The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-09-21


] barrassed the progress of the Chesa
peake Il Ohio road by giving a man
: named Aver, a carpet-bagger from the
New Hampshire penitentiary, control ot
the West Virginia Central. To induce
capitalists to complete the Chesapeake
u Ohio it was necessary to grant them
certain privileges, which Aver claimed
to hold, and which he would not sur
render without a bonus He black
mailed the road to the amount of 50,
| 900 before he would abandon his pre-
tensions. Now if granting important
railroad charters tojail-birds and thieves
entitle'the Republican party TO credit,
then let them receive it. Cheers The
100 school houses OF which Governor
Stevenson boasts were paid for by
the people, not by the Republican
party. South Of the Little IA
nawha, the greater portion OF the
taxes were paid by Democrats and
rebels, and in some counties, we have
the authority of the IHte!lgcnc5r for
saving, seven eighths Of the taxes were
paid by men who had no voice IN their
! disbursement. The teachers test oath
has driven from the school houses the
sons of men whose money built them,
and to add absurdity to petty despotlsm,
! had required some Of their daughters
to swear that they had never borne
armes in aid of the rebellion. In Re
membering these facts, and that Colonel
Milton Wells, of Brooke county had
declared the Republican candidate for
Secretary Of State unfit to discharge
the duties devolved upon him by the
law, was it not time for Governor Ste
venson and other Republicans to lower
their pretensions about their free school
system? Applause.
Since the Republicans challenged in
vestigaton of their record upon internal
Improvement and kindred questions,
Mr. Walker called attention to the
fact that it had enacted no legislation
for the development of the State. Its
measures were proScriptiye in their
character, calculated to drive men
away from the State rather than invite
them in This character were the
. test oaths for teachers, lawyers,
senators, jurors, officers and
voters, which oaths the speaker dis.
cusscd at length. The failure OF some
election officers to enforce the voters
oath in lSGj, an oath atterward de-
clared unconstitutional, had been made
bv Governor Boreman the excuse for
bringing troops into the State. and the
military hgG been a standing advertise
mcnt to capitalists and immigrants that
the people OF West Virginia were
lawless gang among whom it was un-
safe TO locate Governor Stevenson
had said before and would probably say
again, that there was more salt made,
more coal mined and more lumber ex
ported now than few years ago. The
existence of the war had paralyzed these
industries, and their revival was due to
the cessation OF hostilities, not to the
fostering care of the Republican party.
So with our increase OF population; IT
was due to natural causes; it had not
come from immigration the Inteligcncer
had declared that more men are each
year leaving the State tor the West than
are coming into it from abroad. This
was authority that could not be queS-
toned
And now. said the speaker, ! ap-
proach that part Of this discussion
which relates directly to the official
conduct of the State Executive When
upon a recent occasion it became my
dutv to discuss the acts of Gov
ernor Stevenson and his undcrlings, his
Excelency, inGlriated at the idea that
his record was not beyond the reach OF
criticism, was pleased to respond in a
STYLE which. in my humble judgment,
reflected no credit upon the taste Of the
speaker and did small honor to the sta
ton which he fills. Taking an editor
along for the purpose, he had his vitu-
perative assault, TO which he would not
permit reply, heralied abroad as a
grand personal triumph, as if the Gov
ernor OF the State had any glory TO gain
by personally raking person in private
! position. For the benefit of those OF
our Republican friends who are always
ready to condemn as blackguardiSm any
criticism, however just, upon the repre-
sentations of their party, let me say
| that for the coarsencss Of its language,
the bitterness of its feeling, the inaccu-
racv OF its assertions, and the general
fury of its personalities, that speech Of
the Governor has seldom been exceIlei
at the cross road or in the fish market.
Certain am, that its delivery was only
calculated to lower, if it be now possible
to lower. the Office of Governor Of the
State, the very decences of whose posi-
ton should pre-suppose its occupation
bv gentleman, and forbid its prostltn-
ton to the functions of mountebank
or a demagoSue. (Cheers) In the
course Of my remarks upon that
occasion. ] alluded to the course
of Adjutant General Harris in
travelling about TO induce the regis
trars to disfranchise the legal voters of
the State, and said then, in substance,
as say now. that this thing Of pediling
petty despotism by the small, was an eX-
ceedingly appropriate business for a
man whose hands were red with the
blood Of an innocent woman nj who
had earned his infamy within the shall
ow of the scaffold OF Mrs Surratt Re
plying 20 this, Governor Stevenson took
. occasion to say that were | TO uttel
where General Harris could hear it what
Il , L.
self that General Harris, TO Use tbs
Governors own language, would masl
Walkers mug In reporting tha
! meeting, printed those words just as
had spoken them the Governor pledg'
in the premises, like many other pledge
= from the same source, is still unkept
' the mug of the subscriber is still un
? mashed | had hoped that GoTerno
r Stevenson used this dignifed mode o
Z 4