The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-12-13

defenceless District q species of negro
equality which their own States had
Indignantly rejected for themselves.
Senator WILSON defied the decision of
the people. Some of his words are
worth remembering. Said he:
will not consent to retract, qualify,
or retreat single inch, but will main
tain our position with more firmness
than ever. Let Senators hear and IN
derstand, let the country understand,
that the Republican party of the United
States takes no steps backward.
"No steps backward" is then to be
the wstchword of Radicalism. The
expression has been used before. Ac-
cording to fable fox, on being in
vited to enter the den of lion, de-
clined for the reason that along the en-
trance there were no returning tracks
Ruild restigia retrorsmm-no steps back
ward. The fox saw that those who
catered never returned, aud deemed
this u fair excuse for pausing. Not so
with the Massachusetts, Senator. He
finds an incentive where the fox found a
warning, aud insists upon rushing into
the den of death, because, forsooth,
there are "no steps backward"
We append the vote by which the
Senate pledged itself to persevere in the
path of ruin:
Yeas-Messis. Anthony, Cameron, Cat
tell, Chandler, Conkling, Corbett, Cra-
gin, Drake, Edmuuds, Ferry, Fessenden,
Fowler, Harlan, Henderson, Howard,
Howe, Morgan, Morrill, (Mc.l, Morrill,
(Vt), Morton, Ramsey, Ross, Sherman,
Stewart, Sumner, Thayer, Upton,
Trumbull, Wade, Uilley, Williams and
Wilson-32.
Nsys-Messrs. Bnckalew, Davis, Dix
on, Doolittle, Hendricks, johnson, Nor
ton and Patterson (Tenn)-S.
Mr.. VAN WINKLE, of West Virginia,
with characteristic intrepidity, had
business elsewhere. Mr.. WILEY stands
up vigorously for the doctrine that Con
gress has right to impose negro voters
and negro oflice-holders upon the State
of West Virginia. 1t is said that the
human constitution undergoes total
change, including the shedding of the
skin, every seven years. AS it is not
quite seven years since the last named
Senator made lis intensely Southern
speech in the Virginia Convention, he
deserves credit for his enterprise in put
ting off the pro-slavery hide aud don
ming the African manhood" cuticle, so
much ahead of time. 1t is to be pre-
suned, however, that where politics is
made Il profession, as in other vocations,
practice makes perfect.
Ofthe West Virginia representatives,
we notice that Messrs. HUBBARD and
PoLsLkY voted in favor of this fresh
abOmination, and that Mr.. KITCHEN
was absent. Considering how thorough
ly Mr.. HUBBARD was opposed to negro
suffrage in the last Congressional can
vdss, his nimbieness in shedding his
epidclnS leaves Senator WILLEY'S eX-
ploit far ia the shade. 1t is claimed by
the hackers OF the Senator that in the
canvass alluded to, Mr.. HUBBARD was
merely white-washed for the occasion,
while when Mr.. WILEY began his
the elements of rebellion
had permeated and dyed him through
and through.
We think the miserable farce of play
ing anti-nigger at home and anti-white
in Congress is about closed. The peo-
pie must see that the Republican lead
ers of West Virginia, in protesting to
oppose negro equality, are guilty of a
gross imposition upon public intelli
gerce.. Common justice demands that
if these men do not want TO take the
negro into partnership III their own
State, they should not thrust him upon
people who are helpless and defence
less. by their action, they have just
declared that Congress may legislate
the black element into power
in any State. The conclusion is that
they want that element enfranchised in
West Virginia, and fearing to seek that
eud directly, hope to effect it through
the medium of Congressional legislation.