The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-07-30

military authorities inte-fered for their
protection. Soon the Fall elections
came on, and under the "Test Oath,
which our own Courts have declared a
nullity and fraud, the elections gen
orally were carried by the Radicals. In
some instances, hswever, the Oath was
not enforced. The decisions of the
Courts have since declared that it ought
not to have been enforced. Neverthe-
less, Governor FOREMAN made the dis
regard Of that Oath apretext for declar-
ing certain parts of this State to be yet
in rebellion, and called for more pro-
scriptive legislation. 1t was enacted.
The rest need scarcely be told. The
energy that was developing our State
fell palsied and dead. The travel that
crowded our cars and boats and coaches,
ceased. immigration was suspended.
Men from the North would not emigrate
to State whose people, its GorerROr
said, were in constant strife and rebel
lion, and Northern capitalists would not
buy land that was Overburdened with
taxes to support system of useless pro-
scription. People from the South would
rather bear the ills they had than fly to
others that they knew not of. Property
deprecated, business became stagnant,
enterprise was prostrated, our citizens
became depressed, and our State
exchanged the bright prospects
of two years ago, for hopeless future
of bankruptcy and ruin. Meanwhile
the corruptions, the knaveries and the
rogueries that prevail wherever Radi-
calism prevails, are going on. Fraud
thrives in our public places; robbers of
the public purse riot in the proceeds of
their plumber; the people groan, and
the tax-gatherer's footsteps are heard
ut every door. So much have the self
chosen champions of West Virginia
done for her material interest.
But they have not stopped here. IfWest
Virginia can possibly be blotted from
the map Of States, they have decreed her
destruction. Hon. CHESTER d. HUB
BARD, along with the Radical majority
i'll Congress, has declared the authority
which created Hest TTgiaia to be illegal,
RUN and rOid. The first section of the
supplementary Reconstruction Bill de-
clares in substance, that the Govern
ment of Virginia-the Government
which erected this new State-is no
Government at all, and as q conse.
quence, that all its acts, including the
establishment of West Virginia, are
null and of ne effect. The champions
have killed Virginia and West Virginia
dies with her. In this aspect of the
case, the pretensions of mushroom Rad
ical politicians to be regarded as the
special protectors of this State become
disgustingly absurd. Such baseless as
sumptiOns hardly merit .the dignity Of
an honest mans contempt.
Our opinion of Mr.. VAN TRUMP's
speech is already known. 1t is hardly
necessary for us again to denounce it as
vapory and arrogant nonsense. Had
its author not been reckless and incon-
siderate he would not, by such speech,
have falsified the vote on the Recon-
struction Bill, by which he declared
the Government of Virginia, which
framed West Virginia, to be authorita-
tive and legal.
We do not feel it necessary to defend
the Democracy, or their representatives,
from the charge of hostility to West
Virginia, for such charge has no fact
to sustain it. 1t is possible that Dem
ocratic Congressman voted against her
admission, just as Republican Congress
men would have done, had she not per-
mitted jim. LASE to dictate her Consti-
tuition. Whether the Democrats who
wanted her people to make their own
Constitution, or the Radicals who in
sisted on making one for them, were her
best friends, the people can determine.
1t is also possible that some Democrats
at one time doubted the constitu-
tionality of West Virginia's forma-
ton. So also did some of
Mr.. LISCoLN'S Cabinet. So also
did THAD. STEVENS. However that may
be, upon the final test, when the legality
of the Government which formed West
Virginia came up for consideration, the
Democrats unanimously stood by that
Government and affirmed the legality
of her acts, while the Radicals, includ-
ing the West Virginia representatives,
declared the authority of Virginia
a nullity and thus by implica-
tion asserted the illegitimacy of
this new State. The world judges men
by their deeds, not by their words, and
the vote upon the last Reconstruction
Bill will be universally deemed the best
evidence of, the status of parties with
regard to the legal existence of the
Government Of West Virginia. We
refer to that vote as better answer to
Mr.. HUBBARD's speech than would be
his written retraction Of every word of
il.
West Virginia In Congress-Remarks
Of Hon. G. ID. Habbard In reply 20
Mr. Van Trump, Of Ohio-The New
State under Discussion.