The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-02-13
Letters from the People,.
Old Mepsngalia - What She Likes
and what She Dsnt Like.

Old .Wouon8 8ul1a - "nht S.e
and what She Dsnr Like.
Editor Of the Register:
Old Monnongalia begins to swear by
the REGISTER. An observer ut the post
office during the distribution of the
mails, will note the fact that part of
the familiar heading of the WHEELING
DAILY REGISTER turns up IN almost ev-
cry box. The fact is significant one.
A shrewd politician knows that there is
no better index Of the sentiments ofa peo-
ple-uo more conclusive evidence OF the
signs of the times than that to be found
i'm the distribution of the newspapers at
n post office. You cannot handle Goals
without being burned, neither can you
habitually peruse the matter OF news
paper without adopting in whole or in
part the views and principles OF which
! il is the advocate. Men become so ac-
customed to the thoughts snd reasoning
of their daily journal that they readily
substitute them for their own. They
neither. pXlfess. nor desire any other
reason for the "faith that is in them
! than the assurance that they are follow
ing in the wake of their ia
vorite journal. Newspaper is king,
without q rival, and newspaper
controls the current of. political affairs
| in this country with a will rs arbitrary
as the wind sways tue trees of the for.
est.
Now, the people of Monongalia are not
more tractablsin their dispositions han
other communities. They would be
10th to acknowledge that they do not
exercise Judgment upon all political
affairs independently of public journals
or other like influences; and they do.
Az a community We are VIGOROUSLY
firm in our political faith, and in adopt
| ing the REGISTER as the exponent of
our principles We are simply saying
"your heart being as my heart, give me
thy hand" We could not be easily in
duced to follow the lead of the REGISTER
or any other journal into course that
would Involve the REIMBURSEMENT of
our principles. For instance, if the
REGISTER should "hy off the handle"
like one or two quOndam Democratic
papers of late, and tell us, though with
all the plausibility it could command,
that the enfranchisemcnt of the negro
was either polite, safe, necessary, or
wise measure, it would find staunch old
Monongalia hanging dead, heavy
weight in the rear. More than that sho
would send your journal back with a
message endorsed for you to go to
thunder with your negro enfranchise-
ment."
might as well tell you how we do
feel upon this negro suffrage qnestion.
We are willing and ready to do oil
that a generous and philanthropic peo-
pie would feel binding upon them for
the amelioration of the condition of the
negro. We will help educate him-we
will contribute literally Of our means
to improve his condition in every res
pcct, but in his present ignorant, de
generate and demoralized condition. we
will not endanger the very exist
ence of our Government, dis
grace the ballOt-boX, and cngender
dissatisfaction and confusion through
out the country by comforting on him
the highest privilege OF an American
citizen. More especially would we
aerey confer this high privilege upon
him without qualification. If com
pelled to accept one of two evils, we
will fight for the qualifications to
the bitter end. We are not "suiilclentiy
advanced" (O to look even with COM
placency upon any such dogma as that
advanced by Wendell Philips ct I'd genus
omne, that to give Immediate, nniver-
sal and unqualified suffrage to the ne
groes, would be like placing mortgage
on the property of the people to
educate them, because, forsooth, we
would be obliged to do it for our own
protection. Such all argument is a
plain admission of the danger of such n
measure. Neither is there any common
sense reason for the American people
imposing upon themselves any such n
responsibility, or subjecting themselves
! TO any such risk. Since We have thrown
omen q school house upon every hilltop
in the country and invited the negro to
come in without money and without
price and receive the tuition necessary
to make him n man-certainly in the
light of all fairness and reason we
should not still be obliged to force the
negro to improve the opportunity we
so generously offer him. Should we
not rather hold out, if Mt all, the Prl-
yilege of vote conditioned upon his
accepting our offer, and thus afford a
stimulus for the exertion due on his
parts But enough of this. hate the
whole subject.
had few thoughts Oh the subject
of onr Legislature and its proceedings,
and this was the motive power that
prompted this scribling, but l either
fortunately or unfortunately got off
the track. The fact is, we people
of Monongalia are very much mellowed
in Sur feelings towards that august
body since the passage of the bill iocat-
ing the Agricultural College, and be.
lieve a little of this disposition decoyed
nv pen from the channel it would other
wise have taken. We are not altogether
pleased with the disposition of our Leg
islature this winter. We are anxious
to see our young State advancing and
growing into q healthier activity both
in its business and political interests.
We believe that the adoption of these
extreme measures by the Legislature,
and the advocacy of still more extreme
ones by nincompoop editors, such as
run the Fairmont Eedette and the like,
gives an unsettled phase to our condi-
ton, and deters immigration. Let us
get liberal, friendly, magnanimous in
our views, and the impression it will
send abroad will be favorable to all our
interests. But more anon.
... ORTHODOX.
West viryinial Legislatisn-I Char.
: acter and It's Purpose.
WASHINGTON AND JEFF'N COLLEGE,
/ ,.. ... WASHINGTON, Pa,
February IL, 1867.
Editor of the Register:
4 Undvailing, indeed, have been the eff
forts to force your present Legislature te
anything like justice. Petitions, re-
quests and demands alike go unheeded
by men governed only by the instincts
of brutal capacity. While all honor
able means have been resorted to with
in constitutional limits to check thi'
. stretch of power, it still continues it
oppressive and mereenary legislation
needless of the approaching danger