The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-02-05
FROM GREENBRIER co.
The Governors Messnge-its stric-
lures upon the People OF the Ninth
Judicial District.

Editor of the Register;
Those who occupy glass houses
should be careful not to throw stones"
In the forefront and leading portion
of the late message from the Executive
department at Wheeling, to the Legis-
lature and the people, the legislative,
rather than Constitutional occupant
thereof, opens with a bill Of indictment
with charges and specifications, of high
crimes and misdemcanors, (evidently on
or parte testimony, and that, too, of an
interested natpre) against the people of
the 9th Judim Circuit, and especially
those Of the county of Greenbrier.
There is set forth one offence, of so
heinous character, so regardless of
law, (upon the testimony relied oiS as
to REQUIRE of his Excellency an implied
censure of the grand jurors, for not in
dieting the offenders. Hesays "another
instance of utter disregard of the laws
is that in one or two counties, rs L am
informed, persons who aided and abet-
ted the rebellion are performing the du-
ties of county and township officers, and
| this, of conrse, without taking the test
oaths required by law, and Yet they are
not indicted by the grand juries: in some
cases probably through sympathy of
Jurors with the rebellion, and in other
cases through intimidation"
The prominent and leading doctrine
of his excellency, deducible from the
above extract is, that "persons who
aided and abetted the rebellion" cannot
"of course take the oaths required by
law" and that Supervisors "fOr per-
forming the duties of county and town
ship officers, and this of course without
taking the oaths required by law
ought to he indicted, and the juries
are so charged and reprimanded.
! The Jeffersonian rule for official quail
idcation in the parer days of the Gov
ernment (when the partizan giants, of
the present day, would have been OBJ.
scurcst pigmics) ('honcsty, fidelity and
capacity') Z" for the performance of the
dulles of county and township officers, y
seems under the above ruling to be
wholly ignored, unless the persons de-
scrihed would add thereto, perjury"
Had these taken the oaths required
BY law" their offences would have been
: thereby expurgated, and themselves no
,, more liable to indictment. This implied
!, charge and reprimand of the grand
juries for the omission of their sWOr'
, duties, may suggest the idea of "a two
edged sword" or of "Acteon letting
, loose and urging on his dogs, and then
unable to control or call them Off" "He
may SOW to the wind, but after reap
the fruits of the whirlwind.'
> The inquiry may, and to conscientious
minds would suggest, whether those
! who aided aud abetted the rebellion,
: and are vet without taking the oath re.
I auired by law, performing the duties OF
county and township officers; Tin virtue
and by authority of appointment con-
/ ferred upon them by ,the Judge or Re-
corder in the name and for others elec.
ted or appointed by the recorder; who
have in their room and stead "taken tbf
osths required by law" rs proxy for the
former) are more liable to indictment
therefor than are those who equally
"aided and sbetted the rebellion" than
those "who sought (by becoming candi-
dates and electioneering) accepted ana
er,rcised.r Office under the Richmond
Government of Virginia during le6l, '62,
'6S and "a, then hostile and inimiedl to
the United States, the rcorganized Gov,
; ernment of Virginia, and the State OF
> West Virginiar Those who though
never bearing arms, sought by scor'
,, petition for detail therefrom, in order
that, as farmers and producers, as arti-
sans and tradesmen, they might the
more effectually faraish aid and comfort,
substance and forage to the army, than
lby being in the ranksf Those who