The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-07-24

then was called the first State IN the
Union, When first came into public
life Virginia was viewed as one oil the
first States for her wealth and her power
in the Union And yet, sir, where is she
now We were part oil her, Why IS 1t
that this Great West, under liberal Con-
situations framed very much like the one
under which we now live, has made such
progress Why is it they have outstTip.
ped US and ARE now powerful common
weallhsg Why, sir, II they have flour.
ished with Constitutions similar TO ours,
is it not proper we should try the expert.
ment u little longer with II Constitution
such as thGlrsS
have been endeayoring to learn what
changes were desired by the advocates OF
u Convention and | have some OF them
here 1t isvery important to know what
the advocates Of that measure propose to
give US, A few days ago the friends oil u
Convention held meeting at Martins
burg, in very intelligent portion Of the
State md the principal actor there be-
lievG was our distinguished friend Mr.,
Faulkner, who we all know Is o man Of
talents and of influence. l have quar-
rel with nobody, ! know the value Of Mr..
Faulkner; but am not sure he Is not at
tempting TO ride upon the popular wave
into office and position. Why. sir, II had
wanted office and position should not be
here tonight. II the Convention Is held the
offices are for another set OF men-thOse
that are faithful and true and loud and
long in support of the measure, But
that Is depression l want to call your
attention to the Berkeley resolutions. !
only propose reading few Of them to
show the amendments. they propose.
The 9th resolution reads: seen
RtsOirsti, The experience OF our State Gov:
ernmentB In this country hiss shown that one Of
the most valuable safeguards against hastily and
| lll.COnsldered, not 10 say partial and corrupt
legislation, Is the obligation Imposed by those
Constitutions Out omitted In ours requiring
the Governor TO atllG his signature % every bill
before Ii becomes 4 law. The undivided TO
spOnhbillty OF the Executive Is an important
corrective Of that divided responsibility which
each member OF large assembly shares In com.
mon with his numerous associates. It simply
refers Objectionable legislation back 10 the body
for reconsideration with the public eye intontly
directed to the conflict which has thus arisen
between tho Legislative and Executive depart.
menus VI tlu HuNeIumeut'
The 9th Is,
RtI0lrsd, The ffank, open and manly system Of
dU1 rOce voting which has been Characteristic Of
our people from the earliest settlement Of Viz.
glnIa, and which has ever been regarded "a one
stored; and the secret ballot, under which 50
many frauds have been committed and conceal.
cd, should DO abolished. sn.
Now, sir, what Is that Is that not 90.
ing back halt century, Have not nearly
all, II not all, our sister States adopted
this ballot system, dropping the old and
Rntiquated idea Of men going up and
voting Tor the candidates, and they on the
bench thanking each man for his voteS
The old who can recOllect back as far US
| can rcCOllects when the candidates
would appear at the polls, and there
face the voters and thank them for their
votes, and probably have their barrels OF
whisky out at another point to prepare
them for casting their votes. That has
all been antiquatad. We have passed
that. The progress oil the ago has gone
by. And yet II Is proposed to take lis
back, Would 1t not be better to continue
to try this system, and II II fails then dis.
card 1t. Lot US give 1t fair trial. Do
not hastily abandon Il because we may
have been educated, rs the resolution
says, under the other system. Our sister
States have tlOurlshed and grown rapidly
under the ballot system. Cannot we
wait and soc it We cannot initiate their
progress.
Tho veto power Now, sir, | nm not
prepared to accept II especially in the
form OF tint resolution. / suppose II was
not very carefully drawn, but II declares
no net shall become n law without the
signature Of the Governor. would like
to know by what process they would com.
pei the Governor TO sign on act at all If
he did not choose to; but suppose they
intended some given majority should be
sufficient to pass an act over the veto; yet
that Is not the character Of tho resolution.
1t expressly proposes that no act shall be-
come law without the signature Of the
Governor.
There Is an6therge gentleman equally con.
spiCuous with my friend Mr.. Faulkner,
who has indicated his notions upon the
subject, and they correspond very much
with Mr.. Faulkner's. think, sir, there
Is sort OF concert Of action among the
great lights, the strong men OF the party.
| nm now abiding to Mr. Ferguson. You
all know him as man Of talents, md Of
powerful influence. Why, sir, we at one
time, out in our country, called him the
Legislature OF West Virginia. | recollect
once we took good deal of interest In
little incident that took place here Some
slanderOus person had charged Mr.. Fer.
glsOn with Unlocking" or stealing carpet
bag and OvercOat. II came to the ears Of
his colleagues hero, and they got to DO.
lievG II somehow-got to think there was
something in II, and appointed commit.
tee to ascertain whether he was fit TO Sit
with gentlemen In Legislative body.
They took the whole thing into COnsidera.
ton and heard the testimony. l never
heard IT. ] don't know anything about Il
only what transpired and was reported
then. The committee came 10 the con-
clusiOn 1t was little too rash a step to
exptl hin, and they reported some very
modest resolutions requesting him to re.
sign; that he was damaging the body,
damaging the other members. But, Dir,
NIr Ferguson tlared up and said be
wouldn't resign. lie admitted the fact Of
taking the carpet bag and overcoat, but
said le was drunk when he did 1t. He
said he would do such things when drunk
but when he was sober hs was as honest rs
any of them Lie wehthered his way
through and was sill the champion and
leader Of that body. lie i5a man OF tai.
ents, and merely mention this rs q mat.
ter Of history. II Is known to you all he.
causc II TRANSFERRED right here among you.
Well, sir, what did he say2 Letus sec his
notion; (reading) "IEon Jas. II. Ferguson
made speech in Charleston on the Goth,
In advocacy Of o Constitutional Conven.
ton wherein lie declared himself in favor
Of tird rote voting, In favor of restoring
the old county court system, and In favor
- . At.