The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-01-29
Mail, in Advance
WEST VIRGINIA.
correspondence Cincinnati Commercially
CHARLESTON, January y.

! rom the OOHHheIC t~S III f"'NN
sion to come to the Capital Of the great
State of West Virginia, in order to be
on hand when her Constitutional Con-
vention should organize, l thought said
Convention would Immediately 60
.bout some mighty work. But there
seems to be no undue haste to tear
things up. 1t has passed into history
that great bodies move slowly, and the
West Virginia Convention is 70 excep-
ton to the rule. II it is also true that
body is great in proportion as 1t don
move at all, this Convention can oe
Justly regarded a. big thing.
WHAT 1T FOR?
The Constitution of West Virginia,
which has been pleasantly spoken OF as
the bastard child of q political rape,
was made in warm times; indeed, if we
NAV believe lot OF old fellows who
came out OF the struggle with no hair
to speak of on their heads, the times
were red-hot. Every man was against
his brother, each neighbor hankered
after his neighbours scalp; there was
indeed no peace for the wicked, and
what few righteous there were among
these hills were kept hopping about in
a Lively and spirited manner.
The Constitution framed in this
t,mpest is found not TO work well in
peaceable times. The change from the
old orier OF things was too radical.
Virginia was left out at every point pos
sble and Ohio put in. The idea was
to Northernize the State in the organic
law. 1t was an advanced Republican
! Constitution, aud it the Republican
party had remained in power, there
would have been 70 change necessary,
but the Democracy having now as COM
plete control here as they have in Ken
lucky, they long for a Constitution Of
the old sort, not made 10y Republican
hands. And they will be apt to get
what they want, for there are only
twelve Republicans in that body, and
they have little to say.
Is NEW CONSTITUTION NEEDED?
On the whole it is, or rather the old
one requires some repairing. The
judicial system needs overhaullng, and
made less expensive, the number OF
county officers ought to be cut down,
the township system abolished, as 1t
does not SUIT, a mountainous, thlnly.
populated country, and that is about all.
The whole thing could be done in two
weeks, but if the Convention gets
through in three months the people may
be thankful.
THE EXPENSE.
The State financially not well of
There are single counties in Ohio that
could buy out the whole concern, and
have some surplus over. The present
Constitution prohibits any State debt,
but Notwithstanding that, the State has
never been square with its creditors
from the day Gifts formation. ltnever
owed much, and does not now, but still
il has a debt, and the indications are
that the debt will increase instead Of
decrease, despite what the Constitution
may say about it.
The delegates to the Convention are
pa but little, only three dollars a day,
barely enough to pay for board, washing
and incidentals Obviously is not to
their interest to stay here long, and
certainly it is not to the States, as the
aggregate expense is about three hun
bred dollars a day; SO the best thing
for all concerned is short session. The
Convention and two branches OF the
Legislature cost nearly eight hundred
dollars day, which is running up
something of an item for poor State,
with little money in the treasury, and
no rich cities to replenish from. The
Leg. stature have no business OF pressing
importance be'ore them, and ought to
." lone, in a couple of weeks, but they
wi hang. on for an indefinite period.
| They, too, only get
THREE DOLLARS \ DAY,
which is not enough to keep a man in
c rleston who has business anywhere
else. The pay is not enough by half
unless man places high value upon
tie honor of the thing. The compcn-
Sation should be six dollars, and the
sessions made half as long letting the
honor 90 for what it is worth. The
nrnor of being a member of the West
Virginia Legislature don't amount to
much-about what it would to be a
rect car conductor in city Of the first
class.
N England members of Parliament
-rrve for nothing, taking theirs. all out
7 in honor; but that rule would not work
ia this country, where there is no honor
II the office Dr. Franklin used to urge
that both National and State Legisla-
are should serve only for honor; bnt
with that rule in force now it would
tke about as much effort to fill our
"alls of legislation as it does our peni-
entiaries. Is a mans character i'm.
proved by going to Congress? Not
: much. On the contrary, it suffers, and
il takes five thousand year to COM
pensate him for lost character, so that
! he comes out even and pays his own
: board.
But am running off after Congress
with my usual propensity to getting into
wicked paths, and will come back to
the Convention, which is comparatively
truly good body.
Twill sum up all the Convention has
done so far. The first day they organ
lied bv the election OF officers. The
second day they met in the Methodist
church, and few resolutions were in
troduced to set the machine in motion.
One resolution was to exclude every body
but delegates from the ball. At this it
was suggested that it might be good
! idea to admit The officers OF the Con.