The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-08-17

!. ham, of Ohio, Mr.. Walker de
D nounced the idea set forth by Mr.. Bing
: ham that the Constitutional Amend
l ment of 1866 was the sum total of Con
= gressional reconstruction in 1868, an(
: pointed ont at length the utter and ir
3 reconcilable differences between tn,
TIVE, and especially that the Constitu
tional Amendment after "bridging the
elections" of 1866 was rejected as insnf
fieient and the military plan was adopt
ed in its stead.
, Mr.. Bingham had accused the Demo
J cratic party of purpose to pay the
! rebel debt and make compensation fol
the slaves of the rebel States, forgetting
that the rebel debt was not payable
until after the establishment of the
!, Confederacy, that the Southern States
, had repudiated the debts of the rebel
lion and ratified the Constitutional
Amendment abolishing slavery, thereby
giving up all claim to compensation for
slaves. Mr.. B. had argued that the
Democratic party in equalizing taxa
tion would lay the same tax upon all
property that is now laid upon in
comes, forgetting that his own party
platform demanded equal taxation and
that if what he said was true of the
Democracy it was also true of the Rad
ical party.
Mr.. Bingham had professed d pro
found regard for the Constitutions; it
would have been well for the country
had the party for which he spoke been
actuated few years ago by this feeling
of reverence for that instrument. There
would have been no States under mill
tary despotsm. Liberty of speech would
not have been abriged by the bayonet.
Men would not have rotted in Bastiles.
Newspapers would not have been muz-
zled, and prescription and persecution
in this land would have been unknown.
Had Mr.. Bingham's personal reverence
for the Federal Constitution come a few
years earlier, drum head court martial
would not at his bidding have decreed
the death of an innocent and defence
less woman; there would have been no
infamy earned within the shadow Of the
scaffold upon which Mrs. Surratt was
barbarously murdered. cloud cheers.)
Speaking of the claim of the Radical
party TO be the genuine Union party of
the country, Mr.. Walker showed that
the Radical party of 1869 was false to
the principles of the UniOnism Of 1861,
that it was opposed by many of the
Union leaders of 1861, that it was de-
nounced by-men who had fought for the
Government, and largely controlled by
men like Joe Brown, of Georgia, and
Nat. Harrison, of West Virginia, who
had plotted to destroy the nation, and
that its claims to be the genuine Union
party of 1861 were monstrous humbug.
The policy of the Radicals in West
Virginia was shown TO be prejudicial to
the best interests of the State. With
ali her natural advantages she was
tagging behind other States in the
march of Improvement. The proscrip.
tion measures, the system of taxation
and the swarm of useless officers that
are peculiar to West Virginia, drove
population away, kept enterprise and
capital and emigration away from our
doors. Many of the appropriations of
the Legislature were declared 10 be un
necessary and unlawful, while the as
sertioR of the Radicals that they are
the only friends of West Virginia was
held to be ridiculous, because their
representatives in Congress had by their
ihiiit"iy D'iAS N'Si"i'h VH' iCSIOiCh
west Virginia, to be in-.ai.." ."h formed
void, and had thereby denied the legal
existence of the new State.
The reconstruction measures of Con-
gress were shown to be adverse to the
general interest and ruinOus to the
South. The policy of handing the ten
States lately in rebellion over to negro
rule, had destroyed business in that Sec |
ton and injured the North and West by |
destroying their old market for their
products and manufactures. The civil
and constitutional government of the
South was the only means by which to
revive dropping prosperity and enable
the people of that country to assist IN
defraying the expenses of the Govern
ment aud paying the National debt.
Upon financial issues Mr.. Walker
earnestly advocated the Democratic
policy of bond taxation and greeuback
redemption. These measures, it was
argued, were wise in themselves, ne
cessary for the public interest and just
to the masses of the people.
The course of the Republicans who
claim to oppose negro suffrage aud yet
send to Congress men who vote to force
negro suffrage wherever they can or
dare, the speaker claimed was full OF
Inconsistency. The idea that negro
suffrage in the South did not mean
negrs suffrage i'll West Nir-
ginia, was considered at some
length. 1t was conclusively proved
that if negro suffrage was not good
policy for West Virginia neither could
it be for the Southern States, for the
interests of all the States were identi-
cal: it was impossible to introduce tho
black element in the Southern States
without prejudice to all the States, be-
cause representatives elected by the
negro vote could control the legislation
of the country. And should those rep
reseutatives unite with Northern fanat-
les to legislate negro suffrage into all
the States, the law and the precedent
would be found in the course of Con-
gress in legislating negro suffrage into
the States of the South.
Mr.. Walker closed by earnestly en-
forcing the opinion that the South had
paid the penalty of her course in her
financial and political ruin, il her uni
versal bereavement and desolation, and
that to exact further punishment by re-
ducing her to a condition of vassalage
under black masters would be unworthy
of magHanimous and triumphant peo-
pie. The speaker retired amid tumultu-
ous cheering, and the meeting adjourn
ed.
This great meeting has stimulated
the Democracy of Ohio county to such
exertions as will be irresistible in the
pending canvass. The immense pro-
portions of the demonstration, dwarf
| ing into insignificapce any gathering
that the opposition have attempted to
assemble, must convince every think
ing man that the popular interest
centres in the triumph of Democracy.
Then when we remember the deep feel
ing manifested on Saturday night, the
earnest responses to every leading prin-
ciple enunciated, and the uutiring at
tenton with which the multitude kept
their places, standing and uHcomfor-
table, uRtil far toward midnight, we
= 4 II s. Ill IN az