The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-09-26

He might well be addressed:
"Art thou a Spirit of health, or goblin
| Rrine,st with thee airs from heaven, ol
blasts from hell?
Re thy Interests wicked or charitable,
Thou comest in SO questionable shape
That will speak to thee.
Mr.. Boteler spoke of his efforts in Con
gress to save the Union in the moment,
Gus session of 60--'6l. 1t is true that
gentleman did, in the early part of the
session. introduce resolution. for the
appointment of select committee "a
consider the perilous condition OF the
Union. The resolution was adopted
and when the Speaker, came to announee
the committee of one from each State, De
said he omitted from the committee the
mover of the resolution, because he ask
ed to be excused from service on the
committee. Why ask to be excused
from service at such critical period IN
| the eountiy's history2N, ThstI hismodesty
should have excused hmh from. SER
vice as chairman OF that com
mittee, was natural enough but
whv shrink from a place on the COM
mittee itself? He claimed, to offer the
resolution. which would have been Of
fcred by others, as a distinction due to
| the Harper's Ferry district. Was that
distinction satisfied by simply offering
the resolution and refusing to act under
/ il? There are times that try men souls,
and in this great emergency OF his
country's history, Mr.. Boteler fails to
perform duty which his constituents
had a right to expect from him.
Mr. Botcler could not comprehend
how, if Mr.. Fs. opinions upon the gen
cral evils of slavery were, during his
eight wears service in Congress, such aS
they were in 1882, he could fairly repre-
sent Virginia constituency IN that
body. He (Mr. F. saw no difficulty IN
il. The duties of representative m
Congress under the Constitution can not
in anv wise be affected by his abstract
opinions upon the subject of slavery. If
this were not so, no Northern or Western
Democrat could have discharged his duty
under the Constitution Ia the South; for
while every Northern and Western Dem
ocrat undoubtedly looked upon slavery
i'm the abstract As an evil. yet 1t did not
prevent their being as true to the South
upon all questions affecting their legal
and constitutional rights as any repre-
sentative from Georgia or Alabama
could have been. But he (Mr f.
hoped that the day had q gone by
when his ant-slavery record was
to be brought up against him; that is
indeed among the dead ISSUES of the
past.
Mr.. Botcler admitted as the record
proves that he, Mr.. F.. had voted
AGAINST the Congressional compensation
bin, but he thinks that its defeat might
then have been accomplished by calling
for the reading Of that rule which for
bids anv member to vote for bill III
which he had personal interest. This
is an extraordinary construction given
to q rule which can only apply to private
bills, and not to general laws. Who Is
to enforce such rule against majority
of the body? When Mr., Botelerl voted
every session he was in Congress for the
general appropriation bill, providing for
the payment TO him Of his owl, ,Sa hry,
did it ever occur to'him that hr, and 'ali
the other members of the body were eX-
cluded from voting on that bill, because
they had personal interest in it? II
so, how could any general appropriation
bill for their pay ever pass Congress? He,
(Mr. F. had opposed that compensation
bill honestly and sincerely upon his
general opposition to all increase of sal
aries. In spite of his vote, it became Il
law. 1t was acquiesced in and approved
by the country as fair and reasonable
compensation to the members of Con-
grcsS. 1t was Just one half of what has
since been allowed. Mr.. BOtclrr has ac-
ceptcd and received the same cOmpcn-
sation, never moved to repeal ii, never
voted to repeal it. Any one who con-
POUNDS such an act as that of 1868 with
/ the bill which passed Congress on the Sd
of March, 1872, and which so greatly cX-
cited the Indignation of the country,
manifcstS total ignorance of the dis
| tinctive features involved in the two bills
Mr.. Botclcr SAYS that he relies for hi.
support upon the Republicans Of this
] I, y W,
licans should be looked to to support Mr.
Botclcr is among the richest jokes of the
season. and if Mast, the caricaturiSt, i,
not dead. the idea should find Il place
among the humorous illustrations OF
! Harper's Weekiu He might possibly be
swallowed in this part of the district, but
n Radical in Jefferson who could digest
him would be thought to have the .stom-
ache of an ostrich. When the smooth
and compromising Joseph Hoke threw
the name. of Mr.. Botelcr before the
Cranbcr Convention, it produced an
immediate gripping in the bowels of that
I honorable body, from which it could only
( find relief from powerful emctic admin
iStcrcd by DR.. Stone, of Marion. 1t J.
among its published proceedings tint
George Koonce, from Jefferson, the Coun'
ty where BOteler resides, declared il
Botclcr was endorsed by that Conven'
ton, he would vote for Faulkner. 1t j,
we'll understood that such was the Scnti.
mpnt Of most of tie delegates frou
the Eastern Panhandle. George Koomc,
| is representative man of The r1eepubIi
car, party, has served that partyin the
House of Delegates and Senate of thi;
State, and now is in good fellowship
with them. If Nj Boteicris distinguish
lin our country by Sore feeling mor'
strong than another, it is by bis intens,
hatred Of Republicanism. When in ! S6C
he offered that resolution for select com
mittee which has been before rcfcrredite
n statement WIS madei in some newspa
per that he had offered it, after consulta
tior with some Republicans. This VA
enough to fire the virtuous Indignation q
the gentleman. The idea that he could
even in so grave an emergency ofhi
country's history. be oonferring -Sid
Republicans, was more than his natur
could submit to. He claimed the righ
of Il personal explanation upon the floor
and while abjuring the contamination o
I Rnnu hlican roUpsplS he adnitte1 he haI