The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-08-28
The County Court system.

The Democratic party OF West Vir-
ginia have never given to the people Of
the State anything progressive. During
all thsyearsi in which they were in power,
when We were $ part Of the old State,
they suffered the common people to grow
DIP in dense ignorance for the lack OF
schools. By the census Of 1850 there
we're in the State of Virginia, Of which
We were then part 10000 grown up
white men and women who could neither
read nor write. West Virginia was a
land Of darkness and consequently Of big
Democratic msiorities. Democracy
brooded over the face Of our noun
tsins and valleys Just a.. Bourbonism
broods over the mountains and valleys Of
Spain. Republicanism came into exis-
teoee in West Virginia and'immediately
this darkness began to disappear like
mis-. before the rising sun. Republican
ism gave West Virginia schools. The
children Of the rich no longer had mo.
nOpoly Of education. Consequently the
per eentage Of children over ten years of
age who cannot now read and write is
very small IS compared with the days of
old Virginia Democracy.
When the Bourbons regained posses
sion Of West Virginia in 1870 they imme-
dia;eIy determined to carry US back to
"oa virginny" As far as practicable.
Part Of them, like the immediate constit-
ueuts Of the present Democratic caudi-
date for Governor, had already tried 10
get back into the old State, bag and bag
gage, Is hid also the immediate eonstit-
ueuts Of Mr.. Charles James Faulkner.
The old Bourbon spirit was fully aroused
all over the State in favor Of = Conren-
ton, the intention being to tehabilitate
amorgns the old Virginia system oflaws.
Because We once had the County Court
system We must needs have it again. Be-
cause sold virginuy" did not have the
township system it must be abolished.
Because our Constitution was modelled
alter those Of the Northern States, (care-
fully framed by such men a Daniel
Lamb, P. G. Van Wrinkle, james H.
Brown. and others equally conservative,)
/. must be nutilated, bungled and rem
dsred improbable and unintelligible in
order 70 lesven it with Old Virginiaism.
The remarks Of the Wheeling Regi11
in regard to the late Parkersbufg Con.
ventiou are not inapplieable to the Con-
venion that framed our present Consti-
tuition, viz: the members "were ready,
parrot like, to repeat what some man
with powerful lungs and gutta percha
throat cried out for them TO say" That
is, they were too ignorant and preiudiced
to do their own thinking-to judge mat
ters by their meris-to be capable Of
giving us a Constitution adapted to the
age Of the world in which we live.
This is the explanation as to why We
have the County Court system fastened
on US to-day. The more intelligent
Democrats zee the pernicious tendency of
thesystem 20 eneouIasslitgatiOn ahdin-
crease taxatiOu) and they would be glad to
&c. rid Of IL. We published a few days
ago severe commentary upon the sys-
tenn from q prominent Democrat in
Brooke county. We published also
letter from VIM. G. Brown, Of Preston,
most Of his life Democrat, on the same
subject. Mr.. Brown gave the actual ig.
ures, showing the cost for one term Of the
Preston County Court; showing also the
wholly inadequate results to the tax pay.
ers Of the county. The court was in ses.
Eion seventeen dsys, The per diem to
the three Justices amounted TO S16O and
the cost Of petit turies amounted to $780,
60 more, making total Of $3.50 60. Dur
ing the II days juries were inpannelsd:
one tOtry whether a giflwassane who was
charged with stealing goods Of less value
than so; one in case Of debt in which the
plaintiff claimed $40, but got a verdict
for so and was nonsui.ed; one for tress-