The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-02-19
A Yo,ca from the nnrte..

~ "ElllSH III dh GdAhSSl uuu GhuulN
spirit that we make an extract respect
ing the political situation in that por
ton of the State. The writer who re
moved to the country somewhat recent
ly, says:
81 md considerable CONFUSION here, bu
still Lot 50 Iuuch as exists in the adjoining
counties; IN lac: great deal less. since m.
arrival here have eI3deavored to gather al
the information possible touching III
character oil the country and the condition
and sentiments OF the people.
From the commencement OF the late hor
riois war up 10 Inc present time, have Ie
manned in seclusion, so far as political mat
krrs were concerned. Al the time / cam
here 4 suppose might have been claSSet
among - OISsrVatlVGS'-tI such II party ha
any eNisIence,-aS l could not lie EecOnciIeI
To extreme men on llher tide. However,
md It hand to cOnIine myself to luut courSD
and at the same time To- be OF any service Il
the community IN which l live. Many o
the ''EeLels" here Rrs very aggraVating, and
have come TO the conclusion (and one that
never expected TO arrive att that, it triN no
do to eGts ID The priuicGe ofts elective JraHchiS
20 all those lrhO Ucre rebellion against IN
Government. Better hold on TO what VT
have-imPerfect though our laws may be-
ana Try ana improve Them, than TO throw
away AL we have and launch out again up
On the ocean OF chance and confusion. So
GO hope, That, for the present at least, the
Legislature will let the franchise Laws RIons
These npinionsare III direct opposition u
these held ny me two months ago but they
lave been arrived mt alter the most careful
GeIiberIt.on. II the present party in power
IN This STALE hare ruled II with a rod q
Erpn,' be sssureI that The other party, now
out would rule II with one red hot"
There cannot be doubt that our cor
respondent speaks the truth, unwel-
come though it be. The animus of our
West Virginia rebels is the animus
OF those in Alabama, and wherever else
they preponderate. There they want
no restoration of civil government un-
less they can control it, and to prevent
any, resort to systematic prescription
and terrorism. Union men who lived
on the border during the rebellion, tes-
tify how cruel and uGrelenting was the
prescription they suffered. Those who
refused to join the traitors had to choose
between exile and prison; and their
families were subjected to every an
noyanCe, and indignity that rebel iuge-
nuity and deviltry could devise. There
was regular system of terrorism as
fearful TO those who were its victims
as ever existed in a civilized commu-
nifty. This lasted while the rebellion
hourished, and then for time there
was change. The beaten and dispir-
tied rebels returned to their homes I'M
der the merciful terms granted by the
Government; and talked much OF PEN
itence and acceptance of the situation,
and OF their Willingness to take any
position the victorious Government
might assign them. All they asked
wss 10 be allowed to go back to>their
homes that they might forget their
crime and have it forgotten in an effort
to repair their broken fortunes. For a
little time it seemed as if they were
sincere, and the hearts of the loyal
population swelled with a generous
impulse to forgive ana forget. Had
there been no assassin at Washington,
and no Andrew Johnson to profit by
his bloody work, this might have con-
tinued. But the returned rebels were
hardly warm in their old places before
they begun 90 manifest the ancient
spirit, and from that day TO this, under
the inspiration of the man who recon-
mended himself to them by betraying
Piles, they have gone on from bad to
worse till now they are not only inso-
lent, defiant, and aggressive, but
threatening. These men, who by the
laws OF war, subject to which they vol
unfairly placed themselves by their
crime, forfeited everything to the Gov
ernmcnt-not only property but life
itself-now get up a howl because
they are not allowed the same political
privileges as the honest and innocent
citizen who defended the Government
and society against their ferocity; and
they talk about the "oppressions" and
"outrages" Perpetrated on them by the
honest pnrt of the community. We
don't know case where the old axiom
about the rogue and the halter has a
closer application than here.
This is not only true of those who
were actively engaged in the rebellion,
but wherever we find man who sym
psthizes with 1t, we discover the same
brazen insolence and affrontery. They
adopt this policy deliberately, because
they understand the advantages of i'm.
pudence.
The present condition of things on the
border was wildly depicted, yesterday,
in the House of Delegates, by Mr.. New
lin, in his remarks in opposition to re-
pealing the suitors' test oath. Every
Union man who comes from that region
bears similar testimony. The spirit of
Resistance to the Government is ppain
rampant. The men who ought to he
glad to hide themselves in oblivion.
and their organs here and elsewhere
on their behalf, are demanding their
rights" If some Of them had got their
'rights" at the proper time and in the
appropriate way, there would be less
of this spirit abroad than there now is.
Happily for us, in this State, the ell
ement TINT stood by the Government
when these men assailed it, holds the
leading strings with fra. hand, and
from all the indications, it seems must
continue to hold them for at least a
year or two longer. With every dis
position to be generous, our legisla-
tors and our people must see that the
time has not yen come when the let up
which weaIl look forward to, can safe
~ take place or even begin.
It seems to US, therefore, that the
House acted wisely, yesterday, in de-
clIning to take down the top
bar by repeating the suItors' test