The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-03-25
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CHARLESTON.
How They Talk in the Convention
ga White Mans Government ~

correspondence the lnteihgenSVl' a.,
'"'''' CHARLESTON, March 10
rho convention took up for conS y lIl
linn The motion Of MIR. Basel, o. i.,ioI,
sOn ~ wv amend Nc 4th section Of article
T TIT , ~ o s reported by the Commit
tee Of the Whole, BY InC .or tI1 Sonvn
S(thC word awhitC" after the worn !S,n so S,
in the first line, so thai ,, sno o SeII
u, ,wonld read "Any white citizen cnIl emu y
", wo ya,e ma nav be elected or appointed u
70 vos S,1 aaI ~, " IbS Governor and Judge:
must have attained tho age o. 1t ent, u ~.
. "Ho 81 H twenty-five years, at the belnnln9
~ ,L w .T rssnectiyc terms Of service, ano
{" .llg,a ayS Keen citizens Of the State FOL
t t,u' vaars pcrt preceding their election O.
aDp6intmenl; or, ciIiaers Ut INC llmc 'n's
cnpStitutiOn goes into operation
TIis amendment had been offered sew,
oral Isys since, but there being az evident
desire 10 avoid the issue, 1t had, under
one prctencc and another, been laid over
mill mn" thc whole report lad been pass
ed upon, and evasion was no Longer
posslble under the pressure oil influences
which can only be understood when u
Il detailed that quite q number o! INC
members Of the Convention are unuer lns
disabilities Of the 14th amendment, ana
kccnly feeling the Acknowledgement under
which they labor, are looking Tor rcIlGt &c
tho amnesty bill now pending before Con
gress. ,,n@, r,.,.on,;ou
he found prescribing the rights Of any o.
our citizens to hold office, (even though
thew are colored mem, such action would
be fatal to the hopes Of those white men
who so anxiously desire to be restored 10
their old privileges.
How could they consistently ask Con-
rreSs to lit the lOld from their shoulders
While seeking to prescribe even the
humblCst citizen in their own Statey
Under this terrible pressure OF eXpcdi.
ency, Mr.. Basel was prevailed upon 10
withdraw his proposition, but no sooner
was this done than It was renewed by
Col. Morgan, one of the few who spits
npon all prolTals of the general govern.
nicnt OF amnesty and reconciliation, and
nothing will do but the Convention must
he put upon the record. No one rose to
debate the proposition. Republicans
were content 10 record their votes-Dem.
Ocrats were cOnlounded-the Hotspurs
were unbending, and the silent appeals OF
the expediency men were unheeded, and
50 the vote was ordered.
The clerk called the roll, and the hush.
cd stiffness seemed almost painful, as
member aItcr member placed himself
upon the record, which is to be read. and
studied by their constituents, and, indeed,
by the public wherever the history Of
West Virginia has been known:
YEAs-Armstrong, Basel, Bee, Byrn.
side, Byrne, Core, Grim, Gushing, Ferrellr
Hall, Holt, Jackson, Of Lewis; johnson,
Of Wood; johnson, Of Tyler; Lurty, Mas
lin, Matthias, Monroe, Morgan, 0Sburnc,
Pannell, Park, Pate, Pierce, Prince, Ran.
dolph, Robinson, Roberts, Station, Stricken
Thompson, Travers, Wnggcner, W@tt
and Wilson-35.
NAYs-Arnett, Atkinson, Brown, Cal
lee, Davenport, Dickinson, Farnsworth
Faulkner, Ferguson, Fitzhugh Raymond
Haynes, Hoge, Jackson, Of Wood; Kant.
ncr, Knight, Martin, MofFet,. McGleary NC.
Crcery, Pendleton, Pipes, Pugh, Smith,
Snider, Stump, Thornburg, Ward, Wiley,
Woods and Mr.. President (Price)- 81.
Mr., Faulkner, Of Berkeley, then moved
WstrikG out the words, ANY WhiG citi.
zen entitled 10 vote, may be elected or
appointed to any office" and insert the
language Of the present constitution, mo
persons, except citizens entitled to vote
shallbG elected or appointed to any State,
county or municipal office"
And now commenced the most holly
contested debate of the session. r,a =
Mr. Raymond ably discussed the whole
question, and said that through the kind.
NESS OF the gentleman from MonOngolia,
MIR. Wiley, all disabilities had been re.
moved from his shoulders, but his heart
had almost bled for others upon this floor
upon whom rested the disabilities Of tho
lith amendment, on account Of theil
participation in the rebellion. No man
can tell how great this punishment until
he has passed through the fire. To feel
that, though man, and moving and
mingling with the people, still he has no
voice in carrying on the government OF
framing her laws, no privilege of holding
an office, stranger in the land Of his
birth. Through all this terrible ordeal I
have passed, and shall |, when restored
10 these old rights, dearer than life, and
only fully appreciated when lost; shall l,
Ivy my vote in this convention, deprive
even the humble black man Of that which
tue people of this State have sorecently
conferred upon him? No. Sooner shalfmy
arm Iall from this shoulder than l should
prescribe any man that God has formed.
Not having taken notes Of Mr.. Hay.
molds Iemark Ks, give them, and those
oil Other gentlemen made Today from
memory. His speech was indeed power.
Ia and grand, and only needed to have
dropped the expectancy part and have
advocated the right Of all to vote, because
o. manhood, TO have madeit noble. r,,
Mr.. Martin, Of Taylor, next took the
Aoor in an able argument against pro.
%FlpIl0n Of the ColOrGJ man, but moved,
Oylle expectancy view, with which he
word white. ~ 800
Mr. Woods, Of Barbour, in some lorCi.
oeremarks, showed the inconsistency OF
any member upon this floor asking for
removal Of prescription in their individual
eases, while at the same time we were
M'SGrlblng citizens Of our own State,
SmpIy because Of race and color We
nave had enough Of this warfare aud
pF%SefI pIIon, hGnCc(orlh let il cease.
ME Armstrong, Of Hampshire, said that
%a'Ie he was one Of the DISTINGUISHED by
%eSenehl government he was not here
u Oes Of Congress for, u restitution OF
Lshl, which belonged 40 him. He never
would order to secure a recognition Of
us Inherent right bYlany vote Of his, ever
LeGCsni2e the nGgroas having the right tC
no,d office in this State, II forced upon
SUy Congress, he supposed VIC woult
nave to submit, but by no act Of hi!
would he elevate the negro to an equality
. - Ii