The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-09-18
The border state Convention.

The recent Border State Convention
ut Baltimore was prOdigious tizzle. 1t
bid quite fair some weeks ago, but the
recent election returns proved rather
damaging to the enterprise. Negro suf-
Tgage. in the interest of which measure
the Convention was called, had already
proved too heavy for the Radicals to
carly conveniently in California and
Maine, and the violent steps proposed
TO be taken at Baltimore could not but
have a still more unhappy effect. Hence
it happened that when the Convention
assembled its roll was very brief. Of
actual delegates from the Border States
but thirty were present, the remaining
seventy of the hundred composing the
Convention being imported from Wash
ington on short notice to supply de-
ficiencies.
The character of Radical principle
could not be better set forth than by
tue feebleness of this gathering. For
months aud mouths we have heard OF
the giant strides made by the party OF
progress. Its boldness, its firmness and
its forward movements" have all be en-
held up for our admiration its final
adoption of the most orthodox views on
manhood suffrage" was the special
theme and boast of its organs. We hard
~ expected to see the whole party fall
back on the first reverse. But sc IT
is. The first unfavorable manifesto
lion of popular sentiment IS
sufficient to drive the party from 1t
advanced position and make it advance
backward" with rather more rapidity
than it strobe forward "a voice of
warning was heard from Ohio, Penn
Sylvania and New York." and the in
trepid "progr. ssives" abandon, with
ridiculous haste, he forward position
20 which four years of crawling and
rpayiug had brought them. Such con-
remPtiBis crawiishing, while it is in
perfect keeping with the course OF West
Virginia Radicalism, was not generally
expected from Tennessee and Maryland.
The tactics Of the Radicals of our own
State in regard TO this Convention was
about as cautious as any gang OF moral
eOTards could display. They always
foliow far in the rear of the party, prob
ably Just as the boy rode slow mule in
horse race, to pick up any little arti-
crs the racers might drop. In this case
they find their backward station very
bappy one. They are not involved in
the disasters of the retreat. To be sure,
Vest Virginia is said to have been rep
resented in Baltimore, 10y person
named ID. GosHoBH, We believe, but Mr..
u. GOSHoRN is so obscure and unimpor-
iant an individual that it will be very
convenient to repudiato him. just as,
had the affair been success and prom
!sed well in the future. it would have
been convenient to acknowledge him.
Referring to the objects for which
the Convention was called the Nation
al IHieliissSeer says:
Although insignificant in itself, this
so-called Border State convention has
served to disclose the aRimss of the Rad
ical leaders, and the purposes of the
Radical party. None of the great guns
who were invited honOred the cODven-
tiOn with their presence, but some OF
them "placed themselves upon the re-
cord" by'sending letters, all Of which,
taken in connection with the resolutions
adopted by tho convention, show that
it was intended to strengthen and aid
the purpose of the Radical leaders in
ertendipg orsr all the States Of fhs Union
the same military despotism that has kesp
imposed by Congress upon the SoatkerR
States. t
The resolutions adopted by the Econ-
vention announce that sit is the duty OF
Congress, under the National Constitu-
tion, to protect the equal voting rights
of all loyal American citizens, regard.
less of their complexion" and that "ths
H,rI