The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-08-15

From the Monroe Register DCmocratlc.
The secret vote has been the only sue
cessfnl safeguard Of liberty ever devised
by the art Of man TyrantS have never
been able to contend with It, and tyrant'
have always hated and quailed before IT.
Away back in the mist Of ages, the light
of history dimly reveals the results Of the
ballot, in banking tyrants, md raising
immortal communities of freemen, like
Athens and Sparta, the eyes Of Greece
and of mankind. They had, by the way,
n beautiful custom Of putting quetus on
embryo tyrants, in Athens When an In.
dividual, by sharp trading or Inheritance,
became possessed there Of large means,
and his blood, under the stimulus Of rich
food and wine, and luxurious living, nat.
nrally began to hoil over with lust Of
privilege in plain English, when he be.
gan TO put on airs, the people quietly
some fine day would throw into the box
their ballots, in the shape Of an oyster
shell with such fellows names written on
the shell, which was an invitation to
them II leave their country for their
counttys good.
This custom, called 'Ostracism, nippCd
the little buds If dangerous ambition
breaking ont through tho conduct Ol
prominent men, md schoOled them into a
snlutary fear and love Of their native land.
The heroes OF Marathon and Leuctra and
Salnmis and PlatTa, weremany Of them
schOolcd into patriotism by morning les.
SONG ithis kind; and 80 did Athens he.
come the eye Of the world. Let us,
above all things, take care Of the ballot in
West Virginia; it is the Only way by
which We can OstraCisC the dangerous
snobOcraCy. FL
As Tor ,is, we we care not 10 proclaim
our vote from the hill.tOps, but our vote
cannot save the ilnslelterGd poor man
from ruin.
The advocates for convention are all
now ClamOrOus for the abolition of the
ballot They are all tyrNnts or friends Of
tyrAnts. No poor man OT family will
dare to vote his sentiments, when his rich
creditor, his rich landlord, his rich EN-.
plOycr starCs him impudently, hears him
vote contrary TO his tyrant's will, and the
next day gives the insulting salute, Sir
I hare no NSC for man phO rOtey
dgliHH NM interests.
In five years the Chesapeake x Ohio
Railroad Company will have ten thousand
men in their employment; the hundred
mining and manufacturing companies o.
the Hanawha Valley will have ten thou,
sand hands employed; 1t will be the SAME
all through the State. Those corpora
tions, il you abolish the ballot, will vote
every man in their service and rule the
state in their own interest. Where will
the landowners be lef, who are now SC
ambitious to drive out men and I'LL theil
places with cattle? viii the cattle CONT
10 the polls in multitudes and save them
Where will the poor farmers then be
ground TO the earth, with the load Of tax
alton piled on their unhappy shoulders by
the omnipotcnt corporations.
All, fools! abolish the ballot, and you
lose your inheritance in five years. The
cdrpdbdg capitalists and Their Carpet.bag
employees. whom your false guides are
now teaching you TO hate, will In five
years, cat you and your guides up.
The ballot is called the shelter Of COW
ards yes, It protects towards from being
ruled by tyrants, II saves brave poor mer
from being ruined by tyrants; IL only
makes no difference to the man Of In
dependence. To please a lew Of tho
| pIaycd.out diCtatOra we must not ruir
the State by doing away with an enginC
Of liberty which all other States carefully
keep