The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-01-28
West Virginia,

infant state. It's existence as State has not
been very vigorous thusfar. Law aud order.
have not appeared to be well and vigorously
maintained there.
When the new State was fraudulently
established the experienced and competent
men who had administered the Government
in former days were by the cooperation OIL
the Federal Government put under the ban
and for years DISTINGUISHED. Only those who
were most offensive and most cruel to those
people so disabled politically we're allowed
to exercise control, and, as is always the case,
It turned out that those best fitted for perse-
cution and cruelty were the most Ignorant
and yulgar-thc least capable OF govern
ing and of preserving order and admins
tering Justice. The state of things there
was deplorabIe, furnishing fine exam.
pie of The terrible consequences OF civil
strife.
West Virginia felt them disastrously. But
the vices and disorders Of the rule OF the
Abad, and vicious, and incompetent cannot
hold out enduringly. Society will compine
against them. AS soon as the Government
at Washington relaxed its punishments and
its mad measures 10 make treason odious
West Virginia gradually relieved hersen
until the competent people got SUM-
cient power to briog about tolerapie
condition Of order and peace. Still there
was much to DC done. 1t is work oil great
maeuitudc-.bis establishing of body po-
liiic rs il were, out Of the green trees. The
cvne1iert Of cancellation was indispensable.
Progress hsd to be made slowly. Cocses-
sions had TO be made, and communities
wbich had run riot with passions and preJu-
dccs 10. 0 decade bad to be educated. The
authority Of law had to grow, and the usages
AMI obSfryaacrs ia The line Of decorum and
public plopriety had to be improved By cau'
tious ard prudent steps.
II is easy 20 see that there were great diff
ticultics 10 the way of the establishment OF
order and l,w On u firm basis. 1t was not
easy at cnce to choose the best men. Time
and experiment could alone settle the public
judgment concerning the fitness Of men for
public service. The State had, as it we're, to
raise up the men for the public wants. Nor
could it be supposed that the people,
after period of civil strife. with all the
incidental disorders and the feeble exist
encc OF the laws, were to be promptly
brought under the authority Of The
State, however competent the public off,
cials may have been. That is IS much as
could be expected of our own dear old Fir.
ginia, whose people General SCHoFIELD, inn.
mediately after the war, declared were
the most wonderful people he ever
knew-that they needed hardly any
govern mcnt. But, this while thing that
our young brethren of West Virginia may
be proud of. is not what they could hope TO
be capable Of themselves. 1t was not ex-
pec,ed of then. Trey are too young and
too Inexperienced Their numbers and the
geographical features OF their State make it
i'm possible.
So all tta elects of such causes as baye
eNis cd there have lsiIen upon them. In
ncishborhoods circumstances have brought
out more serious effects than have appeared
elsewhere. Incompetent judges and feeble
administration Of the laws amongst pecu.
liary turbulent persons, scattered about like
sporadic disease, engender more than usual
disorder. Negligent officials gave immu
nifty to vice and increased the public peril
and scandal. -... e.. ,....
This was the State of things, as we learn,
in the sections particularly where the recent
outrages occurred. The public indignation
is sure to be aroused by such causes, and as
to the manner in which it vents itself there
can be no foretelliug, and about it there need
be go great surprise. Generally such Vio-
lencc brings very soon the correction-the
improvement of the administration Of Justice
by the improvement Of the character of the
administrators thereof.
We trust that the scenes in West Virginia
may wake up the public there to the neces'
sity for improving their courts and increas.
ing the tirmness and fidelity of the men en-.
trusted with the execution of the laws. Ger.
tainly it is great scandal to q people TO be-
hold the laws superseded by enraged
crowds. Nevertheless, if such IS have &C.
Cured lead to the proper remedy, West
Virginia may regard them as by no means an
unmixed evil. ......