The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1869-07-08
From the Wheeling Intelligencer,l
A NEW PLAN-AND A BAD ONE.

The Porkersburg Times, which took
very lofty ground few weeks ago on
the question of onlarging the suffrage
visiby yields 10 the pressure Of common
sense, By now indicating its willingness
TO sec an amendment made to the con.
atiLuliOn. the Times virtually admits its
lormer position of hostility 10 all prog
ress unIenable. The significance Of this
move il no. so much 10 the length OF
the step as 10 the foe! that it is step
forward. The amendment proposed does
not commend itself 10 US Os the best or
! even q lolerable one; but as o recOg.
milton OF the fact that the iron clad poll
cy has had its day, We ore glad TO see il
put forward in that quarter. The plan
nov proposed by the Times is that here
toforo advocated by the Monroe Repu6
lican, viz, that the matter Of restoring
the ballot 10 the ex-rCbels shall be ves-
ted wholly in the Legislature. The spec
ific proposition is that The constitution
shall be SO amended that the first sec
ton OF the third article will read
"No person who, since the FIRST day
of April, 1861, has given, or shall give,
voluntary aid or assistance to The REBEL
ion against the ULited States, shall he
citizen of this State, or allowed to vote
OF any election held therein. But HE
Legislature nay By a vote of t,oo-thirds Of
each House remote such disability
Judging from the cake that or no
thing" air wherewith the foregoing ispu.
forth, we might conclude it was the ul-
limltum; but we hope not, for aside
from its general dement's the proposition
is not model in its details Why is it
deemed Necessary TO provide against who
"shall give assistance to the rebellion
against tho United States" 10 future?-
That rebellion is popularity supposed TO
have ended some time since. Does the
Times insist, however. that il is still RAJ
giDg, and desire a permanent recogni.
ton Of the fact by solemn constitutional
enactncn! some Two years hence? Then
again, let US suggest: the constitution Of
the United States declares lbot "all per-
sons born or naturaltzed in the United
States and subject 10 the jurisdiction
thereof are citizens OF tue United States
and of the State wherein they reside. =
This includes the ex.rebGls as much as
any other part Of the people. The con e.
stilution Of the United States de-
clores they are citizens Of the State,-
Would it be very smart performance
for us to set up, with all the forms Of
constitutional enactment, a counter dec
laraton that they are not citizens of the
Ssatel This blunder was committed in
the amendment Of 1866. Why repeat
il?
And why is the period at which men
began 10 be rebels fixed OF April lst,
1861? Other enactmcnts have Recognize
ed the 18th OF April (thC day the ordi-
nance of secession pa'sed) and others
the first of June, What is tue rule 10
| determine Just when the rebellion be-
gan? Why shall we now four years al
ter the rebellion is ended, diSfranchise q
person who aided it on the ID day Of
April, 1861. and not disfranChise his
neighbOr who did SO on the lst? How
is il known that midnight between the
lst and I'd was the exact moment when
the guilt began? Or to put it in uuOth-
Cr shape; why would West Virginia be
in such "great danger Two yePrs hence
from the vote oil one and not from that
of the other? Is it intended by fixing
this date to cut out all who voted for the
ordinance oS secession in May! Was not
that vote "aid or assistance" 10 the re-.
bellion? And was not every such vote
cast voluntarily? If that is the rule,
we should have the singular spectacle Of
Acknowledgement ofmany, both Repub'
licaus and Democrats, who have always
been voters.
The matter Of defining who were rcb-
els and who were not is one Of extreme
difficulty. Our contemporary ROLES
mainly in all this business upon the NOR
al argument. He justifss the disable'
ment Of the ex.rebols on the ground that
they were guilty Of crime and are 10 be
punished. Can he not see some Of the
difficulties that surround even his view
OF the case? The weak place in the at.
tempt to maintain these disabilities on
the pupiliye theory is that it begins too
late aud ends too soOn, II reaches only
a part Of the mcritorious cases. How
many hundreds Of men are there in the
State who we're jus! as guilty of rebell-
ion and deserve punishment as much as
any confederate soldier, who never have
been aud cannot be reached by any such
remedies! Tho ignorant and imprcssi.
bic fellow who went OF into the rebel
army because he was influenced 10 by
the rich old farmer who had him hired.
r