Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1846-12-17
Atehmouo Correspondence
RIcHMosp, December l4ih, 1886.
To the Editor of the Gazette:

40 tt EltIUf " We bh<ttfes
The Legislature is in session. but as yet ve-
~ little business Of importance Immediately
bearing upon the great interests Of the State.
has been touched. The Committees. howev-
err, are now formed and will go indusuiously
to work in cutting out business for the eonsid-
Grafton and action Of the Legislature, OF all OF
which you shall be regularly and duly advised.
The Message Of the Governor you have
doubtless received, and have come TO the con
clusIon that it is an EXTRA paper. 1t is much
criticised here, and will have little or no weight
with the Legislature--it contains some mon
strous propositions n relation to the Internal
Improvement system OF the State, which are
lnexplicable to any man of common sense, and
equally so, doubtless, TO the mind Of the Gov
ernor himself; indeed all agree that his Rail
Roads are run cup hill and down dale" with
no other calculations than that here aud there,
and there and here, zig gag fashion, wherever
a vote may be caught for ms Erceilcney, in his
longings after a seat in the Senate of the Uni
ted States. The election is fixed for the 18th
of January, but the fortunate man will not be
Gov. SMITH. The contest, il is thought, will
be between r. nj +. HUNTER aud JoHs w.
JosEs Of the House of Delegatcs-Alr. JONES
will probably be the Senator. | can form no
idea yet who will be elected TO the vacant seat
Of the late talented Judge SrAsAgp on tho
Bench of the Court of Appeals, though the
election takes place tomorrow.
The views Of the Governor in relation to the
Free Blacks Of the State, meet with almost
universal disapprobation here, as far as have
been enabled TO gather the opinions OF Mem
bers. To adop, his views, would be the rank
est injustice and a species Of cruelty which
| am sure no Virginia Legislature would ever
consentto practice upon this class OF their pop
~ulalion, however much they might desire to
get rid ofthem. Ii would have sounded much
more like a man of sense and a Statesman, for
the Governor to have recommended the aid OF
the State to the Colonization Society IN placing
them upon the shores Of their father land
where they would, in all probability, rise in
the scale OF human being, instead Of ~rcsorting
TO a forcible expulsion Of them from The State
without regard to their rights Of property or
anything else-and force them toe upon the
people of the Free States who, with all their
clamor for the rights Of the poor negro" are
notorious for their cruel and mhuman neglect
and treatment Of them.
An appropriation Of $4,000 has been made
by the Legislature for the support of the Viz
ginia Volunteers until they are mustered into
the service Of the u. States. The Bill making
the appropriation, passed the House almost
unanimously-Mr. LAsIER alone voting in the
negative. In the Senate, the vote was unanl.
nous.
A few DAYS since, Mr.. McPHEasor Of Page,
made an effort to revive the Bill OF the last SEES
sion proposing to take the sense of the people
on the Call Of a State Convention, which gave
rise to a short but animated debate, but his eff
fort proved Intellectual and his motion was lalC
on the table by the decisive vote Of AYES So
Noes, ~. Annexed is the vote, which is BY
no means to be regarded as indicative of Tbs
feelings Of the Members, as you will find among
the Nays some Of the strongest advocates o
Reform in the State, and indeed some OF the
members of the late Stanton Convention
Indeed the movement ought not TO have beer
introduced until the proceedings OF the Siaun
tom Convention Were brought before the House
These proceedings will be produced at tbs
proper time, when some deiinltye action vii
be had. The whole subject. however, vii
doubtless be laid over until after the Census o
1850. This seems 10 be deemed The best poll
cy now by the Reformers of the Legislature.
AYEs.-Messrs. Curtis. Finhey, Layne
Harvie, Powell, Shelley, johnson, Byrd. Small
Bambrick, Love, Carper, Wall, Carson, Car
rol, Calwell, Major, Slovall. lilet,. Thompson
of Hampshire, Lee, Duncan, billiard. Hunter
Thompson of Jefferson, Schooley, Mlntyre
Banks, Raymond. Brown o~fAionongalia, Old.
ham. Bierne, Edmondson Of Montgomery ans
Pulaski, Breathed. Perrow, E~dgington, Me
Pherson. Tatum, Newman. Cackiey, Fairfax,
Tyler, Siurm, Cook, Bare, Brown OF Rocking
ham, McElhenny, Hill, S~tickley, Tate, Fir.
hugh, Gillespie, Castleman, Goodson, Floyd
So.
N.Ys.-Messrs. Brown Of Albemarlc, Har,
Burwel, M'Dearman, Scruggs. Thompson Of
Botetourt, Bennett, Maclin, Bocock, Morris,
Mosby, Fox, Dickinson, Caldwell. Jones
Slaughter, Thornpsono Dinwiddie, Chisman,
Roane, Scott, Smith, Hill, Stiliman, White,
Jones, Leake, Walker, Darracott, Lancaster,
Goodwin, Howard. Patrick, Wallace, Gaines,
Robinson, Gresham, Richmond, Harrison,
p~oindexter, Edmondson Of Lunenb'g, Brown
of Mathews and Middlesex, Wagguner,
Goode, Williams, Kelly, Newton, Watts,
Happier, VERIFY. helms, Oliver, Davis. Syme,
Lanier, Tunstall, Cooke, Stone, Anderson,
Daniel, STROLLER, Mayo, Harper. Dorman,
Morrison, Goodwin, Holladay, Hargrave,
Freeman, Burdett, Homer, Chandler, Steven
son-72.
Mr.. SAMUEL SHEPHERD has beeen elected
Public Printer. An unusual number of peti-
tons for divorces are to be presented, SO | I'm.
derstand-there certainly must be "a screw
loose somewhere'-l cannot imagine what
has got wrong, perhaps the ladies are a little
out Of humor because some Of Their ''lords"
want to 60 to war. A great many petitions
have already been presented from the North
West, for the formation Of new Counties. Pc
titions in shoals have been offered from the
North West for the Right Of Way to Parkers.
burg, of the Potomac and Ohio Rail Road
some against it. Mr., E~nGISGroN, the talented
member from Wheeling, is wide awake as
usual upon the subject, and will be ready to
do battle against the Petersburg route when
ever introduced. The prospects Of the Par
kersburg scheme.de aot look as bright, by any
means, as they did even las, winter. Petitions
are also being handed in, and resolutions offer
ed in regard to the Louisa Rail Road and 9th
or improvements Of the State, all Of which |
will notice more fully hereafter. The friends
II -. L. - ..-a-k ,.ssk sln., .x.s.