The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-02-18
FROM THE CAPITAL,
How Charleston Shut up the Eye OF
the Capital MOVers-sMr. Bakers
GlitteTing Generalities.


|
The Bill to Abolish Popular Elec-
tions.- Railroad Schemes.-GerrY-
Wandering the Apporlion-
ment. ...
Correspondence ofThe Intelllgcncerl
CHARLESTON, February IS, 1871.
With the exception Of the Flick amend.
ment, no measure Of general interest has
yet been passed by the present LegIsla-
ture. The Capital question is dead, 1t
was postponed In the Senate three days
ago, too near the end Of the session, which
kills 1t. There was death in Its bones
from tho beginning, Charleston played
her card well and won. She adroitly
sheIved the Wheeling delegation by tick.
ling their vanity, and in doing so played
into the hands Of tho smiling Senator and
got his influence by killing off Mr.. Lamb.
She gently pulled wool over the eyes of
Parkcrsburg by whispering Convention"
intending it merely as n "Capltal" joke.
Clarksburg was sold out for the State
School Superintendent Tho eminent
jurist" from Jefferson, alter passing
through tho hands Of Judge Fergusonaud
coming out very much like freshly
peeled onion, was promised the ermine-a
calf skin. Then the hospitality OF Char les
ton; which is hospitality; the invitations
to good,diuners, "and l had almost said, TO
drinks" Capons, waillcs and doughnuts;
the Honorables made "fat witted with
drinking of old sackl" Men as purely
mortal US members Of the Legislature
usually arc, could not resist such In.
fluences as these. True our army In Elan.
dcrs swore terribly when II arrived
here on the 17th Of january last, Then
Charleston had no good hotels; had mar
row, crooked streets; no good places to
take "drinks;" one horse, unwashed
town; like FalstafE s buck basket, 1t was
"the rankest compound Of villainOus
smells that ever offended nostril'-nOo II
Is the "rusc ot Sharon and the lily Of the
valley"
Can such things be,
And overcome us like summer cloud,
Without our special wonderf
OF all the plans yet conceived by the
immigration doctors, that introduced into
tho Senate is the most pOintless; and will
prove MS expensive as II will useless.
Tho Board Of Public Works are to have
the free run OF the public purse TO pay
immigrant agents, printers, clerks, &c. 1t
is intended for nest egg to hatch out n
fresh brood Of plumbers to carry off the
surplus money in the State treasury,
How Is 1t that every measure must he
tainted to the very bone; into the very
joints and marrow, with this all pervading
idea Of party, party? immigration must
be committed, as In other Suites, to those
who make the study Of tia specially.
Until VIC do this, and some plan Is devised
that. will lay before the people, who In.
tend to emigratc, and that too ut their
present homes, and before they set out to
seek new ones, all the advantages our
State offers to them, oil our efforts will be
abOrtive, and we may resolve and invite
until the crack of doom and the flood OF
immigration will continue to sweep over
lis and around us.
You have already seen the proposed
new election law. II Is tho biggest stride
toward the zone man power" yet made by
the destructionists. 1t might well be
termed, "a. bill to abolish elections in
West Virginia" 1t creates 100 election
officers who are virtually appointed by
the Governor; that is, he Is to appoint
three Of them in each county, and these
are TO appoint three others in each cleo
tion precinct SO you sec the Governor
turns tho crank that moves the whole
election machinery Of tho State. The
people arc 10 have no voice In tho matter.
All they'have to do, is TO present them.
selves ut the polls, and learn whether
these men, appointed over their heads and
without their consent, will permit them
10 vote. This bill proposes TO repeal
every provision in tho code which fixes a
penalty on election officers for violating
tho law. This law will make shipwreck
OF any party that adopts 1t, and as the
Democracy seem bent on early selEde-
struCtiOn, | soy, amen, let her rip.
A score or more of railroad schemes
arc before the Legislature; but most Of
them are OF the wildcat sort, got up In
the interest OF Wall street stock gamblers
and big land spectators. These patriots
propose to make railroad surveys through
their lands and have the State foot the
bills; very nice thing-ior the sharks. II
VIC keep on we shall have railroad char.
ters piled on as thick as land titles, twenty
deep One important route Is seven deep
already. Ono actual settler who builds
cabin and raises an acre Of potatoes Is
worth more TO the State than this whole
batch Of paper railroads. A few ol the
men In these projects arc In earnest and
mean business, and they must be encour-
aged; but these fancy paper railroads, TN.
less we arc more careful, will prove an
expensive luxury when the unraveling
process begins. The Virginia debt
Is becoming to tho Legislature q
monster Of trighttul mein. They
walk round and round the huge crea-
ture and cape OF II, but they haven't mus.
stored up sufficient courage yet TO take II
by the horns. TwO.thirds OF the session
are gone, and yet this matter has not even
been discussed. The revolutionists would
rather make n new debt than pay the old
one. This question ought to DO met ut
once; the honor Of the State Is at stake
and VIC must not let 1t suffer.
Look out for big gerrymander on the
new apportionment bill. Tho democracy
are incubating on this measure Just now.
Aneffort will be made to splice parts Of
strOnr RenublicAn districts on tn still
stronger democratic ones, so as to destroy
Republican majoritlcs. This bantling,
when brought forth, will be as full Of
mischief as On egg Is full Of meat. The
destructionists lio low and keep very quiet
about II, but you know tho proyerb
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