The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-09-10
WHEELING w. VA, THURSDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 1868

he refused to be a candidate for re-elec-
tion, ashamed to look an honest voter
in the face. If he would restore him.
self to his own good opinion and TO that
Of those whose opinion he values, let
him resign at once a position which he
illegally occupies, and suffer the voters
of the district to elect member for
themselves.
Two other cases occurred near the
close of the session, not equal in atroc-
ity to this, for they were, as far as
disclosed, simple acts of arbitrary pow
er, unmixed with fraud or false pre-
tense. One from Missouri, elected by
about 1000 majority, one from Ken
lucky, by about 1400, were removed by
vote of the House, because they were
not acceptable to the party, and men
who were not elected, but who were
acceptable, were appointed ia their
place. A late election in Kentucky
shows how acts like these, the mere
wantonness and insolence of unrestrict-
ed power, are estimated by the people.
Senator Morton is correct in assert
ing that intelligent men of the South
are not foHdly attached to the adven-
turers whom Congress has sent, at
heavy public expense, to rule over
them, act as spies upon them, falsely
report them to the Northern public,
and finally, misrepresent them in Con-
gress. A very recent example is wor-
thy of note. The Governor of Louisi-
ana, greatly in want of a military force
to control the coming election, and if
not that, at least Enfield rifles to arm a
negro militia of Loyal Leagues to keep
suspected voters from the polls, report
ed condition of perfect anarchy, with
more than one hundred and forty mur-
ders in a brief space of time. This
seemed serious. The Freedmen's Bu.
reau were ordered to inquire and report,
and, being composed of military officers
not yet taught in the new code of NOR
ais, they found and reported fourteen
murders in all, committed by ne
groes and whites, in the time named
by the Governor, being eonsidera-
bly, less than in the same time in the
peaceable, law-abiding State of lndi-
ana. 1t is, therefore, quite probable
that such men as the present Governor
of Louisiana, who have been sent among
them to govern and libel and misrepre-
sent them, however prompt to fulfil
their missions, may not have secured
the entire confidence of the people. Out
of Congress, as well as in, there has
been much progress in teaching and
learning the new system of morality,
which consists in men freeing them
selves from educational and legal re-
straints. Whether the war is the
teacher / know not, but the fact is
clear. There is, however, less proper
tional increase of crimes of violence in
the South than in other portions of the
Unien. The best men ameng them,
though shorn of much of their intlu
ence, use untiring, and, to a great ex-
tent, successful efforts to restore order
and repress violence, doubtless in the
hope of being restored soon to the bless
inss of regular constitutional govern
Rent, for the reckless sacrifice of which
they have suffered, and are still suffer
ing, terrible penance. Crush this
hope, and who can forsee the conse-
quencei
| looked over Senator Slerman's
speech, delivered in Hillsboro few
days since, in which he fails to mention
impeachment and his vote upon it, but
solemnly warns us of the dangers of re-
newed secessiOu-a further revolt by
the discontented men of the South. He
is right; there is danger. An effort is
making to bring Congress together in
adjourned session IN 0rder TO mun1pu
late and control the elections in the
Southera States. Those whom Con
gress and the military have appointed
to represent those States in the two
Houses are alarmed at the prospect be-
fore them, and call loudly for assist
ance. They want troops and they want
arms, to coerce votes and keep imprac-
ticable voters from the polls; and when
Congress meets they will want money,
either in the way of appropriations
to the Freedmen's Bureau or
in some other available form, to
buy votes-such, if there be any,
as cannot be secured by military coer.
cion. If Congress meets in time, their
demands will be complied with by al
unwilling majority, who will lack man
hood to resist them. From this may
probably result armed collision. 1t
were better for the country, better for
the party, that you do not hold this adj
iourned session. Your boldest and
ablest leader, who, while he lived, never
spared, in his dying moments, almost
with his last breath, expressed hspe
that it might not be fouLd necessary to
hold it. He saw, all must see, that it
would probably lead to disastrous con-
sequences. You cannot safely trust
yourselves, when assembled and under
party drill for legislation. A great ma.
jority of you are driven forward by bold,
bad men, not retaining the power to
Judge of the prudence or justice Of your
acts. If you meet before the elections
in the Southern States, you cannot, un-
less greatly changed for the better by a
few months intercourse with the peo-
pie, you cannst fail to interfere
by force or fraud, or the appli-
cation of public money to con-
troll them. Your pride will be
at once appealed to. What did we
meet fort Certainly for some import
ant object; and nothing requires dis
patch except timely interposition to
contrsl the elections. Avoid it, pray
YOU, and with it its probable conse-
auences. The appeal is now made to the
paramount sovereign, the people, aHd
neither fraud nor force can be suffered
to prevent or falsify or override their
decision. Ifyou attempt to retain your
powerIover the Government by fraud E,
against clear majority, you will fail,
unless you use, also. force. If you at
tempt it by force and it is resisted by
force, we have civil war, rebellion,
treason; but who are the traitors You
who arm to seize the power unlawfully,
and destroy our constitutional Govern
ment, or those who arm to defend it 7
1t is true that in questions involving
National Government, success in the
conflict generally determines the ques'
ton of right; and let it not be forgotten
that in this conflict strong public
opinion does much to aid and arm
him "who hath his quarrel just" 1t
were therefore well for the party now
in power, whose legitimate power dies
so soon, to inquire, before they compel
or provoke a resort to force, as to the
probable result-on which side, they
being they aggressors. will the physical