The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-06-10
0tl0qntel6gentp
Policy Toward the Ex-
Rebels In West Virginia.
Views of n GreenbrIer County Re-
publican.


/. publican.
| GREENBRIER Co., w. Va, June 5, 60.
To the Editor OF the IntelNgencer:
| have been q subscriber to your pa
per ever since the close of the war, but
have never before troubled you as a
correspondent. After the suppression
of the rebellion returned here to my
home; was honored by an Office at the
hands of the Republican party, and
have held an Office by Republican votes
ever since. I never approved fully OF
| all the tenets of our party In this State,
and could not concur cordially In the
| policy of prescribing all rebels, though
did not own my opposition, nor seek
for this reason to disaheSt members OF
the party. The general policy and
principles of the party have, in my
| humble opinion, been right, and II on
some questions differed somewhat in
opinion with the majority OF those with
whom I co.operated, yet believed in
politics as in war, much depends upon
| organization and concert OF action. I
never allowed my private views upon
q single instance to obstruct the execu-
| ton OF the policy of the party whose
success 1 believed would in the end,
promote the public veal, develop our
natural resources, advance the pros
perity of the State, and quicken the
The position which your paper has
taken upon the question of enfranchise-
ment receives the endorsement In this
portion of the State of all true thinking
men of every political creed
Tho issues which have heretofore
separated the political parties of West
Virginia have been settled. Republic
cnnism at the last election was opposed
in this State chiefly upon the grounds
that our party was In favor OF negro
suffrage. The adoption of the fifteenth
amendment, which we may consider as
already accomplished, gives the freed
men equal civil and political rights
with the white man. Political parties
are TO be reOrganizeds and before we
take q new departure we should have
the fullest interchange of views, con-
Quoted with that calmness and deliber
alton which always charRcteriZes
sincere search for the right.
1t is clear that 1t Is in conflict with
ths avowed principles, both of democ-
racy and republicanism, and the prin-
ciples, as we'll, which underlie our Gov
eminent, that in any State consider
able portion of its citizens, free, white
and intelligent, who bear their full
share of the burdens of the State,
should be denied all participation In It's
government, should be restricted in
their civil rights; that those of them
who are of the learned professions
lihood by that employment for which
alone they are qualified.
The ground upon which all our dtsa-
bling statues have been justified, now no
longer exists. Loyalty no longer re-
quiTes the protection which such laws
were intended to secure. In truth,
fear that the temper and cond 1tlon OF
people of this county and the adjoining
counties has never been correctly rep
resented at the Seat of Government.
Still, however, 1t was natural that i'm
mediately after the close of the war, the
danger to be apprehended from the reb-
ell elementshould be exaggerated. When
the fire of an engine under full head
WaV is suddenly eXtinguished, 1t still
tor some time dashea forward though
the motor has ceased to act. 80 When
the passions of men are dashed into fury
by civil war, they still rage after the
conflict of arms has ceased, ana peace
has been proclaimed. In the one
case the engine will stop, and In
in the other passions will subslde ana
reason and justice resume their sway.
We have had cooling time, and now
certainly the best feeling prevails mere;
We have no Disturbance taxes are pelo
cheerfully and promptly ana by Tar
the greater portion of the taxes are
paid by those who can neither vote nor
hold office; and all are anxious that the
bitterness enRendered by the war may
in one quarter that convention ID
necessary to remodel the Constitution
and especially to confer upon the Leg
islature the power to remove dlsapll-
ties, The Constitution may not be per-
feet yet it Is good Constitution ana
fundamental laws should not be hastily
touched. They should be remodeIed
and modified only when there is me-
cessitV for some modification. AS yet,
there is no such necessity. Ii the
amendment of the State Constitution
ia in conflict with the XIV Amendment
of the Federal Constitution, the former
ia n nullity, and the only disabilities
under which any portion OF her citizens
labor were enacted by the Legislature
and by the Legislature can be removed
Allow me TO state II few faces whlch
will exhibit the anomalous conditlon
of affairs produced in some OF the east
ern counties by the execution OF these
disabling laws. The town of Lewis
burg, in this county, has twelve hun
dred Inhabitants of whom six arc
voters, These ak assess the tax ana
fill all the offices provided Tor IN the
act OF Incorporation. There were Two
thousand voters in the county before
the war; not more than four hundred
votes have been polled since the pas
sage of the Acknowledgement act. Ihefe
are between fifteen hundred ana Two
thousand white male inhab1tants, VINO
are over the age of twenty.ore years,
and have been residents OF our county
for years, who own three fourths OF ali
the property in the county, real ana
personal, who pay cthree-fourths OF all
the taxes, Federal, State, county ana
township, who are as Intelligent and
honest as the same number of persons
in any other county in the State. and
vet are denied all participation in the
Government. They eau neither vote
nor hold Office nor serve as jurors. A
similar statement could be made as to
each of the other counties.
What will be the effect of enfran-
chisement upon the Republican party?
No doubt many persons have asked
themselves this question, and 1t should
be answered.; A very large majority OF
the people OF this county were before
the war old line Wings and the earn
eat opponents of the Democrats. Now
the only remaining issue OF Importance
is :he question of enfranchising them
and they will naturally gravitate to
Republicanism. There are hundreds
here who under no circumstances
would vote with the Democrats. Add to
this other causes which make the
alliance natural, their obligations to
the Republicans for their enfranchise,.
ment, and they will / believe step most
promptly into our ranks. The hrm
old line wings OF the North are now Re-
publicans, and why should not the
same causes produce the same results
in this State. AS have said many o!
the political issues which have agltated
the country since the suppression OF
the rebellion have been determined,
and the indications are that there Will
ere long be thorough reorganization
OF parties. -T