Year: 1869

This is the heading adopted Dy an olu
friend and correspondent for an article
which appears below. The writer is q
gentleman of experience and q repre-
sentative man of a large and intelligent
class of persons, and, as such, his opin-
ions are entitled to a respectful and
careful consideration.


Our friend seems to think that the
cause of the enfranchisement OF the dis
franchised people of the State has been
retarded by the result of the recent
election in West Virginia, and that
Democrats have opposed the repeal OF
the restrictive laws that disgrace our
statute books, and have been the means
of iniuring the cause he holds so dear.
We have entertained different opinion,
and will give our correspondent the
benefit of them. Perhaps this Is as good
time as we shall have, too, to give
others who entertain ideas similar to
those of this writer, our views upon
this subject Without claiming that
they are infallible, we ask dispassion-
ate consideration of the facts in the
case.


1t is well known thatsthe Radical
party of the State has received large
majority of votes ever since the estab-
lshment of the government of West
Virginia. That it has made and unmade
all laws at will. That it laughed to
scorn the efforts Of the DEMOCRATS to
change its policy. That until recently
no part of it gave any evidence of dis
position to alter the proscriptive course
it has pursued; and that the reason
given for the change, by many of those
that have changed, was to secure the
perpetuity of the Republican party that
has SO long prescribed large and re-
spectacle portion of our people. The
Democrats, in the meanwhile, steadily
and uniformly advocated the repeal Of
the laws of which our correspondent
complains. Being overwhelmed by the
large Radical majority in the Legisla.
ture, they could offer nothing but the
slip service" with which our friend
finds fault. Whethes it is only slip
service" or not, will be ascertained
when they have the power to render
any other kind; and until that time ar
rives it may be well to restrain our
Judgment.


According to the latest and lmost re-





Democrats have elected six liberal Re.
publicans to the State Senate, and thir-
teen of them to the House of Delegates.
For it certainly cannot be claimed that
these liberal candidates would have
been elected if the Democrats had voted
for their proscriptive opponents, as our
correspondent seems to think they did,
or were at least, disposed to do. 1t is
probably true, that some Republican
candidates who were defeated by Dem
ocratic votes, were sincere in their
declarations of desire to repeal the
restrictive laws of the State, because
they thought they were wrong, but we
have yet to hear of single instance in
which Democrats elected proscriptive
man of either party, over a liberal Re-
publican. So far as we know, the lib
erals, when defeated, by Democrats,
have been defeated by gentlemen still
more liberal. This seems to us to be
evidence that however advanced poll
ticiaps may think themselves to be, the
the people are always far ahead of them
in reactienary movement, and not
that the Democratic party is amenable.
to the charge of opposing the "let up'
movement. If the election of major
ity of gentlemen to the Legislature who
are in favor of the repeal of all the re-
strictive laws of the State, is retarding
that movement, then, indeed, it is
greatly retarded; but we had enter
tanned different opinion.


The "let up" Republicans who were
defeated by Democratic votes, were de-
feated by candidates who were not new
friends of the proposition. Without
stopping to discuss whether old and
tried friends arc better or worse than
new and untried ones, we would in
quirc what is the character of those
gentlemen who have been elected over
defeated liberal candidates by other
persons than Democratsf Are they of
a character that commands the admira-
tion of our friendf And were not some
of the liberal candidates mere pseudo
friends Of the "let up" movement
Were not some of them like an old hun
ter who fired at an object in the bushes
and was laughed at by his comrades
when o calf ran out, because he had
shot at a calf and missed iti "Why
you fools," said he, II shot to hit it if it
was q deer, a. J miss it if it was calfw
We think we know of some such, if we
were to judge them by the canvass.


We do not permit our correspondent,
or any one else, to surpass us in aamira-
tion of the course of those true Repub-
licans who braved the frowns of their
friends in defense of principle; but
we do not see the necessity of casting
off old friends to make room for new
ones. There is work for all to do. The
harvest is plenteous, the laborers few,
and we think every man who does his
work should receive his penny. Let us
make as many new friends as we can,
but not cast off any old ones.


We hope our friend will think over
this matter and vlet US hear from him
again