The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-04-27

| discussed through the press the inter-
ested reading public expect that those
who enter the lists will openly meet
and contest the merits OF the questions
at issue, and not evGde them, because
| the object OF all such discussion should
be and is legitimately to find such So
! luton for the question at issue, as &C
cords with the truth. He who enters a
| contest of this character, armed with
the truth and inspired by honor, never
| fears his opponent SO much as to eU1de
| him or his positions, but meets him, il
at all, on his own grounds and employs
| such weapons only as can determine
the issue. Did you ever know cham
pion of truth and honor to engage in a
controversy with one whom the truth
warranted him in denouncing, at the
outset, AS "perjurer, ""night prowler,"
"gun of small calibre," and the like?
Is it not, on the other hand, an infalli.
BILE rule that where error and Its appur'
| tenanCes are assailed, its defenders re-
sort TO coarse vulgarism, billiDgsgate
and other means to prejudice and in
flame the passions, and studlously avoid
everything that addresses itself to the
reus0n or that is forsoOth legitimate
defense? Look at the defence of slavery
and all other barbarisms and wrongs
that have cursed the world. Anathe-
mas were pronounced ana every con-
ceivable means used to dethrone reason
and give full sway to passion. ask
the public to apply this test upon the
| "penitentiary controversy"
Mr.. Superintendent McFAdden, in
communication under date of April
18Th inst, (and for the authorship o!
| which full credit is cheerfully accorded
him ~ has assumed to GnSWer mine
of the 22d ultimo, by an assault upon
| my reputation for truthfulness, instead
of showing by coherent and intelligt'
BILE presentation of the record that the
statements made by me, touching the
conduct Of the public officers who have
control of the p7tbLic building, known
as the Penitentiary, were erroneous
and untrue.
Let us examine this production and
see what 1t succeeds in rendering intel
liEible: The first sentence denounces
the odious communication ofthe 22d ult.
as ''Uery low, &C." The next proceeds
| "On seeing that piece of 6tOW gun,
| wherein the combined efforts OF few
'night-prowlers' make an attempt to
deiame and bring disgrace upon our
honorable Senator, James Burley, and
the Hon. Geo. Ewards, our Representa-
tive" (Here 1t comes TO full stop:
| without even giving us the number OF
night-prowlers contained in "that piece
of 6toiV-gttn," leaving us TO conjecture
| or supply what is necessary to CO m
plete this dccOnlmOd dating sentence
Then he informs us that he Is fused TO
that sort OF cannonading." deprecates
that zone who claims the title OF
"Union Soldier" should fight under
fictitious name" and straightway pro-
ceeds 10 "cOnvince" everybody that he
Is not a man of truth by quoting from
page five OF the printed testimony taken
before the Committee of Investigation
| Here he again becomes excited (per-
haps) and asks Union Soldier (whom
| he is ungracious enough to cT'iticlSe f01'
| literal and orthOQrdphicGt discrepancies!
| to call TO his aid "sOme of his helpers"
and conclude "that his whole story 10
tissue of lies?" Thus does this remarka-
bly, characteristic production OF the Su-
perintendent of the State prison con-
| tinue and conclude, the whole gtst OF
il, if there is anything at all in 1t, being
| to assail the character of "Unlon Sol
der" instead OF answering and correct
ing his charges.
An Interested and intelligent public
public will not accept any such e1-
plantations.
AS 10 the House bill No. As, it was
reported by Mr.. Howes from the Com
| mittee on humane and criminal lnstl-
tutions, early in the session, and passed
| regularly and without opposition TO lis
frst, second and third readings. When
it came up on its third reading and
passage, it was, on Mr.. Edwards
motion laid on the table, where 1t re-
manned until Mr.. Howes called 1t up,
when it WIS passed by vote that lack
ed one of being unanimous. 1t was regu-
| larly reported to the Senate and thence
referred to a Committee of which Mr..
Burley was q member. There IL lodged,
anything that Mr.. McFadden or any
BODY else may say to the contrary, not.
withstandipg Meanwhile the inves-
tigation OF charges against Superln
tendent McFadden, had been concluded
and the Committees report thereon.
III
was submit.e ed: and, it was well known
to Mr.. Burley who was one ofthe Direc-
tors of the penitcnttary, as well as 10
every body else, that If that bill became
law as it had been passed by. the
House, Mr.. McFAdden would be re-
mediate election by the LegiStGtureI
Then followed the report that the
bill WAS lost, and ii t0GS lost, lin the ca
pacious and not very systematic pocket
of ca1acious and not very systematic
Senator) until for want of time the
Legislature was compelled to pass IL in
an amended form, giving to the Board
of Public works tho appointing power
This is the history OF the bill in ques-
ton and l defy any whom it may
concern to take the record and confute.
1t. 1t is hoped, indeed, that those VINO
may be skeptical upon the statement
herein made will consult the Journals
of the Senate and House of Delegates
touching this subject, because 1t Is
deemed of much Importance to the
State at large, and especially to "those
in authority" that IL be fully under
stood and timely check applied.
Mr.. McFAdden Tin his only attempt
to cover up the manipulation of that
Billy by the honorable Senator says
that "most Of the members of that COM
mittee (the senate committee before
referred toy being also on other commit
tees could not be gottogether to consld.
er" the bill! This will answer very well
where people are ignorant of the tact,
that there we're not tloe'ety general acts
passed by the Observation-Disclosures, and that
the only. two standing committees in
either branch that were ever engaged
continuously or for any length OF time
by business, were the committees on
| the Judiciary and4On Claims and Griev-
ences. The new code had mot yet been
printed and general legislation was al
most totally impracticable, and any
reader of the 1NTELLIGRNOER knows
that the legislation of last session was
almost exclusively local. The commit
tee work was consequentialIy light. so
much for this, the only considerable
subterfuge, contained in the remarka~
| BILE production referred to.
By reference to the last annual report
| of the Directors and Superintendent OF
| the penitentiaEy, 1t will be seen that
whilst the State never at any time own
ed more than three yokeS- of oxen and
tiuo mules, it cost during the last year
ttro thousand one hundred and sixteen
dollars and ninety nine cents to provide
food for them! The items cleaned from
the Superintendents report, CLASH
6ad land Runma6 nm aYnlain this eX-