WELCKER, KARL T. 



WEST VIRGINIA. 



articles to the Quarterly Review, Gentlemarfs 

 Magazine, AtJiencsum, and other periodicals, a 

 very able "Essay on the Welsh Language and 

 Literature " to the Penny Magazine, and bio- 

 graphical memoirs of over one hundred foreign 

 authors, chiefly of the Scandinavian and Rus- 

 sian nations, to the English Cyclopadia. His 

 u Essay on the Hungarian Language " led to 

 his being elected a member of the Hungarian 

 Academy ; and he was also a member of sev- 

 eral of the learned societies of Continental 

 Europe. His death was the result of an acci- 

 dent, which occurred about three weeks pre- 

 vious, while he was travelling in Shropshire. 



WELCKER, KARL THEODOR, a German pub- 

 licist, professor, and political leader, born in 

 Oberofleiden, Upper-Hesse, March 29, 1790; 

 died at Heidelberg, Baden, April 10, 1869. 

 He was educated at the Universities of Geissen 

 and Heidelberg, studying law at the latter, 

 and, while yet a student, wrote and published 

 a treatise entitled "The ultimate Ground of 

 Law, Government, and Penalty." He also 

 formed a student league. In 1814 he was ap- 

 pointed professor extraordinary at Geissen, 

 but soon joined the army as a volunteer. Sub- 

 sequently he was called to a professorship at 

 Kiel, where he also assisted in editing a lib- 

 eral journal. A year or two later he obtained 

 a professorship at Heidelberg, where he re- 

 mained till 1819, when he accepted a position 

 at Bonn, where his brother, F. G. Welcker, 

 the philologist (see WELOKER, ANNUAL CYCLO- 

 PAEDIA, 1868) was already professor of philol- 

 ogy. The liberal views of the two brothers, 

 and the intolerance of the government, led to 

 their being accused and tried for sedition, but 

 both were acquitted. In 1823 he was ap- 

 pointed professor of law in the University of 

 Freiburg. He was an ardent advocate of free- 

 dom of the press, and in 1830 sent to the Ger- 

 man Diet a petition for it, which excited much 

 feeling throughout Germany. In 1831 he had 

 been chosen a delegate to the Upper Chamber 

 or Senate of Baden ; in that body he brought 

 in several motions for greater freedom of the 

 press, and was associated with some others in 

 founding Der Freisinnige (a journal of free 

 thought), and for articles in this, of a liberal 

 character, he was arrested and imprisoned, 

 but eventually acquitted. After his release 

 he was suspended from his professorship, but 

 at once, in connection with Rotteck, under- 

 took the editing of the Stadts Lexicon (a Cy- 

 clopaedia of Political Science), which was pub- 

 lished at AJtona, in 12 vols., in 1834, and a 

 second edition in 1846-'48. In 1840 he was 

 reinstated in his professorship, but in October, 

 1841, was again suspended, after a journey in- 

 to Northern Germany, where he was received 

 with great triumph by the liberals. He then 

 went to Heidelberg, where he was again tried 

 for sedition, but was acquitted. In 1848 he 

 Was elected a member of the German Parlia- 

 ment in Frankfort, and was appointed ambas- 

 sador of Baden to the same city. In 1849 he 



withdrew from the Parliament. In 1850 he 

 was elected again to the Lower Chamber of 

 the Baden Legislature. After the failure of the 

 revolution he returned to Heidelberg, and 

 retired into private life, whence nothing was 

 afterward able to draw him. Though ear- 

 nestly and decidedly liberal in his views, Welck- 

 er was so cautious in his expression of them, 

 that every effort of the reactionary party to 

 injure or punish him recoiled on their own 

 heads. He lived to see the triumph of many 

 of the principles he had advocated, and the 

 partial union of the Fatherland he had so 

 earnestly sought. 



WEST VIRGINIA. Many of the citizens 

 of this State are still subject to the political 

 disabilities imposed by the amendment to the 

 State constitution ratified by the people in the 

 month of May, 1866, which disfranchises those 

 who gave voluntary aid to the Confederates. 

 The registration law which is intended to se- 

 cure the enforcement of this constitutional 

 provision occasioned during the past year much 

 discussion and some bitter feeling. There was 

 no general opposition to the execution of the 

 law, but in a few localities a very excited state 

 of feeling was displayed, and in Nicholas 

 County the Board of Registration was pre- 

 vented by a mob from performing its duties. 

 In nine of the fifty-three counties of the State 

 complaints were made against the Boards of 

 Registration for rejecting the applications of 

 certain persons who were entitled to vote, and 

 for registering the names of others who were 

 disqualified. As soon as this official miscon- 

 duct came to the knowledge of the Executive, 

 prompt measures were taken for correcting 

 the abuses. There is a wide difference of opin- 

 ion among the citizens of the State as to the 

 expediency of removing the political disabili- 

 ties. This diversity of opinion, however, has 

 reference only to the mode and time of restor- 

 ing all to the privileges of citizenship, as but 

 few think that these disabilities were intended 

 to be perpetual. The Democratic party, and 

 some few Republicans, favor an immediate res- 

 toration of all those now disfranchised to full 

 political privileges ; while a great majority of 

 the Republicans are of the opinion that the 

 time has not yet arrived when these restric- 

 tions can be entirely removed without detri- 

 ment to the welfare of the State. 



In regard, however, to the acts imposing 

 the test-oaths, known as the " attorney's oath," 

 and the "teacher's oath," there seems to be a 

 general conviction in the minds of the people 

 that the further continuance of these laws 

 upon the statute-book is inexpedient, and their 

 repeal has been recommended to the Legisla- 

 ture by the Executive. 



The financial affairs of the State are in a 

 satisfactory condition. The receipts from all 

 sources into the treasury for the fiscal year 

 1869 were $611,411.29 and the disbursements 

 $553,654.26 ; leaving a balance of $66,167.10 

 in the treasury op the 1st of October, 1869. 



