The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-08-10

Il
ed together 10 the secret iedges Of the
Know. Nothing order. Its but reason
able to believe that his opposition saved
the country from the great danger, II
was once in Of being subjugated by that
in famous organization. -.
He has often been accused Of compiler
ty in cheats OF one kind or auothe but
in every case he has triumphantly re-
futed the charges. For this, and for
other reasons, I conclude that his per
sonal integrity is without a stain.
He has manv times spoken OF the
Democratic party and its most honored
members in harsh and abusive terms.
These are faults Of manner and OF tenn
per, which, when mended, are always
pardoned. We will not permit our
judgment to be disturbed by coDsldera-
tiops so trifllng as this.
have looked into his past history
o,ly 20 ascertain what he is now and
what he is likely to be in the future. l
am bound to care nothing for his IAN
tecedents," except as they furnish the
means of estimating his character. L
think have found out with reasonable
certainty how far we may confide in
him. / devoutly believe that. if chosen
President, he will keep his oath, pre-
serve the Constitution inviolate, execute
the laws faithfully, restore the States to
their righttul autonomy, protect indi-
vidual liberty by jury trial and hsbeas
corpus, put the military in proper sub
ordination to the civil authority, use
neither force nor fraud to carry cleo.
tons, keep his hands clean from cor
rupting gifts, set his face like flint
against all manner of financial dis
honesty, purify the Administration Of
Justice as much as in him lies, main.
tain the public credit by prompt DIS
charge of all just obligations, economize
the revenue and Tighten taxation, give
to capital the right which belongs to it,
and at the same time see that labor is
not robbed of its earnings. He will
certainly hold his power of appointment
as public trust, and not as q part OF
his personal possession, to be used for
the support Of his family. or to encour..
age the private liberality of his friends.
He will 80 far az he can without trans.
crossing the limits of his legal author
ity, relieve the Southern States from the
gangs that are now preying upon their
vitais in open partnership with the
nresent Administration.
| think he will do all this; and my
faith is founded on the testimony OF his
friends and enemies, on the known facts
of his history, and on-ihe moral infu-
euce which the Democracy will neces.
sarily exert upon his conduct. The
errors Of his past life were caused by
certain evil communications from which
he has clean escaped. He heads a
great revolt against wickedness in high
places, and do not believe he would 60
back upon US and be guilty Of the same
himself.
The contrast between the two candi-
dates being 80 very strong, no fair
minded Democrat can doubt what he
ought to do. Yet, the reluctance which
many Of us feel to vote for either OF
them, is hard to overcome. | did, aud
do, most heartily sympathize with that
class which received Mr.. Greeley's
nomination in much sorrow. l am
sure this feeling proceeded from no un-
worthy passion or prejudice, but was
the natural result OF sober thought on
the condition Of the country and the fit
ness OF things pertaining thereto.
In our view the controversy between
the parties was not all about men, and
not wholly on questions OF mere adj
The Liberal Republicans
aud some Democrats think that we owe
all our suGerings to the corruption or
incapacity of General Grant and the
rings that surround him. But the
prime cause lies further back and
deeper down in wrongs for which the
triumph Of Mr.. Greeley with all his
reforms offers no immediate atonement
and only a partial remedy.
In England, after every civil commo'
ton, the victorious party vented its
rage and gratifed its rapacity by passing
bills of attainder and bills Of pains and
penalties against their fallen and help
less opponents. The best ard greatest
men Of their respective ages were the
victims Of these legislative DEGREES. In
all the most notable cases subsequent
Parliaments acknowledged the wrong,
reversed the attainders, and made what
reparation they could. Our fathers de-
termined that no such thing should ever
be done here, and so they put their sol
emn ipterdict into plain words, and
made it part of the fundamental law
that neither Congress nor any State
Legislature should ever pass a bill OF
attsinder.
The reconstruction act of 1867 was a
Bill of Attainder more deliberately
cruel, and with pains and penalties
more compendiously unjust than any
British bill that was ever passed. But
its authors were conscious that it could
not stand, and they must replace it with
something else, for sooner or later the
courts would be sure to pronounce it
void. Besides, the object being to put
the Southern people under the domino.
ton of greedy adventures from the
North with unlimited license to Cypress
and plumber them, the officers Of the
army were not very good agents in such
a nefarious business. The negroes
would be instruments of tyranny much
more easily managed But an act OF
Congress DISTINGUISHING the white peo-
pie for offenses real or imputed, and
handing over their STATE governments
to negroes to he run by them in the
interest of carpet baggers. would be
merely another Bill Of Attainder, or
rather q modification of the first one,
making it much worse, but equally
within the reach of judicial correction.
In this straight they resorted to the ex-