The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-06-25

CURED by participation III reDelllOn. IL
proposed to discriminate between those
two classes; that men, whose conduct since
the war, had been uneXceptionable, should
be rc.habilitated, while the men who had
shown no evidence Of repentance, should
feel the strong arm Of power, and be com.
PEELED to retain the back places which
they took in 1855, until experience has
wrought its bitter lessons. That PROPOSE
ton was voted down. The majority re-
port, by indirection ut least, asks the Con-
vention TO endorse the action Of some
eighteen Republicans who voted for the
Flick Amendment, and reflect on the
fourteen who voted for the subSli.
tutc. He was satisfied IL there had
been II free and fair discussion in
the House of Delegates at the time the
Sturgiss substitute would have been
adopted He complained that the reso.
luton of the majority report was vague
and in fact was an endorsement OF the
action Of the last Legislature and not of
the Flick amendment. ~
lie followed with some illusions to the
condition OF affairs that has existed in the
counties which he represented, for some
four or five years past and TO the fact that
the military had been required tosenlOrce
the laws Of the State. Referring to ap-
peals which he said had been made to the
Convention on behalf Of DISTINGUISHED
rebels, he said there was another class In
that section who were entitled to our sym
pathies, the loyal men, many ofwhom had
spent months in Southern Bastilcs, and
who see in this measure and this immC-
diatc restoration TO power OF this large
element, Il restoration Of the condition OIL
things, every "reminiscences Of which fills
them with shuddering. He alluded then
to Col. Swan who had addressed the Con.
vGntion during the morning, rs one of the
class who had entitled themselves TO
amnesty, but he protested against putting
in the same category, men who had never
upheld the laws, but who had violated
them whenever they could do SO with i'm.
punity. What he asked for was diScrlmi-
native legislation. He wanted the policy
OF the Republican party here cOnt0rmed
to that of Congress, and wanted the Legis'
lature to be permitted 10 do what Congress
was empowered to do by the NlVth Arti-
Gle. WCalla agree, he said, that there should
BE- mn amendment to the Constitution.
Whnt the minority protest against is this
sweeping, indisCriminatc restoration to
p0wCrofthese men who rs matter of right
have certainly no claim TO any power.
lie referred to the perpetual disabilities
imposed upon the tories at the close Ofthe
revolution, and said that while he would
not wish to follow that precedent to the
fullest extent, he mentioned il TO show
that much severer measures were
employed then than any one proposed
now. He asked gentlemen in n matter
80 vital in its consequences TO make haste
slowly.
At this point the Impotence Of the Con-
vcntion manifested itself anew and cries
of"Question" were so loud and long con-
tinucd that the speaker took his seat.
The CLERK was about to proceed with the
Gull of the counties, when CHESTER D.
HUBBARD, Of Ohio, appealed to the Con-
ventiOn 10 allow him five minutes for an
explanation in reference to the majority
report.
He simply wanted to say That It was well
known throughout the State that there is
Il difference OF opinion in the Republican
party in regard to the question involved
in this proposed amendment to the Con-
stitutiOn Without violating any Of the
proprieties OF the Committee room, he
could say that the same difference of
opinion existed there; that q portion Of
the committee were in favor ofa stronger
declaration than that agreed Oh and the
report brought in by the majority Of the
committee, was the result ola compromise
made at meeting of the delegations from
sixteen counties, held in the city last
evening. These 4th and 9Th resolutions
were adopted by that meeting, and those
OF the committee favOring moro direct
endorsement OF the Flick Amendment
agreed for the sake of harmony TO accept
this modified form Of endorsing the action
Of the Legislature, caring more for the
complete endorsement contained In the
9TH than for any particular form of words
in which to express it. The speaker last
upon the floor (Mr. Ncwlin) says the ma.
I0rity report reflects OH the minority Of
the Legislature But If this substitute be-
adopted, would not that reflect equally on
the majority Of the Republican members
of the Lcgislature2 (Applause) You can
not escape responsibility for the action Of
your delegates in the Legislature by any
such vague declarations as those in the
substitute.
We have been cited TO what Congress
has been doing. Let me tell you, gentle
men, that under the reconstruction meas
urcs, much MS they have been denounced
by the Democratic party, every man in
the South, except the small class under
the disability imposed by the 14th
Amendment (whO had perjured them.
selves by engaging in the rebellion after
having taken an Oath to support the Con.
stituti0n Of the United StNtes), is allowed
to vote. And to-day, if the DISTINGUISHED
men Of this State, except those disabled
under the 14th Amendment, were in old
Virginia instead of West Virginia, they
would be allowed to vote. And would
say further in regard 10 the action Of Con-
gress, rs we learn by the newspapers
Of to-day, that Ben. Butler, Of AIassachu.
sctts-much Us he has been abused by the
misunderstanding brought into Con-
gress, from the Reconstruction Commit
tee, u bill granting complete amnesty TO
all who were engaged in the rebellion. |
Nsk, now, shall the Republicans of West
Virginia linger in following the example
of magnanimity which has thus been set
in Congress, and which is sanctioned by
President Grant himsclfE The very resO.
luton OF the Chicago Convention which
the gentleman is so earnest in pressing on
this Convention rs n substitute tor
one endorsing the Flick amendment,
has been construed by its author
to contemplate exactly such legislation rs
is proposed by this Flick Amendment.
The proof of this is to be found in letter
addressed by Gen. Schurz last Fall to the
Republican State Committee, in which he
declared that address (which recommend