The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-09-02
THE NEW DEPARTURE
(From the Intelligencer of Sept. lst)
Address TO the Republican
Voters of Ohio County.

will be called to elect your variou
township officers, and also three mem
bers of the House of Delegates and ont
member of the State Senate. The time
for selecting your candidates for these
positions is drawing near, and this fac
is the only apology we deem it neces
sary to effer for venturing, at this time
to call your attention TO some consider
ations connected with the canvass thai
we regard of more than ordinary i'm
portance.
You have all so far observed the sign;
of the times as to be well aware that q
decided change has been, and is now,
going on in public opinion all over the
country, in respect to the permanent
disfranchisement of the great mass OF
those who stand implicated in the re
beIlion. You have seen that the Gov
ernment has granted them general am
uesty and, following its example, that
such States as Missouri and Tennessee,
which were not long ago more extreme
than our own, have greatly relaxed the
riror of their test oaths and materially
enlarged the scope of their elective
franchise.
1t is well understood that the admin
istration at Washington and the leading
minds generally of the Republican
party in all the departments of the
Government, favor and seek to pro.
mote this liberalized policy on the part
of the States. 1t is also as near certain
as any thing in the future can be, that
the day of complete entrancElsement
for all men, white and black, is close ut
hand. This is the manifest tendency of
the times aud very soon we must all
accept the fact, Willingly or otherwise.
The next session of Congress will
most likely see all the states once more
restored to their places in the Union,
with representatives in both branches,
and there is scarcely doubt of the rat
ification of the 18th amendment to the
Federal Constitution, which amend
ment forbids all political determinations
in any of the states on account OF race
or color.
This being the situation throughout
the country, does it not become us IN
iustice to our own ideas and sympathies,
to adopt a party policy in harmony
with this prevailing tendency of the
times, if we desire and expect to main
tain the ascendancy of the political or
ganiZation to which we belong
We believe that the test oaths that
were adopted in this State during, and
at that the close of the war, were, IN
the main, necessary, if not absolutely
indispensable. They protected the
weak and exposed counties against the
prescription and aggression that must
have followed return of the disloyaI
element to power and influence. And,
in addition, they have served well
throughout the whole State, as part
of the great moral lesson taught by the
war. But, while all this, and more, Is
true, yet it is also true that under the
protection thus afforded to loyalty
abuses of power, to some extent, have
grown up. But this is not the place
nor the time, to partiCulariae instances
even were ii certainly known to wha,
extent power has really been abused II
some OF the counties in the matter o.
registration. The abuse of power is a:
old as the human race and is generally
to be expected under favering circum
stances. And while we do not forge
the responsibility of the rebellion itsel
for these abuses, both in the way o.
precept and example, nor ignore tht
provocations that have tended to excite
passionate executions of the law, ye
we cannot on that account, lose sigh
of the great truth that the Just province
of all law is the protection of society
and not the punishment of the offender
Aud, therefore, no rigOr, or semblanc,
OF persecution, Is eXcusable after th,
public safety Is reasonably assured
And as regards the safety of our Iowa
people at this time, even in the mos
exposed counties, our information i'm
presses US with the belief that we car
atisrd 10 inaEurate the necessary step
for slscontinulng everything known a.
war legislation.
On this point we wish to be distinctly
understood, as follows: We do mo-
advocate an instant abrogation of III,
distrauchising clause in our Constitu
tlon, for that is impossible, but we d,
favor prompt steps by our next Legisla
ture towards putting it in process of re
peal--a process, by the way, that viii
consume upwards of two years from
next winter. And, in the meantime, W,
shall hope to see the next Legislature
take early opportunity to do away will
the test oaths now resting upon Law
yers, Suitors, and School Teachers
These oaths have had their day. and
whatever their service in the past, thei
future advantage to the Stare NAV wei
be doubted. And as for the voters oath
we presume by the time it can be legal
dispensed with under the repeal process
alluded to, there will be few disinterest
ed citizens in our midst, however bite
their remembrances of the war, wh
will really regret its discontinuance
And finally, as regards the present reg
istry law, while expressing our earnes
attachment to the plan of guarding th
y purity of the ballot-bo1 by a registra
J tion of all the qualified voters of tn
| State, still we shall receive with sati: