Year: 1866

L
showed that The Governor had transcend
ed his duties and the Legislature had
outraged the rights of the people by
their conduct in relation to the matter
The speaker said he loved the State OF
West Virginia, he had assisted in fran
| ing ifs Constitution, and he desired to
see it perpetual No man who is really
| a friend to the new State can act with the
radical party without stultifying him
self. That party denies the legal exist
eDce as a State Of Virginia, whose con.
sent was necessary to the formation OF
the new State, and thus strikes deadly
blew at the constitutionality and right
| fnlness of the State Government. All
that West Virginia needed to give her a
prominent place in the Union and to in
crease the prosperity and happiness OF
her people, was simply that she have q
better set of officers and be better gov
erned than heretofore.


lie closed his address by exhorting
his hearers TO have their names register
ed as voters and to 60 to the polls on
tie 25th of October determined to Orebuke
the men who had misgOverned the State,
and the party that was the deadliest foe
to the peace Of the nation and the pros
perity of West Virginia.


Colonel Smiths speech was frequently
interrupted by enthusiastic demonstra.
tions of Applause.


MR.. CHANDLER'S SPEECH


Hon. l.. II. Chandler, u. s. Attorney
for the District of Virginia, was then in
trodnced /. the audience. His appear
ance was yie,trd with tumultuous ap-
plause. Nj Chandler opened with the
remark thal he had seen so much of the
strife of politics that he had almost con
cluded never again To enter the political
aroma. But all know how much easier
it is to preach than to practice. An era
of peace may have its horrors as well as
an era of war The war which SO long
agitated our country is happily ended; its
bloody deeds ard fearful scenes are final
ly past, neyer, let US hope, to recur. But
how is it that Notwithstanding the strug-
gle is over and the victory won, we are
still harrassed, agitated and disturbed
Before the coming of the dark and terri
bic days of civil strife, how pleasant
peaceful ard happy was the condition Of
our country! But over all our tranquil
ity and happiness there came a sad and
gloomy change Ambitious and unprin-
cipled men, in the prosecution of evil
designs against the peace and unity of
the nation, inargurated the reign OF pas
sion and force and precipitated the counr
try into a conflict fierce, relentless and
bloody. With gratitude we recognize
the close OF that conflict and the triumph
ant preservation of the national
integrity. Satisfied with the issue
let us not open again the wounds
which are now closed and healing We
need not p9rpetuate discord by uselessly
vaunting the powers Of the victors, or
questioning aud doubling the sincerity
and honesty of the vanquished and sub
missive. We may not require or expect
the defeated people of the South to ex-
press pleasure and JOY at their over
throw, to crouch like kicked curs. and
whine, in piteous debasement at the feet
of the section whose superior power has
scarcely left them the cir lives They have
cherrfully submitted to the authority Of
the government whose overthrow they
sought; they have manfnlly and honestly
yielded up lhrir cherished heresies, and
acknowledged the supremacy of that
Constitution against which they re-
belled. They have done all that
generous manhood could ask, by con-
scientious acceptance of the results of the
swords arbitrament, by plighting anew
their faith and their allegiance to the
Government aud the flag, and by uniting
with their coBquerors in a patriotic hope
and determined effort 20 restore all the
States nf this Union to their original
status C4a this be wrong While the
war laste.l, the Radicals never asked
more than hat the rebels should throw
down their arms, submit to the laws,
and by the emanci patton of their slaves
render the recurrence of rebellion, i'm
possible. This was all that Mr..
Lincoln asked, and all that
the country expected Since all
this has been conceded and performed,
what now separates the people! They
are divided upoa new and unexpected
issues never raised during the progress
of the war and only introduced since
the return of peace by the attempt of
Congress TO use the results OF the war in
manner other than was contemplated
by sthe men who fought our battles, or
the people who supported our armies in
the struggle Directly opposed to the
Congressional efforts for the continuance
of disunion is the policy of the President
for the restoration of the Government to
it original integrity 1t is for the peo
ple to determine between the respective
policies Of the Executive and of Congress
Upon one side or the other must every
man now be ranged, and it is for each to
settle fer himself where he
will cast his influence. 1t will
be strange indeed if any patriotic man
shall hesitate as between union with the
President, and disunion with Congress.
President johnson only desires to rally
party to preserve the Union. Congress
declare that they favor the same object.
They may be sincere. They wish res
toration of the Union according to their
prominent and leading idea, negro suf.
frage The Northern States cannot rally
enough voters to elect single Congress
man on this issue, and such policy can
only affect the Southern States, in some
of which negroes are in the majority.
Why shall not all the States in the
Union be turned out unless they give the
negro the right of suffragel Even Con-
pecticut has refused to enfranchise her
colored population, aud why shall We at
tenrer 80 force the South to agree to such
a measure So anxious are the South to
settle our troubles and re-unite the ma
ton that in the Convention at Philadel
phia they bound themselves to pay their
norton Of the debt contracted in effect
-. .ba suDnres.ipn NJ the rahalliaD and