The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-04-15

~
FhissWas.A longer, period than. same o
IN Rnticipated. But when we come 4
look atlho magnitude and multifarious
character Of the work VIC had to perform
we need not be surprised.
"The Convention Of Virginia Of 1890
composed Of thenotables Of that day me-
orlthe 9Th day oi October, and Remained
iisession until TIC t5thrday ofS january
making period Of three months and ten
days.
1.-THE Convention of 1850 met on the
14th Of October, and sat until the 4th
Of November, then adjourned to the
9th Of JANUARY then net land continued
In session until the lst day Of August,
"ln addition TO the magnitude OF tho
work which VIC had TO perform, we had
peculiar difficulties to encounter at The
very threshold Of our labors-Ye met as
IssT g A1lu N,sLy,Jrgss
liar Views Of his locality - = -
1.-THE people Of our State differ from
the people Of all the other States Of the
Union. They are separated from each
other by towering mountains and rugged
streams on either side Of the mountains,
aud rivers are found detached, communi.
ties isolated IN some degree in both
social and commercial intercourse, and
having in the aggregate no positive iden.
tity Of character.
THE people of tho counties on the
banks Of the Ohio have q social and com.
mercial identity, and so with the people
living along and within the influence OF
the Baltimore 3 Ohio Railroad. But run.
ming through and across the State they
have but little intercourse and are stran.
gers TO each other. A Biookc or Ohio
county man rarely or never sees any one
from Mercer or Raleigh, or any oil those
southern counties, coming thus together
with somewhat discordant views, which
local influences always in some degree
produce,s Welhad 10 become acquainted
with eachothers and hafmonize our dis.
cordant views by social Intercourse ana
discussion. To obtain unity Of action,
some time had necessarily to be consumed.
But we did not consume 1t unnecessarily.
We have not consumed as much time US
is ordinarily consumed In such bodies. l
have been 10 several conventions and leg.
islative assemblies, and l never before saw
one 80 laboriOus and orderly,
"Durlng the whole session the united
object of all members was TO accomplish
the purposes for which they are delegated
in as short q time as practicable and not
to consume time for delay or without a
purpose. | may say in all truth that Il
has 1beenga body Of order and labor. ~
s"0nr work will nOwgo beloresthe pub
lie for criticism, approval or rejection.
They will no doubt do it justice.
"None OF us | apprehepd have gotten
all we wanted. Such hope would have
been vain; such u thing rarely or never
occurs. y -
"But the comparison has to be made
not between the new Constitution and
such an one as ltmight have been, but be,
tween this and the old one. Is not the
new one better than the old?, l think it
Is decidedly so.i Al .aEsE
u shall not attempt to recount the lm.
provements made-they arenumerous and
patent. The public eye will not be slow
to detect these improvements, and it
would be out Of place for me here to at
tempt 10 enumerate them. We are now
about to separate-many Of us perhaps
forever. I feel most sensibly the unpleas.
antness Of the separation. But whilst we
may be separated socially, we will be
moved by one common bond OF patriotism.
ave will beunited by. the memories of
the past and the hopes OF the future. /
shall look back upon the history Of this
Convention aS the proudcst epoch Of my
life.
"You called inc To preside over your
deliberations as your President. You
conferred upon me IN honor which any
manmight have been proud of.
"1ndeed. 10 have been selected as o.
member Of this body was an honor which
any teae might cherish in his memory,
butte be selected 70 preside cover .he dc.
was an honor which no one,
howeyerTipeSand experienced as q states.
man he may nave been, might not justly
heproud OF & s7i Slla
II am proud Of the honor, and shall
cherish its memory az long as | live.
There were peculiar circumstances in
my case, which Ilshall not recount,
but leave you to imagine, that made
the honor the more gratifying.
"Ifeared when. you called on me to pre-.
side over your deliberations that should
fail to realize your reasonable expecta-
tions, but your orderly department has
made the duty easy, and you have been
kind enough in your resolution to say
that I haveF discharged my duties with
courtesy; dignity, ability and impartiality.
"Thfs IS an additional evidence Of your
kindness, andsits IL overwhelming in It's
character and effect.
q Glow can / do more than thank you
with gushing heart.
2 'Iipray the Almighty Ruler Of the uni
verse to bless you all collectively and in
dividually; that he will bless you in
basket and your store, in your outgoing
and Incoming; that hegwill bless you
in your health and happiness; that
yon may ymeeta your dear Zones
at home in,health and prosperity. And
that He may SO regulsteyoufs minds and
hearts that when He shall come to call
you away you may all be ready to 60 and
meet Him in peace" f
The President very carefully avoided in
his valedictory to- say anything about the
Convention of 1851 at Richmond, which
was in session at least six months. he
also seems to have forgotten that there
was Convention in West Virginia in
1862, but then we can forgive the old gen.
tleman for the shortness of his memory. (
- The-labors of this body arc over and
their work Is now to, be submitted to the
people. The work Of body Of men, more
than one.half Of whom on this day seven
years since were either with General Lee
atAppomattox or sympathized with those
when the rebel arms were laid down to
fha 1yiOforinuu fOrnns nj tho TTninn