The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-05-25


men who had been connected with the
rebellion. The prominence of rebels
was the text, and the theme was elab
grated in the most topliftieal style si
which Mortified "loyalty" is capable
1t was nothing TO the point that these
"rs bel Democrats" took no active part
in the deliberations of that body. Theil
commendable modesty was entirely
overlooked. They were heralded to the
world as the source from which the
Convention drew its inspiration, and
"loyalty" universal was invoked tc
lament over the resurrection of the
beaten rebellion.
1t was hardly to be expected that these
people, who profess to execrate so thor
oughly all that savors of treason or the
Confederaey, would surpass all Others
in e1alting and applauding a prominent
apostle of The "Lost Cause" The pro-
ceediBgs of the Republican Convention
at Chicago afford fine illustration Of
the completeness with which loyalty
has stultifed itself upon this point
The first speech delivered before that
body, after organization, was that of ex'
Governor BROWN, Of Georgia, who
has been aptly styled "the
only undeniable traitor in that
State" This man made war upon
the Government before his State had
even announced its purpose to with
draw from the Union. For most of his
fellOw-citizens it eau be shown that
they event with their State" BROWN
boldly anticipated secession, and took
forcible possession of Fort Pulaski
while Georgia was yet within the Union
of the States. Secession, right OF
wrong, was no excuse for him. His ac'
ton was independent of that principle
and was the exponent of his individual
purpose to break up the Government
by actual force and without even the
form of legal proceeding.
Discussing his case the World says:
For the others there is at least the
plea of secession, but this man seized,
ri ct armiS, upon Fort Pulaski even be-
fore his State "went out" Yet the
Cousention, this "loip Convention, in
vited him to open its deliberations, and
by this superior compliment put itself
on record as preferring renegade Sc
cessionist to any of its five hundred
loyallsts tried i'll the fire. Being invi-
ted, the Ex-Governor of course spoke,
and in his remarks it is impossible not
to see that he more than doubts the ul-
innate triumph of Radicalism. Af,
ter declaring himself to have
been Democrat, he is very
careful to add, The sword has
established a different doctrine, and
hence IL is that am no longer bound by
allegiance to the Democratic party
leaving it to be inferred that if by the
sword or by the ballot, or in any other
way, that party is hereafter to triumph,
he is to be at liberty to renew his an
cient allegiance to it. This is but cold
comfort, and we are not astOnished,
therefore, to see that the applause
abundantly greeting his remarks 9th
erwise was plentifully lacking here,
Having thus secured his retreat, the ex-
Governor, by way of makeweight we
suppose, goes on to retail the slander
that the South rejected the proposed
fourteenth amendment, because OF
it's suffrage section, when no one should
know better than himself that that Sec
tion was not the one specially obnoxious
to the South, and that the amendment
would have been ratified but for the
concurrent requisition that the South
should herself afix the stigma of dis
franchis9ment on her leaders. This dis
graceful condition, and not the suffrage
clause, which was very generally con-
ceded to be fair, occasioned the rejection
and. Governor B. might have redeemed
some of the obloquy justly attached to
him had he, whatever other were his
statements, conformed to truth in this
The third point made by the captor OF
Pulaski is, that while he was once popular
in Georgia he is now scorned, and that
unless the Rump give him, and those with
whom lie is now politically associated,
"the control of the State Government
and its patronage, which we fought for
and won," Georgia cannot be carried fol
Grant. The shameless statement here
that the contest in Georgia was for pap
is only paralleled by the equally brazeu
admission that reconstruction has only
been part of the plot to foist candi
date into the Presidency by the aid OF
negro votes.
But what an opening for all the 10y,
alty-a speech from the only man upon
whom the North and South, secessionist
and Union man, judge and politician,
can alike unite in calling a traitor.