The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-03-17
The Present Commotion I'm west vIr-
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There is now a great buzz in the cop
| perhead hive of tliis State. Meetings
are being held at every cross roads in
/ rebel communities, to resolve that they,
the copperheads aforesaid, are very in
Idignant, very much outraged at the
| West Virginia Legislature. Why are
these things done? What did the Leg
islature do mt its recent session that wns
so grievOus? Did it deprive one of the
soldiers who fought for the Union OF
| his rights? Did it deprive one of the
citizens who remained at home and
obeyed the laws of his rights7 We are
all aware that it did not. Who then are
the aggrieved parties2 We answer that
none have any right to complain. There
were men in West Virginia, in 1861,
who organized themselves and attached
themselves to the armies of the rebel
lion, and spentfour years in vain ef,
fort to overthrow the Government OF
the United States, and establish an in
| dependent confederacy of their own.
Failing in their unholy work,
many of these men have returned
and are now residing in West Nir-
| ginia, and their lives and property
are protected. Our Legislature has
prescribed a certain oath that all the
IcitiZens of the State are required to
take ere they can exercise the privilege
| of the elective franchise. They are re-
quired to swear that they have not vol.
| UNFAIRLY borne arms against the United
States since the 1st day OF June, 1861,
and that they haven not given laid and
comfort to the enemies of the United
States. If men cannot take the forego-
1 ing onth, whose fault is it? Does the
sin lie at the door of our Union legisla-
tors? They enacted the law that will
prohibit men from voting who have
been guilty of certain high crimes, but
they did not commit the crimes! In
their Judgment men who have been
guilty of certain crimes are not worthy
of enjoying certain political rights, and
if men have been guilty of those crimes
it is their own fault, and own misror-
tune, and not that of the Legislature,
whose duty it is to make laws that will
secure the greatest good to the greatest
number and which will most effectually
guard our State and its institutions
against the encroachments of disloy-
atty.
Men who have done all in their pow
er to overthrow our Government and
only yielded when compelled to, can
not expect to be restored Immediately
TO the same rights as loyal men possess;
We have never thought that IL would
be policy to keep disabling acts long in
force. Times change, and the political
aspects of the country are continually
taking new phases, and new issues in
process of time will efface the old ones
upon which the people are now divided,
and in the course of n few years it may
be prudent to restore all to their privi-
leges, but now the cause of our recent
strife is in the minds of all. The line
of distinction is plainly marked. Time
will obliterate the cause of hate, and
new issues will beget new interests,
and it is to be hoped n healthy COM
mingling of sentiment, but a few years
probation will not hurt the rebels. 1t
will wean them from the wild hunt for
office and make better men of them.
We are no advocate of placing disa-
bilitieS upon rebels merely because we
have the power to do it, but for the
public safety alone, and as soon as it
shall have been seen that the public
safety will not be jeopardiZed by it, we
would have all disabilities removed.
We will say frankly to the rebels and
their sympathizing friends, that the
steps they are now taking in abusing
our Legislature are only prolongiug
the disabilities thrown upon them.-
While II party exists whose object is
palpably to Iegislate for the benefit OF
guard against the encroachmentS of
that party. The Union party made the
new State-it sustained the Govern
ment during the rebellion, and it will
control matters its own way, and when
the rebels are restored to the privileges,
it will be done by the Union party
not by the copperhead faction that is so
given to indignating. The Union
party will deal justly, but it will not be
bullied into measures, and however
angry copperheads may feel, they had
better smother their Indignation, and
quietly "bide their time"