The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-02-25
least the Legislature will let the fran.

-
els is the aninus Of those in Alabama
and wherever else they prepon derate
There they want no restoration of civi
government unless they can control il
The beaten and dispirited rebels re
turned to their homes under themercifu
terms granted by the Government. s~
For little time the hearts of the loya
population swelled with generous i'm
pulse to forgive and forget. Had Their
been no assassin ut Washington, and II,
Andrew johnson TO profit by his blood.
work, this might have continued. Blu
the returned rebels were hardly warn
in their old places before they began t.
manifest the ancient spirit, and from
that day to this, - they have gone OF
from bad TO worse till now they are no
but threatening. These men, who by
the laws of war; subject to which they
voluntarily placed themselves by thei
crime. forfeited everything TO the Gov
ernment - now get ups howl because
they are not allowed the same politica
privileges as honest and innocent citi
zens. and they talk about the "oppres
sions" .and "outrages' perpetrated oi
them.
Though we see no evidence of it il
the extract from the letter quoted, lct
us suppose that in Alabama the rebel,
want no restoration of civil govern
ment unless they can control it. There
all the intelligent and respectable peo
e. ri .rf
rebels; and when civil government shall
be restored, either they must control it
or the negroes and adventures, fal
worse than negroes, who go there t.
mislead them, must dOso. 1t is very
probable that the rebels-the white
people of that State-prefer n military
despotism administered by gentlemen
or at least educated men of the army
though strangers, set over them-rathel
than any government exercised by ne
grOcs and white men far mare mis-
chievOus than negroes. But it is moi
true that the rebels in West Virginia
want no civil government unless they
can control it.
The rebels, and Union men disfranchis.
ed because they would not vote with
the Radicals-have a large interest in
the country, and pay large portion OF
the taxes levied for the support of the
Government. They are probably aware
that perhaps nine-tenths or more of the
legislation of the State relates to the
property of the people of the State We
presume that they have something OF
the instinct of self preservation, besides
that they have heard that taxation and
representation should be concOmitant
We know at they have suffered ser
iously from the legislation which has
deprived them of their dues and other
property, and denied to many the priv,
ilegc of pursuing the only employ
ment for which they have qualified
themselves - and more from the
apprehension of some unheard of evil
which the malignity of the party i'll
power ever threatens to invent. We
have, therefore, supposed it natural that
they would like TO have voice as 10
the amount of taxes they shall pay and
how it should be disposed of, aud to
vote for persons who would relieve
them from the ills they have and the
apprehension of those they know not of
But it never occurred to us, till we
heard il from the leaders of the Radical
party, that this was crime that de-
msnded a denunciation of the press, and
not only the continuance of the old
grievances, but the invention of new
ones.
1t is not true that the rebels "get up
a howl because they arenot allowed the
same political privileges" as others. II
is not true that "they are not only inso'
ent. defiant and aggressive, but threat
ening." These statements are flagrantly
false. Every well-infcrmed man who
has taken the pains to learn the truth,
knows they are false.
When we speak of the rebels, of course
we speak of them as class. We believe
there never was G people so unanimous
ly earnest in their convictions that they
were in the right, that made so deter
mined an effort to maintain their Opin'
ion, as these, and who, when overcome by
the power of numbers, were so uniform
ly ,acquiescent.
1t is not true that "the spirit of re-
sistance to the Government is again
All sane men of common in
formation know that no such resistance
is intended by the rebels in this State,
and that the affectation of such appre-
hension is merely the shadowy pretext
for oppression.
n 1t is not true that by the laws Of wal
the rebels forfeited every thing or any
thing to the Government, not taken
during the war, to be taken by the civil
Government after the war ended, anG
given to the favorites of the party in
power without the semblance of pecu-
liar merit on the part of the preferred
recipients. When the war ceased, the
laws of war ceased, and the laws of
peace prevailed-at least under the Con-
stitution, they ought to have prevailed.
The rebels had offended against the Gov
ernment of the United States, which we
believe had exclusive cognizance OF
their offense. Under the proclamation
of President LINCOLN or that of Presi-
dent JoHNsoN-between which there
was but little difference-most of these
offenders were pardoned, and their Of
fences, with all their incidents and con-
sequences, were entirely obliterated.
At any rate, they are not liable to be
punished in any manner not prescribed
by the law in foxce at the time the Of
fence was committed.