Year: 1866




tors who had been announced as speak
ers No unusual efforts had been made
to bring out a crowd; there were no
rockets fred; no band paraded the
streets; and nothing beyond the simple
announcement of the meeting had been
done to draw the people together. Still
they came in crowds; the Court House
was we'll filled; and tAe utmost
eagerness was manifested to hear the
political questions of the day discussed
Many of our most distinguished citizens
men who have heretofore acted with the
Republican party, were present, anu
seemed to euter most heartily into the
spirit of the meeting and endorse most
cordially the eloquently expressed Sonti'
ments of the speakers. The crowd was
full of enthusiasm and attested by fre-
ouent cheers its approval of the sensi-
ments uttreed.


The meeting was called to order Dy
N. RICHARDSON, Esq, who nominated
JAMES PAUL., Esq, for President. Mt
PAUL.. was unanimously elected and,
before taking his seat, made a few re-
marks relative to the objects of the
meeting. He said that the meeting
marked the opening of an important po-
litical campaign-a campaign against
radiealism which in this State had as
sumed a darker and more malignant
type than in any other State in the
Union The people we're familiar with
its doings and the edicts it had put forth
They we're met not simply as Democrats,
Wings or Republicans, bat as part and
parcel of the vast body of National Union
men, opposed to the dogmas of THADDEUs
STEVENS and the disunionists who fol-
low his lead. They stood with President
JOHNSON, at whose feet the waves OF
faction and violence were breaking,
but against all the clamors OF the enc
mics of bis country he stood firm as a
rock in the ocean. The people were
come together to CO operate with him;
to manifest their approval of his policy
and to hear from the standard bearer
whom they had selected.


Mr. Richardson then moved the ap-
nointment of the following officers, who
were duly elected: Vice Presidents
z Jacob, VIM. Stoneman, Lewis Baker
T. Sweeney, J. B. Sheppard, Col. McClu-
nav secretaries-James Rogers, Hanson
Good


The President then introduced Colonel
B,H. SMITH, the White Mans candidate
for Governor of West Virginia CoIonei
SMITH was greeted with enthusiastic
applause and proceeded to address the
meeting, in substance as follows;


He had known the people of Wheeling
dnriur many years Fifty six years ago
he had formed their acquaintance nd
had been frequently among them. He
had also met their representatives In the
Legislature of Virginia, and had long
known aud admired their industry, ener-
gy and perseverance. They had built
and adorned a magnificent city, the
finest within the limits of the State This
was, however the first time he had ever
had the honor of addressing a
public meeting in this city. Through
the favor Of the people of the State he
had been nominated by the delegates of
the National Union party to be Governor
of the State, aud although he was
already an old man and united to some
extent by the infirmities Of age from per
forming all the duties which devolved
upon him as a candidate, still he had
felt bound to accept the nomination
which had been SO graciously rendered
TO him and intended to fight il ont on
that line.


He said he had been Union man
from the beginning, before the war,
during the war and since its close. He
had been a Union man when some OF the
demagogues who no6 claim all the
Unionism in the State were skulking in
cowardly fear He was completely iron
clad by his principles and his record
during the war, and he authorized his
hearers to say, in his name, to any one
who charged him with disloyalty to his
country, that the charge was maliciously
and wilfully false.


4 great political crisis has arisen and
issues of the utmost Importance are pre-.
sented, issues necessary to be understood
1t is no longer question of national
policy between Democrats and Wings,
but it is question vital to the exist
ence of free government, q question upon
which Democrats and Wings, no matter
what may have been their former antag-
onisms, may cordially agree. When the
acts of secession were declared and the
terrible war was opened ~ the firing
upon Fort Sumter, the people rese W
masss, without distinction Of party, TO
defend the constitution and the Union.
They came together not as Democratic
soldiers, not as Republican soldiers, but
as soldiers for the Union, and, with the
same disregard of past affiliations the
people were again coming together. This
was no "Hotch-potch party as it had
been derisively called; it was party of
the friends of the Union and COnstitu-
ton. At the beginning of the war, 1t
was declared by the Crittenden resolu
tion to be simply for the purpose of re-
storing the Union and maintaining the
Constitution. Upon this platform the
war for the Union was inaugurated and
prosecuted with success The Southern
States had been subdued and had re-
newed their allegiance TO the Federal
Government.