The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-10-17
Ghemtali9Eufer.
for the Thoughtful
Tsa Possible Results OF the
I-sat Political Contest.

t.i5t!c cllLets HA'e '"-H
w. I ,b,, .ec.ionali,m had disappeared
tow i.,' American politics. The peculiar
i,.,j,oa,n Of The South, which had been
IA, more than ! generation the great
.,,zs!:ns block in tie way Of that hearty
ann, which alone could give stability to
~, i've R>public, had disappeared. Slavery
Tr .bolishe4 eiectualIy and forever,
Al oulv BY the military necessity which
u,5,it impossible ,hA; it should survive
4 d. Union cause was maintained, but
s,.2 BY irsepea!lbIe amendments of our
,,,d,asn,,ll Law, ratified By the requisite
MORT Of States. The subsequent
measure; Of reconstruction at the South,
h spite c! occasional temporary mis-
axe. came at last to establish every
s,,ls government on the substantial basis
Of universal amnesty and universal sut-
irlge.
Up to the time Of the present Pfesi-
DENTAL campaign, there was little or no
evidence o! the rampant sectionalism
which nov, under the lead Of the Demo
cratic party, uniles the solid South IN a
tremendous struggle ioG the possession OF
The Federal Government The North
and the South had 70 all appearance sim
cerelv ".haken hands across the bloody
chasm;" the Democratic party With lts
Southern allies had accepted az ia stand
ard.bearer in 1872 the Liberal Repnbli.
can leader, whose life had been devoted
TO warfare upon the sectionAlism which
ubordiaated the United States to the
slave institutions Of the South; it was be-
lievej, We may say almost universally,
not only tina; the question oil slavery had
disappeared i0:eJer from our politics,
hat hat sectional issues had disappeared
whit North and South, it was sup
po.ed, could ir1;ernize upon the thor
ouShl established principle Of the equal
ngn;: Of all men.
Bat OF late there have been. coming
no-s and more TO the front the old, and
uta. we're supposed 10 have been the ex-
plodsi prejldices and iallacies Of the
bsnocrstic party aud the Solid South in
!ar. gone bv. Again the doctrine Of
Saie Sovereignty has beea proclaimed
against the doctrine Of Nationality. The
right Of State to refuse TO be bound By
tie political system solemnly and corsti-
Iad0nally established, has been again de-
LATELY asserted. The power Of State
Of Of it citizens 10 grant or to deny
s4gll suffrage At their pleasure, notwlth-
sanding the absolute guarantee Of it in
ths Constitution Of our whole country,
hu been assumed and acted upon. Hith.
s;to, in large regions OF the South the
freedom Of election has been wosse than
IiIroe; colosed voters have been abso:
1ply unable to exercise that freedom OF
i'lochise which was their right, guaran-
Ted BY the Constitution Of the United
Sl.ea They have been kept from the
poll, BY thousands, and the policy OF the
shotgun and the derringer has restricted
suffrage to those mainly who would vote
The Democratic ticket. The right ottree
Suffrage, held out ostentatiously TO the
e0lo'ed voies with one hand, has been et-
tec;aally taken away with the other.
No; only has this policy, which revives
al the seciionalism Of the past and erects
despoIisn in the South in place Of 4
&PIblic, been revived, but the Demo
eadc party in the North has made itself
the 'soservient tool and champion Of the
solid South. Gaining control Of one Of
tie Legislative branches Of the Govern.
nent, ia first act vas 10 appoint forty
seven Of the Coniedes1;e officers and sol.
diers 10 places vacated by the removal OF
men Who had fought in the Union army.
It's next act was to organize the CONTROL.
ing committees Of the House OF Represen-
tatives by giving almos: iwo-thirds Of
the chAismanShips to Southern men, and
onethird only to Northern members,
whereas the proportion Of the Southern
States to the Northern in population,
wealth and political representation was
neasly in the reverse ratio OF one-third to
iUothirds. This subserviency to the
South exhibited in the appointment Of the
House committees has been still further
sEenpli6ed since in the action Of some Of
Ao,e committees themselves.
The Democratic Committee on War
uAims has promulgated in \ formal re-
port doctrine which, il carried out in
the action o. Congress, would leave ALSO
iately 20 limit 10 the taking OF money
oas Of the Treasury to pay the claims OF
NE men lately in rebellion. That doc
s'ne, which tallaeiously pretends 70. be
BASED upon recent decision OF the Su-
Pfene Court, Is that in the taking Of pri'
,le property In the rebel States during
Sas Whole course OF the war the United
sAies Government put itself in the posi-
Hoa OF trustee for the owners 1t fol
i s,s, says the Democratic Committee OF
VA Cams, that the Government and
He people are bound to pay the owners
NE property which it took Is trustee
- iull value at the time it was taken
th most unprecedented ground is repu
4lssd not only BY the unanimous usagl
aoa decision Of other Governments ii
ase Of var, and by the principles o
Plsle law, but also, and still more EN-
petaeAll!, BY the principles Of true pa
Vlotlsu And the public interest. II The
People Of the whole country are to pal
Se'e Southern rebels for what they los
y gong into the rebellion, or for whA
s Government took from them while il
Nae!hoa, all distinction between loya
PASHousm and disloyAl treason is wipe,
GNG once and forever. The principl
s@ the man who was an enemy to hi
'oasry, And who lost, and vas compelle,
eP! some share Of the cost Of putin,
SeNS' The rebellion, is now to be REIN
ySas'ed BY the whole body Of the people
" Ane a. il he had been a steadias
s.asfent to the Union during the war, i
-G@HouS and inadmissible.
n Satthis Democratic Committee on Wa
Sn' has gone even farther in iB dec
Ha9n that no matter how thorough
SsoeI a Southern citizen may have Zee
Glas the war, the acts and proclamn
10 SSa o. amnesty since that period r.
Az ~ him TO all his rights Of propert,
Saas that period the same Is Il he IN
S1H remained loyal. This doc,r;n
SSs'!s a one blow the distinction o