The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-08-15

whelming weight oil seeming p""
oririon svaipst them. But they did not
1--WE up. Their protest, one OF the most
manly papers l have ever read, duly ap'
rs,red in the Wheeling Gazette in answer
to the dennnciations hurled at them by
be furious meeting referred to. Here
.ro sorue memorable words from It's con.
Guiding sentences:
aIn conclusion we would remark that
we accord to the citizens Of Wheeling, in
common with the citizens Of every other
mart Of the Union, the right to meet and
express without reserve, their opinion in
reference 10 the merits Of our petitions,
and to send counter petitions to Congress,
II they think that the welfare Of the na.
tion requires them to do so; but that they
should not only cast us out OF their, pro-
lection as outlaws, but also them
selves threaten not to tolerate us
TO do what the Constitution and
laws OF Virginia permit us to do,
and that the Constitution Of the United
States expressly sayswe may do, and what
we believed the welfare oil our country
required US to do, is, we fear, for them to
fix an indelible stain on our National
glory"
In addition to this protest, signed by
those whose names l have quoted, and by
others, John Gilmor. put on record his
reply as Justice OF the Peace to the
County Courts demand upon him
to resign his Office. Here is one of
the reasons given why he refused TO COM
ply with this demand upon him. 1t de-
serves to be printed in illuminated letters
on the records OF Ohio county. Because,
SAID he,
"A compliance with your request
would be dangerous precedent, estab:
fishing the principle that difference oi
opinion amongst the members Of court
on political or moral question, is sui
hcient cause to justify the majority to re.
quire the minority to resign"
The manliness and force Of Mr.. Gill
mor's answer to the demand OF the Coun-
ty Court upon him, call to mind the
great Burke's reply to the electors OF
Bristol, when they demanded that he
should give up his seat in Parliament
"I did not obey your instructions" said
che: have maintained your interests
"against your opinions with the con-
"stancy that became me. l am to
"look indeed to your opinions, but to
"such opinions as you and I must have
" five years hence. Twas not to look to
"the flash Of today"
| doubt not that this reference to
the opening contest for Republican
principles on Ohio county soil will
be heard with interest by the Valley
Grove meeting. Many Of those who will
compose the meeting know nothing OF
even the later incidents Of the same
contest. presume 1t would surprise not
a few Of them II were to tell them that
there is living in this city to-day gen.
tleman who left his home in Harrison
county in this State as late as the year
1856, to escape arrest and imprisonment
by Democratic Court, Of which G. D.
Camden was Judge, because he was Re-
publican, and, as such, subscriber to
the New York Tribune. The same Judge
Camden, and nearly all the present Demo-
Gratis Of that day, who; with him, we're
engaged in thus deprlving their fellow
citizens OF their rights. went into rebel
lion against the Government, but notwith-
standing that fact they are with US once
again, in the full enjoyment OF all their
rights, and the Judge himself has just
called Congressional Convention in this
district to send, il possible, one OF his
own. kind Of people to make laws for US
at Washington, and he himself hopes to
90 there next winter as a United
4 States Senator 10 assist in the same
business. Suppose that he and his
fellow rebels had succeeded in their ef-
forts to destroy the Government, do you
presume that the same measure OF free
and untrammeled citizenship would have
been accorded to Republicans Oh West
Virginia soil? Would there not instead
| Of il have been thick darkness all over
this State as regards the liberty Of the
press and freedom OF speech ? We
I would not only have had the terrorism
Of 1889 and 1856, and all its intermedi-'
| ate years, full established, but so much
aggravated that Republicans would
have been unable TO live on the soil ol
any slave state. We should have seen
some such an era as Rome saw under
Domitian, when, as the historian tells us,
"the professors OF learning having been
Expelled, and every liberal art banished,
''lest anything honorable should confront
"him, he thought that he had abolished
"the voice OF the Roman people, tue lib.
"erty OF the Senate, and the conscience Of
"the human race"
Happily, indeed, for all Of us, we have
escaped any experiment rs to what would
have been our fate in this State had the
Democratic party Of West Virginia sue
ceeded in their effort to overthrow the
government Of the United States. The
} Republican party saved the rights OF all
classes OF citizens on West Virginia soil
for all time to come. And now that these
, rights have thus been saved, it is proper
that those who in tho early days OF the
struggle, were willing to incur SO much
Of odium and ostracism rather than bow
to the Baal Of slavery, at whose
, shrine the Democratic party COM
monded everybody to worship, should
, be held in honor, and l therefore suggest
that before your meeting adiourns II
J. shall pass some fitting resolutions ex-
pressive OF the esteem that is especially
I due from the Republicans Of Valley