The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-05-18
9' aal pe4fs

profound modification, that in this, the
most gloomy hour of Virginia's histo-
ry, since she pronounced her separa-
tion from the kingdom of Great Britain,
and first assumed and conquered her
| independence as a State, that there are
citizens in a few of the Northwestern
1 counties ofithe State, who forget the
| wisdom, patriotism and prowess of our
| ancestral dead-the exalted sense, OF
| honor which the memory of these In
| spires-the security, strength, great
ness and influence which her integrity
| affords, Sand who would cut of a petty
fragment from the land of our fathers
and attach it to that of our most invet-
crate enemies-would form from few
1 of the Northwestern counties Of Vir-
| ginia fragmentafy BASTARD corner OF
| Pennsylvania or Ohio, or else remain
alone, petty, feeble, helpless, renegade
community on the border of two great
\ ConfeCeracies, despised by that which
1t deserted in the'hour of peril, and con-
| Itemned by that to which 1t should at
tach itself for protection:
/ "And we have discovered moreover,
with unutterable chagrin, that the lead
ers-ors at least some of them-propose
NOT to appeal to the Convention OF
\ Virginia now in session, which has the
4 power to act on this subject and in which
| the West has a preponderating majori-
i ty and can carry Whatever measures It
| pleases-not to appeal to the Legtsla-
1 ture-notto allow even the people OF
that section which is to be segregated,
| to be consulted and express their prefer
ence as to their destiny;-but TO hold
| convention in the city of Wheeling, and
there, without law or authority, to form
Provisional Government, not to be
sanctioned or accep pted by the people to
be governed, but to be enforced upon
them by the people of Ohio and Penn
sylvanfa, and the President, and the
partizans fIhe measure in this section,
with arms furnished by the people OF
those States, said to be already deposit
ed in the city of heetng-thus inau-
guratinga q civil strife in ourvery midst,
which must. assuredly " commit our famt-
lies and our property to murder, rapine,
fire, and general devastation.
"IhereJ0re, be IL T'eSOLDed, That while
we utterly condemn the proprosition to
divide the Slate,f and in our inmost
souls we loath and abhor the diabolical
manner III which it is proposed to effect
to be formed with a hostile State; yet
we believe that but few of the citizens
of the Northwest favor even a regular
and legal division of the State, and
that but small number of those who
do, have Thought seriously of the char
acter and consequences of that mea-
sure; and we are thoroughly satisfied
4 LEldB u Sill .uuulOSE nave 0GGh
made aware of the manner in which 1t
is proposed to accomplish 1t And we
would solemnly warn and fervently
implore, our fellow citizens to inform
themselves, and think and reflect for
themselves on this and other subj OF
vital public Importance, and not to al
low themselves to be seduced by wick
ed and reckless men, to their own In
fanny, the degredation of their families,
and the destruction of their country"
We have not space to-day to extract
further from the address issued by the
prominent "conservative' gentlemen
whose names are above recorded. They
no doubt In their latter day speeches
and newspapers can and will explain
away all they said on the memorable
occasion referred to. Bill Cooper and
Bob Johnston were of course always
Union men, and never were disloyal
except in the Picwickian sense of that
word, Notwithstanding anyradical or
abolition ISLANDERS to othecontrary. They
Land the rest had constitutional right
to their opinions, and it is very indecent
and tyrannical on the part of the radi-
Gals and abolitionists to attemps to keep
them out of their old political places
simply because they attempted to carry
their opinions into effect by "force and
arms" and had the bad luck to fail.
As Henry "A. Wise recently said in his
speech, quoted on Wednesday, SO no
doubt these gentlement think, and would
say were they in a situation to speak
out with comfort and profit to Them
Cnl VOC 1...slp.F tf 54lst tlg ~ sst.
st.If IskGd tgIu1nphed Z should haVe Ja-
Uored stripping them the Union men of
the State) naked. Pardont They might
have Gppedted for pardon. bat 1lgQuld
haze seen them damned before 4 tgoHtd
hGVe granted itt.p 4 1910
The Union men of West Virginia do
not propose to do this. They desire
neither to strip,or to damn the rebels
and their coadtntors. But they do de-
sire and are determined toprotect them
selves against the political ascendancy
of such men, knowing full well what
they would have good reason to expect
were the State to fall into the hands of
its enemies.
tTHn May anniversaries of the reli-
gious and philanthropic societies ap-
pear to have passed OF PLEASANTLY in
New. York. The treasures of most of
them are ina promising condition. 1t
is fact that will ever be remembered
to the honor of our nation that through
ont our war all of these associations,
which deserve encouragement, were
amply supplied with the means for car
rying on their work, and. new societies
which the exigencies of time called for,
were handsomely sustained. i5srFo.
Thereis perhaps less popular interest
in these anniversaries than there used
to be-. We gladly record our belief that
upon the various platforms there is
somewhat less talking than there once
was formere popular effect and display.
Not that ambitious men are not as
ready togo up and air their eloquence.
but the entertainment has lost its now
city, and the audiences are not SO eager
and denthusiasticas they formerly were.
The societies, which really meet to do
something, fare none the.worse. They
do their work and adjourn. The only