The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-03-07

article of the Constitution of the Uni
/ ted states, was submitted to the South
ern States Tor their adoption or reiec-
! ton. tennessee adopted il; each Of
the others almost unanimously reject
ed II All these acts impressed Con-
gress with the idea that the situation
I was not accepted by Southern people
in good faith and It is now proposed
7 to introduce new element into the
governing power of the State in the
hope of remedying the evil. The terms
IN the amendment to the Constitution
proposed were considered in Europe and
/ IN this country the most maRnanimous
offer, to people situated as ours We're,
recorded In history. so considered it
when / addressed 10 yon my annual
message at the commencement of your
( present session. I then said: 1.-The
conditions are not nearly SO hard as
( they might be. The person of the citi-
zen Is safe; his property is not threaten
ed by conhseation; it Is not proposed
/ to administer our laws by strangers {;
| the power over the question of suffrage
is left with the States. For
I the sake of securing peace with its
! blessings, may il not be an act OF ex-
| alted patriotism for a portion of the old
and middle-aged citizens to yield grace
1 fully TO a necessity they cannot avert?
1t only brings the young men little
earlier into public life, and will tend TO
the earlier development of their ener-
! gies." deeply regretted your action
/ on this subject. That opportunity has
| passed: We have now TO conform our
| action to the new terms proposed in the
late act of Congress above referred 10.
1t is as follows:
Here he quotes the last act Of recon
| struction.l
.Notr, the perIo7z of The citizen may not
| be safe; hLs property IS threatened irith
/ eoIyisedtion; our Ldlrs may be ddminis-
| tered By strangers; and the potreT oueT
the question Of suffrage IS vi1 ttEGLLy taken
/ from the State. 1t will be e'observed that
in the preamble to the bill it is declared
! that no legal State government or ade-
! IIoD ezIStS in the rebel States of Fir-
1 ginia, sc. In this declaration Congress
reserves to itself the power TO say tcheE
the legal State government in Virginia
ceased, and for what acts In the sixth
/ section OF the bill 1t Is declared THAT
until the people of the said rebel States
shall be by law admitted to representa-
/ ton in the Congress of the United
/ States, any civil governments that may
/ exist therein shall be deemed provision
al only, and shall be in all respects sub
| ject TO the paramount authority of
/ the United States at any time to abolish,
{ modify, control, or supersede the
! same" The theory Of this bill Is that
| for acts heretofore done by the people
of Virginia, they have placed them
1
ganization. of the government may be
4 broken up. The State Constitution
| may be abrogated and its laws render
! ed nullity, in which event the people
may lose their character as whole
people united in one body polite, and
| each stand alone in his own iudivid-
uality. When this takes place the
Commonwealth is dead. The tenure
by which the lands are held dies with
If. The Commonwealth grants the land
and guarantees the title and possession
to the grantee. The power OF the State
is welded for his protection. But in
this case the guarantor may become
helpless under superior power. One
of The ways in which State or Com
monwealth may be destroyed is by q
superior power in arms, or by the pow
er ofwar. When destroyed in this way,
the power Of the eonQueror snnuIs the
organic and statute laws OF the State,
and substitutes new lawSin their place,
and with the destruction of the law the
title to the property may die with it,
and the conqueror may divide the pro-
perty therein among all his followers,
or give it to designated persons, or he
may sell it to the highest bidder, in
large or small parcels. Then he be-
comes the new guarantor OF title SO
granted, and the title depends on his
ability to defend it.
This is no new theory, nor The indi-
part OF England has been divided out
in this way several times. The most OF
their present tenures were derived and
are held in this way. The same is true
of large part OF the continent of
Europe. Nor Is this theory a new one
in Virginia. II formed the theme of
most OF the public speeches made on
this side during the war, and elaborate
newspaper articles were written to
stimulate the people TO desperate action
by the assurance that II the Confederacy
failed, the owners would lOsesal their
slaves; their lands would be cOnfisca-
ted and divided among the Federal SOL
diers and colored people; and even en-
bracing the other idea in the bill, that
the negroes would be clothed with all
the civil and political rights of the
white man. 1t was on this theory that
the torch was applied to this beautiful
city, and millions of treasure given to
the devouring flames. II Is on this
theory that the very air is rife with the
rumor that most stringent condsca-
ton bill is now pending in Washing
ton, to be put into operation think
the people may be saved from this
Threatened danger.
Gentlemen, am deeply in earnest
on this subject. have been panied, in
the last fifteen months, to see the irri-
tstiug causes which have produced this
legislation at "ashiugton- Ihare tried
to discourage them. My efforts have
been turned into ridicule, and defama-
ton has followed the beSt-intanded
acts. If punishment could tall on those
only who have provoked the trouble,
there wonld be few regrets. But this
cannot be. The innocent must also
suffer. II there Is any truth in human
testimony, three-fourths of the men of
Virginia-farmers,m mechanics, and mer-
chants-are as well disposed as any
people in the nation. The causes OF ir-
ritation come from comparatively few.
The masses earnestly desire peace and
its blessings, and have no sympathy
with those restless agitators and dis
turbars of the public peace.
Think the only proper mode OF Sc
curing safety and tranquility to the
State Is for the Legislature, on the ba-
sis Of the above act of Congress, in good
faith, 70 carry out the requirements of
the law, and adapt ourselves to the new
state OF affairs at once. have conf
dence that our colored people will qui-
etly assume the new privileges confer
red on them, and Will act very much
like those who now enjoy the franchise,
by voting for their friends. It Is pro-
per that the proposed convention snail
be ordered by the General Assembly.
ANY other mode would be Irregular,
and may be productive of disorder and
result in the worst conseQ uences. 1t
NAV be distasteful to the members of
the General Assembly; but personal
considerations cannot, and ought not
TO be allowed TO have any influence in
this case. You are representative men;
the individual sinks in the Represents
tive. The fortunes and happiness Of
million of people may depend on your
prompt action. The question is not