The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-07-10

Col. Ben's Claims for n Re.nom-
ination-Why the Democracy
Of this District should make
aim there Standard Bearer IN
this Canvass.
Intsilissneer Of Jan. 50 1873.
We see BY the Columbia, s. C., RegisIs'
(ior "a copy Of which we are indebted to
Mr.. Will q. Irwin, Of this city, that .
large number Of prominent Southern men
united in an appeal ITO the people Of the
Southern States" informing them that
the State Of Virgins has initiated the
noble undertaking Of erecting an eques.
trian statue Of General Robert E. Lee on
the Capitol grounds at Richmond, Viz.
GINA and has committed this trust by
statute, to the care and keeping Of q
Board Of Managers. This board consti.
tutiug the Lee Monument Association, is
composed Of her Governor, Auditor Of
Public Accounts and Treasurer, whose
names guarantee that this trust will be
well discharged"
After this introduction the address
goes on TO set forth the grounds upon
which this appeal ito the people Of the
Southern Statesp Is based, as follows:
nIu Difference To the fact that the glory Of Gene
rIl Lee Il the enrnnion herbge Of oar eoHAtIy the
hoard has hgnIhtd the dssire that all the southern
staies shall share 10 tbs tributs 70 him. and Pro-
po.s that all % sharing shall, Shen the time
comes, hive IN equal voice 10 awarding the con-
traet
ave, your smltors and Representatives In the
CInyrSss Of the uEIei States, being assured that
Jou will not be sIoE TO manifest, BY an earnest
and lpsral support, your Ntneralion for the lie,
charae or and ssrVlees Of our great ehtsE express
hereby oar warm sympathy and corporation In
The Effort Of the Lite Monument Association 10
eopsummlie this work ot love"
To this address Ia appended long list
Of signatures, all Of them, so far as we
know, parties who were 10 some way
identified with the South during the war.
At the bottom Of the list OF States appear
the names OF John E. Renna, B. F. Martin
and Benz. Wilson on behalf Of West Wiz.
giuia. This Is scircumstance that strikes
Us as worthy Of comment. 1tshoWs that
the ISTELliaENcER was entirely correct
when II maintained that Colonel Wilson
was thoroughly unsound as national
man during and after the war. No doubt
4 great many Of his friends believed that
we often did him injustice when We
classified him as dlsloyalist In the
beginning and throughout the sttug.
gle for the Union. A man who can
speak Of the Commander Of the Con-
iederate army az "our Great Chief" and
say that his glory Is the common heritage
oI"our county, must have been all the
time the concealed ally and we'll wisher
Of that chief In his attempt TO destroy the
government Of The United States. No
Union Democrat could have subscribed
10 an appeal so worded. We therefore
point to the Colonel's present language,
aud the associations amid which he uses
Il, as indubitAble combinations Of what
We have always believed and asserted in
regard 10 where he stood, at heart, during
the struggle.
This revelation will not Of course in.
jure the Colonel in his next canvass. The
Democracy Of this District, while hun.
dredS Of them will squirm not little
over such an appeal, will not falter 10
the ranks when election day comes. OF
this We are a. firmly persuaded as Of the
eenuineness Of the Colonies signature to
the appeal.
As 70 the signatures OF Messrs. Martin
and Kenua, We have simply 10 say that
We think those gentlemen took consider.
able on themselves when they combined
with the Colonel to identity the people
Of West Va, with the Constituencies Of
General Lee, and As our representatives
10 speak Of him rs our great chiet." We
should think that men who live In State
that furnished 5000 soldiers to the %.
ion army during the war, and that owes
itsexistence and preservation to the over.
throw Of Lee, and that OF ito very last
election caat over Il, 900 Republican votes,
saying nothing Oft multitude Of loyal
Democrats who voted for Mr.. TiIden,
would hesitAte TO place themselves In
such an unnatural, such an Anti.geoR.
raphicAl, Anti=historical, and exceeding.
lyridiculouS category.