The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-08-01
FROM GREENBRIER co

LEwISBGRG, w. Va,
July "a, 1865.
Editors Of the Register
From the tri-weekly Intelligeacr o.
the 23d inst. l clip the following para
graph:
Capt. r. +. Dennis and Capt. A. G
SNYDER, both of the Confederate army
were prominent delegates in the Graf
ton Convention from Greenbrier coun
ty.
The object of the editor in thus al
luding to Capt. Snyder and myself
must be to prejudice the voters of the
State against the ticket nominated by
that Convention. Now, that the wal
is over, is it not desirable that friendly
relations should be restored between all
parts of the country. and between all
the citizens of the State?
Does the editor of the IntellgenCer de-
sire that the people of the South, i'll
Guiding those in this State, who took up
arms in defence of their section, and
what they believed to be the right, shall
for all time to come be regarded and
treated as enemies, never again to par.
ticipatc with their fellow citizens in any
political movement, ana to have no
voice whatever in selecting their public
servants or public rulers, just rs you
may regard themi Can fratornal Tela-
tions be restored, the people be reuni-
ted, and the Union reconstructed; can
that harmony and good feeling so ne
cessary to 4 happy union exist, SO long
as the mere presence of and ex-COntcd-
crate in n political convention shall be
the cause of condemnation of the ticket
nominated by that Convention The
Southern people were again and again
invited to lay down their arms, to return
to the Union, not Union in which
the negro should rule the white people,
nor TO q Union in which ten States
should be governed by q military sa-
trap, but to Union of co-equal and
sovereign States, in which each citizen
should enjoy all the rights Of every
other, and all should be treated rs
American freemen. The people of this
section, it is well known, were with
the South in the late war. But now
that hostilities have ceased, and the
"eld flag" floats in triumph from the
Aroostook to the Sabine, they honestly
accept the situation" and support the
constitution and the laws passed in
pursuance thereof, with an Hnfaltering
devotion, worthy of their prowess and
their intelligence; and as proof of their
LOYALTY, though three-fourths of them
are DISTINGUISHED, aud have no voice in
either Federal or State legislation, yet
they submit to have soldiers quartered
upon them in q time of profound
peace, and pay the enormous aud OPP
pressiye taxes imposed upon them,
without murmur. To be forever inca
pacitated from holding office, to be de-
prived of the elective franchise, to be
prevented from practicing law or
teaching school, TO have the doors of
the Temple Of Justice closed against
them, to have the small remnant Of
your property confiscated by State
law, "to prevent the collection of in
terest in certain cases." to be deprived
of citizenship. by the fundamental law
of the land; these-all these-do not
satisfy the generous and maguanimons
editor aforesaid, but the very presence
of a Confederate soldier should not be
tolerated in Convention of the
people. Does the fact that this
was y Democratic Convention make
any difference with this editOrf would
he admit, under any circumstances, a
quOndam "rebep in Republican Con-
ventionf Did tie presence of Joe
Brown ut Chicago initiate against the
loyalty of that Convention would GER
tain officials nearer home, who were
thoroughly identified with the great
rebellion" he admitted into the Radical
wigwamf. imagine not, if the afore-
said editor constituted the Committee
on Credentials. But, Mr.. Editor, ex-
cuse me, as / only desired to protest
against the illiberality and con-
tracted policy foroshadowed i'll the
above paragraph. Permit me to return
my thanks to. the. IRtslligencer for its
compliment, though undeserved. In
chasing me among the ''prOmiReap del
egates of the Grafton Convention, in
stead Of snch harsh proscriptive meas
ures as have characterized our Code of
laws, in lieu of these efforts to ALLEVIATE
the people, would it not be far better
to make q united effort for for "the
achievement of that prosperity and hap
piness which can only be secured by
the enjoyment of liberty regulated by
law, and of law inspired by the genious
of liberty"
Yours truly, ROBT. +. DENNIS.