The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-07-31

:WEDSEsDAY 1ORSISG, July 81.
All at once it has suited the pur-
poses Of the wheeling RegisteT, and
those for whom it SPEAKS, to affect con-
Germ for the legitimacy Of West Viz
giniA's stateship. Apparently they
I4bor under approximations that she is
TO be regarded as a sort u nHltfstS tilta
in consequence Of the action Of Con-
gress toward +he mother State. In
ferentially, they now admit what they
by no means conceded at the time, that
she was constitutioually born, instead
Of being, as that eminent Democratic
leader, Henry A. Wise, expressed it,
.'Ihe bastard child of political rape"
We hold them TO their i'm piled eleventh
hour admission Of her legitimacy, and
with that confession, thus extorted, we
shall give ourselves no special anxiety
in regard to the present status of the
Mother State under the Reconstruction
act. The great point gained Is the le-
gitImacy of the child, be the subse-
queut character and estate OF the
mother what II may. West Virginia is
not responsible for the conduct of the
parent State that has made military
law and q more thorough Teorgsniza-
ton Of her disordered and demofaliZed
affairs, matter Of national necessity
It's easy to harp upon the teehnicality
OF the case, Just as 1t is 10 dwell upon
the Inconsistency OF Imposing the PEN
allies of treason upon recognized BEL
Iigerent=, and thus TO show the contra
diciion involved In the stateship OF
West virginia and the quasi non state
shin OF Virginia. Municipality and
unfortunately considered, Virginia is a
State in the Union in the eye Of the
Reconstruction Law and in the estima-
ton OF the country. Her higher rela-
tions are not by any means extinct but
simply held in allegiance, awaiting her
compliance with certain specified pro-
visions intended to insure the rights Of
all her citizens and the general inter-
ests of the nation. Simply because
she has not representatives in Con-
gress and military law is paramount
TO civil authority in her territory, does
not destroy her statsship. any more
than n suspension of the writ of ha6eds
eorpus throughout the country during
the war; destroyed the sovereiguties Of
the States generally. Local authority
has been more than once suspended in
the history of certain States of the
Union. prior 70 the rebellion, AS in the
cases of Massachusetts,, Rhode Island,
Pennsylvania and South CarolIna,and II
their incipient recusancies had proceed
ed TO the extremity OF fragrant war and
the upheval and disinteIration Of their
several politics, they would necessarily
have become the subjects of Federal
reorganization, after the fashion Of the
late rebel states of the South. What
recourse has the Government, in the in
teFest Of the whole body OF tho people,
but to assume this disciplinary and
conservative relation towards a StuteH
Shall rnaIcontents who have foresworn
their allegiance be permitted to assume
anew whatever Heterogeneous relations
they please toward the constituted su-
premncy of the central Government
This claim WIS the very essence OF the
States rights heresy. And 1t is thor
oughly fullacious as well as mischiev-
Gus non sEguitur to assume that because
Congress, the sovereign legislature OF
the nation, the guardian, In the last re-
sort. Of the people Of all the States,
holds n subsection the disloyal tenden-
cies and purposes of large mass OF
people In any State, in order to set at
work only the healing influence of
time, but certain otherwise powerless
remedial ngencies, that, therefore, the
original municipal status Of such com
InunitIes has been destroyed. Thetrue
statement of their position is simply,
that such communities for the
time being, and until they Put
themselves in safe and healtbful
accord with the whole body OF the peo-
pie, are restrained oftheir former prIvi-
legs to participate in the exercise OF
power over those who have reduced
their armed rebellion, ana not that they
have los, as States, the ultimate capacity
for such participation. Virginia has it
In her power TO put herself back in full
communion and on perfect equality
with Pennsylvania tomorrow, in her
Convention, and we trust she will. And
we take 1t for granted when she does
so, be that time sooner or later, that
then the new born fears ofthe Register,
and its adherents, in regard to the le-
gi,imacy OF West Virginia, will be
somewhat soothed, IL not entirely al
luyed.