The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-09-05
A CompIaeent sham.

n 0A4kANASSAR S-@-N
We are inclined 10 agree with the
Wheeling Register that immigration will
come,-ls already coming-though not
rapidly-into West Virginia; 'bnt we
see no reason to assert, as It has done
once or twice, that The, State .LegiS-
laIure can be depended on to give
immigration adequate encouragement
The Legislature never has done any
thing In that direction, and never will
ill 1t Is composed Of different materi~
IRON that which has constituted 'Ae ma
jorlty Of that body thus fOr ~ the history
of the State. 1t has been the misfortune
of The state that 1t has been controlled BY
body Of men who have had no concep.
ton Of public enterprise and who never
rose 10 the level Of q statesmanliks
thought Of their duty to legislAte for
great public ends. Session alter session
has been absorbed by petty schemes to
promote personal or tactionHl objects; and
though ten years have passed, not the inst
measure has ever been taken Of sutttqien q
value to even show that our Legislatures
attached the least Importance 10 the
speedy settlement and development Of
the State. Yet, In the lace Of faetsBo no.
torious, the Register complacenIly said
the other dsy-aiter declaring that lin;
migration Is the one great need Of West
virginia to day,"-that 1.-THE State LegiSa
lulnre may be relied upon to do tts part
in The work Of inducing immigrants % Set'
lie upon WestVirginIasoll Whatever pol
lev Is deemed hest will be eagerly adopt
cd by West Virginisns" We would like
the Rgister To tell Us what this LegiSla'
,ure has dOne-what any Legislature has
done since the formation OF the State; for
we do not except Republican Legislatures;
,hev showed about as little appreciation
of their duty iu this direction as their po'
liticsl SUCCESSORS justify the supreme
complsCency of this assumption we
Judge this Legislature by what 1t has
done; and SO Judging II see no reason 70
expect that 1t will do anything al tho
sitting that will be otreal value in hasten
ING the settlement and development Of the
State This State will be settled and DC;
yelopcd in time, In spite Of our own In-
difference and unwi!lingness to AID lhe
work, because II possesses very great nat
ural advantages, and in the superabund-
ance OF population steadily flowing Iron
the oyercIbwled countries Of the old
world and the eastern States OF ouI
own country, some will be con1tnu-
slly discovering these advantages by
accident and crowdiDg in and max
ing their homes In West Virgins In
spIte Of US. But this talk about
the "easerncss" Of our Legislature, or Of
our population, as mass, in the interior
Of the State, to make any serious effort or
incur any adequate expense TO bring N
strangers and disturb the present Tepose
of West Virginia soIltudes, las no IouH'
dalton In fact West Virginin will be
invaded in time by the steady march Of
the great army looking for promised
lands; but the invaders will come rather
Of their own irresistible impulse than
from invitation. ln time they will over
run our hills and valleys, and take pos
session Of the State. The old Iogyism Of
these times will be crowded 10 the wall,
aud finally disappear; but we see no tV'
idcncc that this generation Of iogtes, now
in control Of the government Of the State
will ever do much 10 hasten their own
extinction. Perhaps It Is their instinct
that warns them against their ultimate
late; and where the higher intelligence
Is wanting instinct is mighty and all con-
trolling.