The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-01-24

have been obtained from Cincinnati,
Pittsburgh and other large cities to
co nplete the work.
The city of Charleston may well feel
proud 10 the possession Of the finest
hotel in the State, and the traveller who
may hereafter arrive here may be sure
of elegant accommodations and enter
tainment. +. =. n.
The Present OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES HI.
V.R. Thinks We Need-The Con.
yention and the Crowd at Charles
ton. ...- a..
From the Gin. Commercial Correspondence.
When West Virginia was formed
into a State and her Constitution created,
the work OF forming and creating was
done by men who proposed 10
Northernize the State to the fullest ex'
tent possible, and eradicate Old Dom
inion footprints from the statute books.
So they adopted whole sections from
Constitutions of Northern States, and
made a revolution in the school system
and in the manner of administering
justice. The old County Court was
abolished, and in its place Board Of
Supervisors created, and the New Eng
land township system adopted.
1t is now claimed that these new
tangled notions don't work; that they
are rot understood by "our people" and
that there must be a change. The
school system must be altered, the old
County Court system re established, and
a number Of useless county offices
abolished. This is the work before the
present Convention. How we'll they
will do it remains to be seen. The
danger is that they will run to the other
extreme, and to avoid Northernizing the
document oil their labors will leave out
much that is good only because it is
Northern. The old County Court, a
relic Of barbarism and assembly Of del
egated stupidity, will likely be re-
established. The County Court is an
institution that the Southern people
cling to with marvellous tenacity. 1t is
com posed of the Justices Of the Peace
of the county, and il there are fifty or
a hundred OF them they assemble at the
county seat once a month and hold a
Court. The County Court Of Davidson
County, Tennessee, for instance, con-
sists OF some seventy members, when
three or five Commissioners-men Of
business tact and education-would do
the county business quicker, better and
cheaper. Imagine Court in Cincinnati
com posed OF all the Justices Of the
Peace in Hamilton county. What sort
Of a thing would it be? The county
business would be talked and buugled
to death.
What West Virginia most needs is
a Constitution giving ample power to
the Legislature that will do it. Her
greatest need now in the way OF law
is continuation OF her present efficient
common school system, with heavy
tax levy to support it, a temperance
law that will modify the alarming
traffic in liquid poison, and a
law for the encouragement Of the Ian.
gushing agricultural interests of the
State. through county fairs and immi-
grafton. With these, in addition to
the laws already in force. and few
slight changes in the Constitution, and
West Virginia will get along.
The Convention has now been in
session three days, but has done nothing
of consequence. l fear "a disposition
on the part Of many of them to talk
too much. Simple propositions, of no
Importance in the Constitution or out Of
it, are made the subjects Of long discus
sion. However, to day committees were
and from now on we may
look for real work, mixed with good
deal of talk, Of course.
The session Of the Convention is being
held in the Methodist Church, that
building having been provided by the
city of Charleston for the purpose. The
church is an old, dingy affair, with
square old fashioned tower on top,
needing paint badly. and in fact the
whole building, inside and out, would
look better for an application of oil and
white lead. In the front end over the
entrance, a stove pipe is thrust through
the window which never ought to have
been there, either the window or the
stove pipe.
The members Of the Convention are
a respectable body OF men. most Of
them well along in life. and if they
have gathered wisdom with years a
Constitution of their production will be
worth living under. Of the seventy
eight members, all are present but one.
In politics the body is about five to one
Democratic. The Republican members
had as well be out for all the good they
can do in a party sense.
An effort has been made to remove
the honorable body to Wheeling, but
the proposition was lost by ten majority.
The Charlestonians are consequently
happy. The city rented the church,
took out the seats, and went to the
expense Of putting it in condition for
the Convention, and now the talk Of
moving to Wheeling makes the city
fathers angry. If there is anything
that Charleston is jealous Of i; is the
Capital. She has worked long and
to get it, has donated build.
ing worth a hundred thousand dollars,
and, if you want to see fire come to the
eye of a Charlestonian, talk to him OF
moving the Capital.
There was q considerable crowd and
confusion here at the opening Of the
Convention. owing to the rush OF
visitors and others, and many an honor
able gentleman had but half bed, with
only a thin blanket to protect his intel.
lectual body from the cold blasts OF
winter, but now all have found comfort
able quarters, and if any yet shiver at
Al