The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-03-15

of US have lived to see the day when an
American citizen does not feel hlmseI1
an alien and unwelcome intruder in
any part OF the land of his birth. l
rejoice In the light and liberty OF this
day when, as the good Lincoln express
ed it, the nation has had a new birth
under freedom.
Whatever may be truthfully written
or spoken of a disparaging nature in
regard to other parts OF the South as
respects the status of reconstruc-
ton, have not been able to see that
a just pen can record syllable of dis
satisfaction with the state Of things
hereabouts. Indeed since leaving home.
on our journey or at the end of 1t,
have heard but one or two expressions
that indicated the active presence OF the
old pro-slavery animus. One OF these
we heard coming through Kentucky,
from an old follow who boosted that
the id yankees were afraid to come
into his part OF the State. And wish l
had Porte Crayon's pencil to draw you
a picture of the author of this remark
He was grizzly, unkempt, unWashed,
unshaven old curmudgeon in butter
nut hOmespun, wearing muu coIereu
horse blanket around his shoulders,
and the tobacco juice ran down
the gray stubble on his chin like the oil
on AarOn's beard. He rejOiced in the
memory OF those better days of the
Republic, when he wolloped his niggers
and took his tansy bitters as often as 1t
suited him. When he vouchsafed the
Information that he had been a Demo-
crat all his life, saw no cause to doubt
his statement. l think when Nasty
dies he would love to go to that old
fellows bosom.
No doubt there are many such sour
characters in the South, If one chose to
look them up. but it is not improbable
that more OF them can be found in
Kentucky, and further north, among
constituents of Vallandigham, than
down here in Alabama where we have
been travelling. l saw it stated in the
papers the other day that Gen. Grant
considered Virginia, North Carolina
and Alabama the best reconstructed
States in the Union. And of these,
Alabama should, perhaps, stand first
in the order Of merit, although 1 have
great respect for the Old North State
and her Union loving antece-
dents. Certainly no commune
ties could be more orderly, and
even exemplary, than those among
whom we have been moving
and sojourning for the last two weeks.
most all sorts and varieties of people
that the country affords, high and low,
rich and poor, white and black. There
is very little variation in the essential
parts of their story about the general
condit on of things. They can all tell
you about the hardships OF the war;
about how glad they were when 1t end
al of the strife. And any one can see
that they have previously answered
all their errors OF slavery and seces.
sion, so much so that no humane per-
son would want TO see the finger of
chastisement laid any heavier upon
10 L. fI,sr = 7
peat my remark that l am glad that
Congress has assured to these people
and all that come after them, the whole
some consequences of their rebellion In
the way of perpetual guarantees against
political caste, discrimination or pro-
scription of any sort for opinions sake.
This is what was needed in order to
reconstruct the Union upon a proper
basis, and what the people of the
South would never have con-
coded OF their own volition. And
Just here / am reminded OF
a conversation We had with an elderly
gentleman the other day in regard to
the 18th Amendment recently passed by
Congress. 81 am glad" said he, THAT
it has passed. We have negro suffrage
in the South aud our complaint has
been that you have give us medicine
which you would not take yourselves.
The inequality of tho measure up to
this time has been an objection with
me. Now if we arc to have it in one
ALL" So says your correspon-
dent, Messrs. Editors. And speak
ing of this old gentleman, with
whom we stopped day or two,
he is quito philosopher and original
character. Nothing delighted him
more than to sit before Al big wood fire
and talk human NATURE" politics and
theology with my fellow traveller, who
il not slow OH such subjects himself.
Before the war he WAS doing business
i'll city SOmo distance from here, but
at the outbreak of hOStilitics having
but little confidence in the issue which
the South had made with the Gov
eminent, he came here and invested in
rather choice property. To show us
how things worked in those days he
said that he owed some eight thousand.
dollars at the outbreak OF the war
to Northern creditors. The COnfederacy
seQuestered that Indebtedness to its own
use and confiscated some fifteen thou
sand dollars OF his book accounts to pay
itself therefor. Since the war he has,
of course. had to settle with his North
ern creditors, principal and interest,
while his assets are short those
contiscated fifteen thousand dollars.
Another of his troubles was that the
Confederacy came hero and quartered
during the war, Tor which he received
no pay, and yet at the close of the war
| he had TO exert himself vigorously Ia
keep the u. S. Government from contis'
eating his domain on the ground that il
had been used az public property by the
COnGederacy. Was not that being
ground between the upper and lower
millstOne2
have alluded 10 the "big wood fire''
that is traditional and customary in
these regions. The people, wherever you
go, have queer way OF sitting close
around the blazing heap and yet keep
ing all the doors OF the house and the
name of the latter is legton) wide open.
My friend has made bold to suggest
to them once or twice that half the fire
with the doors shut would warm them
equally as much, If not more. The idea
apparently amuses them, but L doubt
if he effects reform. Another thing
about the fires: After IA pile of oak,
chestnut, hickory, elm, &C., has been
built up in the fire place, the darkey
scoops ont place underneath for the
light wood" as they call it, that
is the green pine, full OF resin,
and when the latter is lit the flame
ronrs and spreads aud lights up
the room, and all out gdoors, like a
house afire. Then it is that everybody
gets their toes warm, while the draught
hunts rheumatic spot on their backs.
| And, speaking of pine wood, l doubt il
many Of your readers ever saw such
timber, as to both its abundance and
quality, in the way of pine trees, rs we
| have journeyed through on mules and