The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-04-23
The Issue NOW BEFORE the People of
West YIrElniR.

West Virginia
The simple and only issue now before
the people, both of the State of West
Virginia, and of the nation, is, whether
lloval men or rebels shall rule the coun-
try-whetIIer the controlling power
shulI bn retained in the hands of the
friends of the Government, who hHVe
successfully vindicated its authority,
or whether itshall pass over TO the en-
emies of the Government, who have so
recently been disappointed in their ef-
forts for its destruction.
Unwashed and unrepentant rebels
are everywhere clamorous for power;
men who have forfeited-all their lights,
even the right tolive, are impudently
demand ing to be restored to the exer-
else of political power, as matter OF
right; and assuming that the with
holding of power from them by the 10y
nj people, is an act of the grosSest IN
justice. 5F#s Fg !
They are now engaged In an effort to
bring the legislative department. of the
Government into disrepnte, and make
Congress- and our State Legislature
odioGs'in the estimation, OF the people,
simply because they showa determined
purpose to keep the controlling power
of the country in the hands of loyal
men. They only support the Presi-
dents policy in as far as they inter
pret that policy as indicating II 10 pc
the purpose ofthe President 10 restore
rebels to power. They will find that
in expecting him to do this at all, they
have entirely misinterpreted his posi-
ton and purposes. It would be flat
contradiction of all his utterances on
this subject.tf I tfE
When they find they cannot cniole
and flulter him into the folly of stuiti-
flying himself by setting himself in op.
position to ali his rlainly declared
opinions and purposes in regard to re-
timing the political power OF the coun-
try in the hands of loyal mem and,
more especially, should he, now that
all the prisoners of war have been eX-
changed by virtue of the proclamatlon
of peace, pursue his Oft expressed pur-
pose to send the leaders OF the rebel
lion before the law, and infiict upon
such of them as can be convicted, its
penaltieS,- should Gen. Lee, for exam
ple, be indicted in Pennsylvania for
treason the overt act having been conf
mitted at Gettysburg, and should he be
sent into Pennsylvania to be tried, and
there convlcted; and should the Presi-
dent just permit The law to take its
course, without any interference in the
way OF executive clemency, how much
support would he then get from these
self-styled Aarons and Hurs who are
now so ootticiously pretendingtoh hold up
his hands. Cleared of all the mists and
fogs which these designing copperheads
have manufactured nnd thrown around
the subject, in order to mislead loyol
,men, the only issue is, as to who shall
WELD the power, rebels and traitors, or
loyal men. y
To state the question, is to settle it.
We, all know that when these rebel 1ea-
iers had the power, they abused tito
theruin or their country, and should we
now restore them to power they would
ruin themselves and everybody else;
so the best thing we can do for all con-
cerned is to withhold from them political
power. This can only be done in West
Virginia by adopting the Constitutional
Amendment. 65ta q 3 a,siH