The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-04-12
THEFLIQKAAENlMENT.


charged. ,,s ~ 4
3; a THE FLIGKAMENDNENE, III
We publish this morning the.Address'
issued by q number Of gentlemen IN
Woodland tPleassnts counties concern
ing ,"thel FLpK Amendment, and we
take, this occasion to explain our own
position upon the question presented.
70 do this, it is necessary to review
briefly the political events Of the past
year. = ~, !
The call for the Convention that
nominated the present officers OF the
State was not addressed in prsciseterms
to the members Of any political party
as such 1t invited tie cooperation OF
all the citizens of West Virginia who
favored the repeal of all the proscrlp-
tive laws thenin force in.thisState, and
the Convention visa l0omposed OF. men
of all shades Of political sentiment,
united ouly upon the repeal OF proscrlp-
ton. The FLICK Amendment which
had been adopted by the Legislature
the previous winter, had already
encountered some opposition from
members OF the Legislature and
writer's for the public press, whose,
devotion to and earnestness in the cause
d. acknowledgements not be ques.
toned, and it became apparent at the
State Convention that there was a wide
diversity of opinion among the friends
Of reimbursement, as well as among
the DISTINGUISHED themselves, as to the
specific measure in question. As
compromise upon which all might
agree, the platform adopted by the
Convention made no express mention Of
the FLICK amendment or any other
special mode of relief, but declared SIM
DIV in favor of "a free ballot for white
men and the immediate enactment Of
such measures as should secure it.
Upon this platform the. campaign was
conducted and gas crowned with COM
plete success, the FLICK amendment not
being regarded by either political partyas
strictly a party question, but being left
entirely to individual opinion as an un-
important matter upon which men
might honestly differ while laboring
untedly for the accomplishment of the
same end. 49,. .~.i
After the election and prior to the
meeting of the Legislature, the FLICK
amendment was thoroughly discussed
as one ofthe modes Of enfranchisement
. which were within the power of the
dominant party in the State and in the
Legislative body. Various views were
held and a wide diversity Of opinion
was developed All favored immediate
enfranchisement; the only question was
as to how that result could best be ac-
complished. 1t was held by some, and
argued with great force, that in the
adoption of the DISTINGUISHING amend
ment of 1866 the requisite constitu-
tional forms had not been complied
with, and that it was therefore null and
void and might safely be disregarded by
the Legislature and by the people,
and hence no new amendment was
necessary to give the disfranchised
the right to vote. 1t was held by
others that the requisite constitutional
forms had not been strictly complied
with in relation to the FLICK amend
ment by reason of the failure to have it
published the necessary length of time,
and it was feared that a judiciary hos
tile to enfranchisement would take adj
vantage Of this omission. Several dis
tinct theories andplans for restoring the
ballot to all classes of our people were
presented, each finding more or less
friends, but no one ofthem being regarded
as of paramount Importance or as a
party test. &c.. ....r
When the Legislature assembled last
winter, these differences Of opinion
which had manifested themselves in the
Legislature Of the previous winter and
among the friends of liberal legislation
everywhere in the State, were again
brought prominently forward. The ad.
vocates Of the FLICK amendment seemed
assured that its adoption was tie only
plan Of enfranchisement that could be
made legally successful, and, after a
thorough discussion, it was again adopt
ed by the Legislature, and is to be sub
mttsd to the popular vote on the
twenty.seventh of the present month.
Regarding the fact of enfranchise-
ment as the main thing to be secured, we
have DOT been disposed to regard as
party test any particular means to that
end. Prior to its adoption by the Leg
islature last winter, we opposed the
FLICK Amendment for various reasons
l:ol -. ..,S,oI ,ooJ ond sufficipnt :.