The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-01-17
GkeGHteQigrnter.
The whirII.gIg of Time.

mond Rhg bewailing the defeat Of r. NJ.
T.HuNTER for the United States Senator.
ship from Virginia and reading the Demo.
cracy OF the Legislaturesa scolding lesson
Tor their neglect to do honor to Virginia
snd themselves by electing him. This
from the old organ Of the Wings, that still
calls itself the Richmond "Rhig," sounds
oddly enough and goes to show what o
changeAble, uncertain and inconsistent
world we live In. What makes the con.
traOt between the old and new still more
noticeable Is the fact that the Eaqpirr,
the old Ton RrTcurE organ Of Democracy
10 Virginia, did not support HUNTER but
advocated WALKER, the carpet.bagger
and late Governor. Thus the two organs
have, as 1t were,- changed places. The
Whig Is 80 griefsricken over the result
that can not help expressing itself thus:
1--WE will not pretend that VIC are not
greatly, sadly disappointed at his defeat.
We can but regard Il as calamity to be
lamented. We would that the General
Assembly could have been able 10 realize
the magnitude Of the duty they were
called upon to discharge. Never since
the war hassuch an opportunity been OF.
tered TO restore the State to her wonted
position oi power and influence. The eye
Of the entire nation was fixed upon US In |
anxious expectancy. Our Southern sis
ter States looked to US to furnish a leader
that they might follow, whilst our Con-
servstive sympathisers in the North and
West not less anxiously asked that the
Old Dominion, the mother Of statesmen,
might strengthen them by the presence OF
one In the Senate who could successfully |
grapple with Morton, Conkling, E1monds;1
and the great champions Of Radicalism.
lit would dry up even single tear OF
our ancient eotemporary, We would re-
remark for Its consolation that Virginia
could not probably have sent to the United
States Senate, now that JAMES NJ. MASON
is dead, amore unpopular man than Mr..
HUNTER. he Is remembered by the
country as one Of the subtle fomenters Of
the rebellion; as the hair.splitdng rbstrac.
ZIONIST who essayed the role Of CALHOUN;
asthe author Of the expression that "capl.
tai should own labor" and as the author
Of the recent speech at Winchester, in
which he claimed that the Government
owed the South the loan for an indefinite
period, without interest, Of $4OO00O0 900
His election would have been construed
as evidence that Virginia endorsed his
record and that she was determined to
show that she had learned nothing and
forgot nothing AS to whether the peculiar
talents of Mr. HUNTER under such circum.
stances could have been turned to account
Tor Virginia In the United States Senate
we leave the Whig to Judge. Certainly
his general reputation 80 fat from being
an element oi strength to her would rath.
er have been drawback. 1t is idle for
the Whig to suppose that the status quo Of
Virginia in the Federal Councils can be
restored by anything she may do in such
direction. Her day Of paramount influence
in national politics has passed away.
She Is not only shorn Of one.thlrd Of her
ancient territory but likewise Of the pres
tlge which she acquired in the early histo-
ryot the country and which she retained
only through the ascendancy of the Demo.
cratic party as the leading slave State of
the South. The old conditions no longer
exist; the situation has been radically
changed "the pitcher has been broken at
the fountain" and things can never be as
they were. These facts the Wig does
not seem to appreciate. 1t does not realize
apparently that its ideal Virginia as the
leader Of slave heptarchy IN the Union
no longer exists. 1.-THE old heavens and
the old earth have passed away" and we
live under newer and better dispense.
tion, wherein hegospel of freedom for all
men is the orthodox and dominant idea.