The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-03-23
TuE nAddress" recently issued by

some two or three gentlemen residing
in this city, who have not been having
HIGHWAY for sometime, IS in respect to
the GOODNESS of its assumptions, a
strong document. Accept the premises
OF the Address" and weshould declare
without hesitation that wrong is right
and black is white. The ground on
which the sophistries of this ingenious
paper are constructed, is that the per-
sons who Left their homes In our midst
and embarlIing in the rebellion waged a
cruel war against us for the overthrow
OF the Government, did no wrong le-
gaIly, were guilty of no crime morally,
and have given us no reason to abate
confidence in their fidelity TO the Gov
eminent, national and State. II the
people of West Virginia accept this as
true, then we commend. this address as
a fair statement of real grievances
which they ought to redress.
1t is true these gentle hearted and in
noeent persons whom the Legislature
and the radicals, it represents have
been and are even now expressing, very
lately defied the United States and all
who respected its authority. 1t is true
we can have no assurance they would
not do so again on the first opportunity,
but then this is mere difference of
opinion" secured to them by the Con-
stitntion, and surely we would not vio-
late that instrument TO secure ourselves
against renewal of their rebellion. 1t
is true they inaugurnted war without
the slightest justification; but then the
Constitution guaranteed them the right
to do as they pleased without regard
to the right Of any body else to do the
same,) and what was the use OF having
Constitution If they couldn't do it. II
is true that in the course of a long and
bloody war these gentle patriots in
searching for their rights under the
Constitution murdered thousands of
our best citizens and in many counties
plundered their families aud burned
the houses down above their heads
But all this was, in the light of the
Constitution, very tri1ling matter-a
mere difference of opinion, the right
10 which under the Constitution
must not be questioned. 1t was
a mere "feud'-such ms often
exists on the frontier between
families, or such as used to subsist be-
tween rival clans in the Highlands of
Scotland. There was no great principle
involved. No great result ut stake
nothing which might affect the forms
OF Government on this continent for
"twice ten centuries.'' Simply polit-
zeal difference. Simply "a feud," in
which one party was as likely to be
right MS another. All this and much
more of the same sort being true, these
philanthropic gentlemen now ask us to
withdraw the aspersions cast upon our
fellow citizens who lately wore the
grey. They were only, we are assured.
exercising their constitutional right
when they were dsnouncing as "bogus"
the government instituted here by the
loyal people, and shooting lead bullets
Mt our soldiers and capturing and de-
stroying them by slow starvation.
Surely We are not going TO reproach
them for such trifies as these at this late
day when the President has pardoned
everybody and all is peace wherever
the military power OF the nation main
tains i'll We are surely not going to
be so unjust as TO withhold our perfect
aud confiding trust in these our fellow
citizens late OF the confederate empire.
What they did they did under warrant
OF the constitution, which nowhere in
so many words forbids it. land of
course what is not in the constitution
in explicit language cannot be any
where.) "Put yourselves for n moment
in their places, . say these constitution
al gentlemen. "wouId you not do so
toO9r If we could be permitted to re-
spond for those for whom thisaddress Is
in reality intended, we should unhesi-
tatingly say, yes. Very naughty, in
deed, it was of the Union people of
Northwest Virginia to refuse submis-
sion tothe usurpations of Letcher, or TO
decline to confirm the sale made of
them TO the Montgomery conspiracy.
We should have known that these
"brave men, who starved too death their
helpless prisoners where their skins
Were fair, and butchered them in cold
blood iftheirskins were dark, ''if (thus)
tramplcd upon, would turn upon the
oPpresSor at every opportunity" Is
not that the instinct OF all the serpent
race?
Enough Of this. Those who pirate
about tho constitution as protecting
rebels in this State ought for their own
sakes to remember that there is not n
rebel north or south. who from the he
ginning Of the rebellion TO the present
day, did not justify his treason by
mounting the constitution. Strange
that these men can lind NO meaning in
that instrument but protection OF trail
tors in their endeavors to destroy it2 Is
there nothing in the constitution to pro
tect loyal men in protecting itf If there
is indeed nothing, thenit Is time there
was, and the necessity for the amend
ment proposed to the State Constitution
Is all the more apparent
wEdnd in the state of affairs in Viz