The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-08-05
Who il Responsibles

provide for publishing the CONSTITUTIONAL
Amendment 10 secret purpose On the
part Of the Radicals" to insure its ulti'
mate defeat. WHO now will give them
credit" says the Rtgitttr "for ever hay
ing intended honestly anil in good faith
10 submit the question to the peoples" The
RegGter knows such charge Of duplicity
is unjust and totally unsustaincd. 1t
knows this omission could not have re-
suited from deliberate purpose any
where. Had any such purpose existed
vixen the amendment was before the Leg
stature, it was in the power ofthat paper,
Or of any Democrat, or Of any Republi'
can who was really friend Of the meas.
ure Ill the Register will permit us to sup
pose such thing pOssiblel to thwart it.
1t would only have been necessary to call
attention to the matter Of publication to
insure provision for it It was not done
by anybody on either side
But, says the Rsgister, There was no
necessity for special legislation on the sub.
ieel The Governor has fund at his
disposal that might have been used to dc.
fray the expenses Of the publication"
Perhaps no absolute necessity. The Gov
ernor, under direct authority Of the Con.
stitution, could doubtless have ordered
the publication upon the failure Of the
Legislature to provide for it: but it was
clearly the duty Of the Legislature to
make provision, as they did in 1SGj.-thc
only precedent in the case. The Cover
nor ut that time had nothing to do with
the publication; and it is not surprising
that now, in the absence Of anything to
call attention to it, his authority in the
premises should be overlooked. But the
proper action by the Governor would have
been insured if the Register had only
called his attention u the matter, in time.
Why was this not done:
The main responsibility for this omis-
sion rests upon the Legislature, and just
as much upon the Democratic as the Re
publican members. If a resolution look
ing to the publication had been proposed
and voted down by the Radicals" then
the Radicals would have been responsible.
AS It was, there being not even a sugges.
ton from any quarter, when suggestion
would have insured the adoption Of ap-
propriate legislation, the responsibility
rests on all alike. The 20Democrats who
voted for the measure In the House were
just as much bound TO provide for pro-
per publication as were the ~ Republi.
cans who voted for it. Dare the IaegiSter
say those Democrats "never intended
honestly and in good faith to submit the
question to the people!" They should
have so legislatcd that no forgctfulnesS or
oversight on the part of the Governor
could have prevented such submissions;
yet nothing was done, nothing was pro-
posed, by any person, on either side, from
pure inadvertencc us every one must see.
Ofcourse the Register ia rejoiced to find
the Amendment embarrassed BY this over
sight, It's recent hostility to the measure
having been bitter and undisguised. II
the RegiAer knew Of this omission ii was
careful not to say anything about it. Per
hsps 1t did know and was afraid TO men.
ton It lest the GOVERNOR should be re-
minded o.. the omission and remedy it.
I'VE have always regarded the FLICK
Amendment says the Register in the arti.
Gle under consideration, ms swindle(9"
Then our neighbor must be greatly dis
tTessed that an important part Of the pro-
cedure necessary to its success has been
overlooked. Yet such is the tcrgiversa-
ton Of the Register that the statement just
quoted Is not true. There was time, not
very remote, when it protested to be
the friend and champion Of the Amend
ment and riskcd the denunciation Of
is friends to say 50. When the
measure passed the House, and ils sue.
cess was assured, our contemporary went
. 20 far in commentator Of II US to
even claim the credit Of it for the Demo.
cratic party although nearly the whole
session had passed and no Democrat had
brought toward any proposition on the
subiect.) Then 1t told us "thc amend.
ment was urged by Democratic speakers
and adopted by Democratic votes" and
declared It's belief that the Democratic
members voting for it would be "uIti
mately sustained, not only by the Demo
cratic party Of the State, but by
tho great body of the people Of the
State" Now, this same sheet declares
this same measure "swindle," and says
il "always" so regarded it; and yet de.
nounces the omission as mn evidence Of
the inStncerity Of Radical promises, and
the falsehoOd Of Radical declarations u
A lovely sheet it is, with beautiful re-
cord, 10 talk about insincerity" aud
"falsehood in others!
For ourselves, VIC hold firmly to the be-
lief that despite this irrcgularity the
Amendment las received no material
harm: that L commends itself to u large