The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-03-02
The Late LeEisIature

The large majority ofthe members OF
our late Legislature were earnest,
working, sincere men. Throughout the
war they gave the country abundant
proof of their patriotism. They were
leaders, more or less prominent, among
the loyal masses who saved the State
from secession, and who made it new
commonwealth among the sisterhood
of the Union. Some of them were cap
tains Of tens, some captains of TWEEN
lies, some Of ffties, and others of hum
dreds, among their friends, neighbors
and acquaintance. Whatever Influence
each one of them possessed was WELD
ed in the right direction. And It was
welded, too, against, in some of the
counties, the whole body of those who
were in high repute for learning and
honor; against the courthouse in
huenees; against those who plumed
themselves upon superior antecedents,
superior caste and higher intelligence.
In fine, against all the neighborhood
regencies and the party Ieaderships in
nearly every county Of the State.
Such were the men who comprised
our late Legislature. Very many of
them were entirely selfmade. Most
Of them had enjoyed but few advan-
tages in life, especially few educational
advantages. Schools do not even yet
abound in West Virginia, and they
were rarer still in the days when the
men we speak of could have enjoyed
their benefits. What they learned from
books WAS in a very transient, incom-
Plete and unsatisfactory way. Neces-
sarily they were sons of toll, and their
knowledge Of life and its concerns had
TO come largely, il not mainly, from
observation, from conversation, from
hearing speeches, from their few news.
papers, and from the chance books
which they had time to read.
Who would expect a British ParIia-
ment from men of such limited oppor-
tunitiesI Who would expect thorough
conversance with the infinite details OF
politics and legislation Who would
expect those soft Establishments Of
speech, or those set phrases OF debate
that are acquired only by life long
familiarity with public life, and, alas
too often acquired at the expense o.
those higher and nobler traits of char.
acter that adorn the men Of humber
Pretensions and fewer opportunities
Abraham Lincoln himself, the great
Commoner, the blessed martyr of our
cause, was type of the true men who
saved West Virginia. and who, we re-
joice 70 say, still control her destinies
Not less. but much more than they, he
was the reviled of the rebel press of the
country, North and South. He was the
scoff and sport OF all of them while liv-
ing, and some Of them since death
Andit is this striking fact that wewish
to point out and emphasize to our pso-
pie as regards the malignant and bitter
abuse that has been poured out upon
the heads OF not only the members OF
the last legislature OF West Virginia,
but all her legislatures assembled since
the formation of the State. They
have been the target for the en-
venOmed arrows OF nearly every
coPperhead organ in the common
wealth. Every artifice of words has
been rssorted to in order to prejudice
them In public opinion. Their appear
ance, their style, their homely ways
their unpretending earnestness, have
all been ridiculed as SO many points OF
disqualification for the duties assigned
to them by the ballots of the people.
Such have been the tactics of the rebel
editors and rebel sympathizers of this
State from the outset. Thus far they
have made but little progress, and their
success is not calculated to assure them
for the future. No doubt, However,
they will keep on as they have COM
menced and continued, and no
doubt either the people will Just
AZ persistenuy rebuke all their
sneers and Jeers Mt the polls. What we
see is but History repeating itself" for
the thousandth time perhaps. Crom-
wells Roundheads were lampooned
and satired by all 1.-THE pride OF descent
in the Kingdom" Macaulay informs
us. And Theirs tells us how the "dn-
cieH noblesssr of Paris were wont to
scott at the democrats OF the "Slates
General" And SO also in our own
country Bancroft informs us of the
sights and taunts that We're put upon
the early men Of the colonial lepisla-
lures by the Tory partisans of King
George. And just before the war a
Richmond paper was accustomed to
make itself merry over tho ''Sweaty
Swahians" OF West Virginia. And
during the war the same paper, and its
Northern editorial allies, were accus-
toned TO run parallels between the
personnel of the Yankees and the chiy-
airy, and more particularly between
Abraham Lincoln and jefferson Davis,
AS the representative men of the 1.-TWO
conflicting civilizations" st. Au-
gustin said OF the fine gentlemen of his
day, that they would rather be ac-
cused OF any number of crimes than
have it imputed to them that thew had
dropped the asperate from the word
Is homo" and we never read the CON
slant diatribes of our West Virginia
coPPerhead papers without thinking Of
that remark. Disloyalty is no draw
back to IA man. IL does not unfit him
to bea legislator, in their opinion, albeit
he may be in his heart most rancorous
and implacabIc enemy of the very ex-
istence of the State. y polished
rebel is in their opinion, the int
mite superior of an unpublished,
true and intlexible Union man.
Our legislature has now adjourned
aud gone home, and we feel that it is
but just tribute to pay to its solid
mental and moral W orth to say that the
whole secret of the bitter aud malic-
nant attacks that have been beoDs1