The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-08-22
MORNING. AUGUsr n
oar coming Election. this Fill

THTRSDAT MORNING. August p
oar Coming Elections this FEn-
GA the fo1rth Taur=Isy N OstOoeT
the a4,bJ elections ooeu- throughout
oar sis!s for members Of 'hs L@gtsis-
tare. Al which TINE dfy-siE nasDbeEz
are 20 % elected 20 the HOass Of Dale
yztes and eleven members % the S=n-
Efe-
We have no stz.e ticket to slsct this
fa.l, n0r any county UIc=ra. Ta= whole
Interest OF the canvass therefore tGrns
On the legislative tickets TINS t=iug
e. there : danger that 10 appropriate
!rGeTe.i aid zzzl II re campaign viii
p Eroasei among the people. I,rzEeiy
Ezppzas that tbs foil strength Of =
party esu Ds po!Isd IN the sbs~nes Of
lo,-zi Interests, OF When no deep and
1E4z spread sz-itEcnsut exists in refer
saosto some nonsat0Es political j.
Ees-
Bot really The rsost important Of al
oar elections centre IN the proper caoioe
Of a Legislature. That body makes
our lave, sPPropEiaiss our money,
fixes cur tzIs=, aud has more power
for good or evil over The dsstinies Of
the than ali the balance
Of iiz officials. great or small. Every
man IN the State who owns property or
carries on business, has Il positive Pecu-
mary Interest in the choice Of members
oftne legislature. Il therefore becomes
ell sacb voiers to feel personal CON
cern in the nomination Of candidates.
50 much has been said and written
in regard to selecting Candidate, and
in regard to their proper intellectual
and moral qualifications, that al! sd-
vice and appeals TO that end seem now
a-days to 90 in one ear and come out
the other. Apparently there il no way
to make deep and lasting impression
on the minds OF voters.
one Of our greet troubles arises from
the fact that generally speaking the
bet. most Mt, and most responsible
men in the community viii not become
candidates. They too often desPise
anything that savors OF ''sman beer
politics, and prefer to risk and end
any evils of legislation rather than as
sune any OF its duties themselves.
Thus it happens that some Of the com
ties In the State are represented by
those no. by any means their most
capable citizens; and thus again 1t hap
pens that our legislature IL not in all
respects what it should be.
II seems as though new era might
nov be inaugurated If the people gen
orally felt disposed to take hold and
initiate tue proper primary move
nents. And in saying this We do not
intend to iuculcate the idea that we
should lose sight of the importance OF
selecting candidates with regard to their
political sntscedents. We hold that no
man who occupied a disloyal position
toward the country during the war,
whatever be his personal merits, should
be selected as candidate. The time
has not come when we can afford to
ignore the war record OF those who are
TO make our laws and exercise govern
meutal control. The harvest OF the re-
beIliou is past, it is true, but the sum
ner OF it Is not ended, and we are not
saved. Great aud grave matters con-
nected with reconstruction are yet to be
settled, aud 1t is impossible to iOretelI
what agency in their settlement the
legislature OF every loyal State will be
called to exercise. We know how i'm
porlAut thus far has been that agency,
and we can only judge Of
the. future by the appearance at this
time. And certainly that appearance
presents many clouds yet lowering
around the horizon. Whether they be
of that kind that for the moment
are no larger than "a mans hand,
yet are ultimately destined to loom
up, spread out, and overcast the
sky, no man can now fOretell. In
selecting candidates we are not called
upon TO run any risks in this re-
Hpect. Prudence calls upon US TO take
nothing for granted as regards the po-
lltical future. Our instincts of self
preservation, now grown TO be doubly
strong by habit throughout the long
contest, should guide and guard us in
all our nominations.
While We say this much, however, in
respect to the political status of candi-
dates, it is important to remember that
many OF our Iruest and best men, po-
litically and otherwise, have felt called
upon either TO shun altogether any par
ticipatiJn in the struggle for prefer
ment, or else to give 1t up in disgust
amer a very brief experience. Such
men, not being violent takers
nor cunning schemers, have
been satisfied to count themselves
out of rings and cllques. and even to
bear the brand of suspicion cast upon
them by those whose only object was to
overbear all opposition TO their own
aspirations. During the war and its
excitements it too often happened that
the extravagances OF men in the way of
mere professions were allowed to out
weigh all considerations of character
and fitness. and hence more than once