPTIONS minority, their legislative, judi
cial aud municipal Offices mostly in the hands
/! OF .ssquatters, during and since the war,
whose ONLY claim to any fitness for the respou-
sible positions they occupy, is the absurd and
/ ridiculous cant of "loyalty to the Union" and
"loye for the old flag" although their acts
never demonstrated willingness totace dan
| ger in its defense. Now, however, that dan
ger Is passed and the "gray jackets" have
turned their sabers into pruning hooks, these
| pseudo loyaiists have become excessively cour-
ageous aud blatant, aud seek constantly to
stir up strife and i'll feeling, am happy to
state however, that the good citizens. embra-
cling all parties in Berkeley, are seeking by
every honorable means to free themselves
from the rule of these radical ntruders.-
! The narrow and proscriptive policy of West
| Virginia has proved ruinous to all the mate
| rial interst OF the county. Capital is driven
away and population is turned aside. 1t is
not an inviting condition of affairs, even to
| Northern emigrants,to settle ina community
whose Oldest and best citizens are denied the
muniments of law, and the common rights of
citizenship. Nor are strangers likeley to pur-
chase property or embark cap tai 10 any de-
partment of industry, when the political gov
| n the yaOnla iS I,SnrDoA h,,c
having nothing at stake. either in labor or cap
| ital, aud who do not bear any of the burdens
of3an excessive taxation, but on the contrary
flourish most when others are most oppressed.
But these drawbacks upon tho material pros
| perity OF the people must of necessity shortly
terminate. The fungus growth. of radicaIism
will lop off through its own corruption. The
clap trap cries + loyalty aud huzzas for the
| flag are played out. Something more tangi>
bic is desired, Declarations do not build CT
| ties nor barps, aud radic;tlism howsocvcr adap-
ted to the development of moral and social
progress ~ does not set machinery in motion,
nor give food for muscle. On the contrary,
like nightSmare, it palsies all the nerves of
| trade and enterprise 1t hOvers like ghoul
over every department of industry, aud is in
verify Pandora's box of all evils, b tn social
and political. 1t seeks to prevent citizens of
the same community from frutcrnzing, now
that all occasion for i'll feeling has pusSed.-
1t seeks to widen and deepen cmbittcrments
which unhappily sprang up among neighbors
| during the war. 1t seeks to establish cast,
and at the same time to obiiterate all distinc
tions OF color. 1t seeks TO mongre!ize the
| whites and to erect from the rcs!dnm an oil
| SarchIal government In fact, its every phase
or policy points To the destruction of our pres
ent form of government and the substitution
OF the unlicensed and unrestricted rule of
mobocracy. The people of Berkeley begin to
see aud. feel all this most sensbly and hence
are moving to escape the diretul consequen>
ces. 1t is true that majority of her citizens
are now dlstranchzcd, but there is evidently
| an undercurreut Of reactIOnary. feeling among
many of the more decent radicals of the coun,
ty, who are beginning to see t. at whatever
Expresses their nei"hbors tells with equal Ell
feet upon themselves, and il will not be many
months before they will hasten to wash their
hands and cleanse their skirts of the foul
wrongs committed, in the name of loyalty,
against their fellow citizens.
But whilst unhappily this sad condition of
political affairs exists, and frail humanity
seems bent Oh bringing down misery on ITSELF
the great BeneInct"f of ALTO the just as
we'll as the unj ust, seems in a remarkable and
especial manner to be tuvOurng his creatures
with an abundance of the fruits of the earth
The past year has been bountful one to the
farmers of Berkeley, aud the cereals now sown
never in the memory of man presented so
promising an appearance. "AIl we want" said
an old farmer Ito complete our happiness is
the bringing back of the good old. days of
friendship, and the equality of white mems
rights"
Passing through Bunker HILL Gerardstown
and Darksvil!e, noticed but few improve
ments. Here and there dilapidated dwell
ling presented the appearance of renovation,
but beyond this everything retains the status
of Twenty years ago"
In the latter place, quito a revival of rcli-
gIon is in progress under the auspices OF the
II. NJ. Church. The writer of this was pres.
ent at the services on Thursday evening last.
The Rev MIR. Kerns, quite youth in APP
pearance, official ed. Mr.. X. was a soldier IN
the Confederate Army, aud therefore, though
young, has had ample experience in combut
ting the world, the flesh and the dcvil"-
In looking over the congregation, missed
many familiar faces. There was to be seen
the old clerk, in his accustomed scat near the
pulpit, raising the hymns in a clear and syl-
very voice as he did quarter of a century
ago, unchanged, except in the whitening of
his locks and the wearing of huge pair of
spectacles. There too was brother H. uuc-
tious as ever in prayer for the salvation of
sinners There too, sat friend p. the coffin
maker--a little bald now at The business and
just to the right sat tue village merchant who
for forty years has supplied the neighborhood
with its wants, and who gives fair promises
from his looks to do the same for as many
years to come. There too, was the village
blacksmith, fat aud brawney, as ever, and last
though not least, there TOO, as in years agone,
peerlns out from beneath pair of long silk
en- lashcs, was pair of witchings eyes, that
once played sad havoc with our youthful af-
tections. But with these exceptions all else
in that village assembly was strange Verify,
the life of man is as tale that is told