The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-05-16
yyai, of the Seven Wise Men ON the
state of Things in West Virginia in
May, 1866.

Wall of the seven Wise Men ON the
stale of Thing. in West Virginia in
May, 1866.
On Thursday, the Oath of May, 1866
very few days more-the people OF
West Virginia will be called upon to
vote upon the following acendment to
their State constitution:
mo person who, since the first day OF
June, 1861, has given or shall give vol
untary aid or assistance to the rebellion
AGAINST the United States, shall be a
citizen of this State or be allowed to
vote at any election held therein unless
he has volunteered into the military or
naval service of the United States and
has been or shall be honorably discharg-
ed theretrom."'
The design of this amendment is to
keep out of power all Democrats, or as
they ,re socalled by US, rebels, and for
this purpose we propose with your as
sistance, beloved friends, to stigmatlze
them in every manner possible, and
then. by little abolition strategy, work
ont our ends. We intend to instruct
our 1niniops in the border counties to
work continually on the causes which
pr, duced this bloody war, and to be
sure and make the Democrats accounta-
BILE for all the lives lost, treasure wasted
and taxes imposed during and since
the close of the said war. The Demo-
Gratis will, we know full well, seek to
blame portion OF the loss upon our
good Union Generals by saying that
| they were incompetent and thus united
to command our armies. We know full
well that they will particularly revile
that prince of high-souled patriots,
| Benjamin Butler, whom they (the reb-
els, so.called) designate as thief, spoons
and Beast Butler, and yet this muchly
reviled man, at whom they fling their
! coarse epithets, is the very soul of hon.
esty. Did he not return fifty thousand
dollars only the other day which he
kept fer a man in New Orleans during
the war? 1t is true he was before the
court, but that was mere form his truth
full nature prompted the return of it
long before the Judge insisted on it.
This amendment does not in any
way hurt those persons who voted with
us every time on the issues of the
day, who believe in the Helper
doctrine and revere the memory of that
mart red Virginia Saint old John
! Brown nor does it conflict in any way
with those who fhtsnd to vote for
Charles Sumner, of Massachusetts, for
the next President Of these United
States: it does not indeed, friends. And
we u TX orr beloved brethren, white and
colo ed whether in your hearts you
believe that man who for suspected
disloyalty to this (West Va.,) best Of
governments, was sent beyond the do
minions of Uncle Sam into the territory
of the rebellious, where he had either to
take up arms or starve, we ask, fellow
citizens, whether he being pardoned by
q most magndnimous government, should
return to the shade of his vine and fig
| tree, and seek to exercise the right of
suffrage the same as we patriots! Should
this he allowed? No we say thousand
times. And, we further ask you disin-
terested loyalIsts, if we who stayed by
your side here during the sanguinary
time and helped to crush out treason at
home; who took our little contracts
from Uncle Sam when we could get them
and made perhaps an honest penny that
might serve in times to come when
steaks were high, TO keep the wolf from
our doors; we ask now if we are no
longer to be allowed to sit in the high
places and husband the little old perqui
sites, or shall we be ouSted from our well
lined and cosy nests by these traitors
(sO-called) and compelled to herd again
with the common cattle? Shall this last |
be the case? Lord love you patriots !
we think we hear you say no q thou |
sand times no. Don't let them Jerk us
unceremoniously from our fat offices and
sling us into the mire. The Offices are
ours by right of possession. We have
become attached, yes sincerely attached
to them, and unlike Jerry Blossom, we
do not want to go home; then, beloved
brethren, kind friends, sweet patriots,
don't let them kick us out, for Gods
sake, don't. And, we good deal fur
ther ask, fellow-patriOts, if we who were
tooth and toe-nail for the wholesale con.
tiscati0n Of the property of Southern
Sympathizers during the rebellion, that
thus every true Union man should become
recompensed for what he lost or might
lose by Hpholding the best of govern
ments are to be forgotten in this day of
reckoning2 YesI beloved patriots, We
were always for confscation, in the
widest sense of the word.
The following, which is an extract
from speech made at the club room
during the turbulent times by one Of the
commit tee, fully portrays the sentiment
of every member of the sacred seven !:
The orator, when speaking of the privi |
leges Of Il government during the time of
rebellion, said: "Do believe in the con-
fscation of property? think | do, if !
know myself Why, fellow citizens. if |
rIy aged father was rebel sympathizer, |
aud was aware of the fact, would |
beckOn unto me one of the blue coated |
servants of the government, and leading |
the way to my fathers mansion would bid |
him put the old man out, and take pos
session in the name of a more worthy &C. |
cupant" Yes, brother loyalists, such was |
the'eX,rnt to which patriotism was car
ried during the dark and bloody season !
and is it not shame now that these |
traitors, whom we sought to eject. |
should now in turn seek to eject us? |
Why, its dastardly it's villianous, kind |
friends, it is indeed. But don't |
LET them run us off, sweet patriots, don't, |
for Heavens sake, don't We canuot, |
Bi,,d friends, be as explicit about tie
veto as some of you might wish, but the
fact is that some of the greatest among
us are hanging by very slight thread |