The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-07-23
From the Clarksburg Conservative.

To judge from the following an
nouncement made in last weeks Tele-
graph, a person would suppose that
ems. Northcott and Kelley had held a
council of war in an ice-house. Gen. n.
says:
"Gen. Kelley authorizes us to say that
he is accountable for his official actions
to the Government of the United States,
and not to conservative editors-that
the law requires himto advertise by
hsndbill and in one newspaper in each
county in which there are any newspa-
pers published-that previous to his re-
cent visit he complied with the law
that he has no petty revenge to graft
fy, nor cupidity to satisfy-that in dis
posing of whatever patronage he may
have at command, he expects to give it
TO the friends of he Government and not
to its enemies"
Military gentlemen have so long con
sidered themselves accountable" 10 no
body nor nothing, that it is
really refreshing to see these
sons of Mars condescend to have
Gen. X. hold himself "accounta-
BILE for his official acts to the Govern
ment of the United States" "or any
other man." indeed, it is decided i'm
provement upon his late compatriot,
Gen. Sheridan, who ignores the Gov
ernment of the United States" and de-
clares his ability and intention to run
the thing" himself; but we would "rery
respectfully call the attention of those
two distinguished warriors to the prin-
ciple established by the aforesaid Gov
ernment," during the last few years,
that the "phole people comprise the
government IL is therefore right
and proper, if, as Gen. Kelly says, the
law Only requires" 1--WE suppose he
meant to say permits, else his argument
falls to the ground,) him to publish his
notices i'll zone newspaper i'll each coun-
ty in which there are any newspapers
published" that he should publish them
in that paper which would place them
before the greatest number of those per
sons who compose the Government Of
the United States" TO which he asserts
he is responsible. Now, the editor of
the Telegraph has time and again an-
nOuced to his readers, Of whom we pre-
sumo Gen. Kelley is one, that the Con-
serratire hos tUice as many subscribers as
the Telegraph. The Collector of Inter
nal Revenue for the First Congressional
District ofWest Virginia, cannot, there
fore, while publishing his notices in
those papers having the smallest circu-
lation, avoid the imputatiOn of desire
to build up a partizan press, unless he
takes shelter behind desire to aid and
assist personal friend. If the last is
his reason for publishing his notices in
the Telegraph instead of the Conservative,
we have nothing to say, as we are
great admirer of personal friendships.
This excuse would be much more salts
factory to the people of West Virginia,
than the cool effrontery of the declara-
ton that whatever patronage he may
have at command, he expects to give it
to the friends of the Government and
not to its enemies which is offered as
an excuse for patronlzlng a journal
which defends the disruption of the I'm
ion and the degradation of "the Govern
ment" to the the position of Overseer of
a gigantic negro poor house, whose cX-
penscs are paid by the white labOrerS of
the country.
We have no personal acquaintance
with Gen. Kelley and really know but
little about him, but we can assure him
that if he wishes to .nioy the conf
dence cf the people, he must give better
reasons for his official acts than those
contained in the above extract. A
public officer is, or should be, IA public
serrant, and not their master or dicta-
tor. When public officer tiouts any
portion of the people, he forgets him
self and proves that he is unworthy of
the position he occupies. and when
people permit themselves to be con-
temned, they deserve little else than TO
be ruled by tyrannical rod OF iron.