The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-04-29
The sober second Thoush..

"
The Sober second Thought.
=. Something more than year ago, We
wrote Of the then proposed Convention to
revise the Constitution, in answer to q
complaint by the Register that the method
of amendment prescribed in that instru.
Inent was TOO slow: ~ -,
1.-THE deliberate method prescribed BY
our Constitution was designed for Just
such cases as thepresent Il was intend
cd to prevent rash and inconsiderate &C
ton, such as our headstrong Democratic
friends while the fever OF sudden success
Is upon them would plunge into II they
could No doubt II they would wait o
little, cool OF, indulge q sober second
thought, and listen 10 the advice Of 'pru.
dent friends at home, they would take
time 70 consider this matter OF q Conven.
ton. This sober second thought viii
come; And il II comes alter they have
committed themselves to the general up
heayal that must result from q convention
held In the present state Of party feeling,
then 1t viii be the worse for them"
Who does notsee that these were words
Of truth and sobernessl The sober Sec
ond thought has come TO the most intelli-
gent and thoughtful Of our Democratic
friends, and some Of them confess frankly,
not only 70 one another, but to Republi-
cans, that the calling Of a oonyentionWaa
q mistake. The fact was felt keenly by
the Democratic members Of the Conysn.
ton long before their work was concluded.
ItisE solemn Iactas we are assured. that
some ofethemost distinguished members
.of,that body had never read the present
constitution OF al, and that very few had
ever studied its provisions carefully out ol
On honest purpose to secwherein treaty
needed amendment. Accordingly when
It's several chapters were referred to the
several committees for examination, there
was general surprise, which grew OF
the Convention a. time advanced, to
lind the instrument SO simple, so terse
go complete and admirable, with
90 little that could be objected to.
"Whyg" said one Of the ex.confed.
crate members to a Republican, "Where
are all these test oaths and proscrip.
tions I have been hearing SO much
aboutH l can't find anything Of them in
!your Constitution" mo" was the smil,
Ingresponse, sbecause they are notthere'
Members who had been off South during
the, war were especially surprised to find
how free from all sorts Of bigotry and
prescription the present Constitution
really IS; and they freely declared that
for Constitution made in the midst Of q
war, this wasla most creditable and re-
maFkable fact. 10 ~
Al these discoveries grew upon The
Convention, as the difficulty Of making
Improvements became apparent while the
supposed partisan necessity Of making
changes was exerting an unremitting
pressure, themore liberal and Just minded
OF the Democratic members came TO
realize their mistake.
Some Of them about the close Of the
session admitted privately their grave
doubts whether the leading changes made
were improvements. There was a cru.
sade against the county organization, and
itwss overthrown. And yet, at the last
moment, It was q matter Of grave doubt
with s6me Of the most sensible Democrats
in the Convention whether 1t had not bet.
terbeenlet alone. 1t had been found that
the fault with the operation Of the county
governments had been not with the sys.
tenn, but with the men who controlled 1t.
While theBoards OF Supervisors were filled
with men whose chief purpose was petty
plumber, they were found very mis-.
-chevious body; but when as time ad.
xanced, as disabilities were removed and
the more Substantial, honest and capable
men were chosen to fill these places, 1t was
found that The supervisors. system al
forded a very cheap, efficient, simple and
democratic modsor county government
And %, after aylong struggle between
conviction Of duty and q sense Of party
expectancy, very many Of the most Intel.
ligeus Of the Democratic members went
home grayely doubling whether ever from
their own standpoint the new Constitu.
etionsRas any improvement upon the old,
and fully convinced in their own secret
thoughts that the whole business had
been . blundeF for their party, whose
worst consequences were yet to come.
The General Methodist Fpiscopal