The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-07-02
LETTER FROM NORTHWESTERN VIE-
CHINA

The Wheeling Convention and IT'S Delegates
WHEELING, VA, June %, 1861.
Nessrs. Editors:-Here in the Pan Handle, and
the mountain and river counties contiguous, the
citizens loyal to the State of Virginia are made to
occupy position that does not in truth belong to
them.
The friends of the Lincoln Government in Wes-
terra Virginia, and especially in this CITY, would
have it believed that almost the entire Virginia
portion of the people up in in defence of
the vile coercive policy of that Government
In point of fact, only very few native-born sons
of Virginia occupy such position To ourselves the
truth is notorious that nearly if not quite all the
citizens OF Wheeling, who place themselves forward
the supporters of the Lincoln Government and
who call themselves citizens of Virginia, are men
from the North with all the Unborn prejudices pecu-
liar to that region, and with innate hatred to
what is called ''the institution of the South"
The ruinous rule of military despotism of the
Black Republican Government receives native-born
support only in isolated instances. Although
Union flags are flying from many houses here, and
not much else than Union sentiment publicly ex
pressed, owing to the fact that the Northern ee-
ment strongly predOminates, there is, neverthe-
less, deep and abiding State Rights feeling and
Confederate sympathy'and sentiment among all of
the native Virginians; and | do not hesitate to
state that theU MON flag tiaunts publicly from many
secretly secession houses, because 1T Is fooishly
thought to be the pecunary interest to the
safety of the residents in person and property
This place, since the repression of the Black Re-
publican mOb-spirit which prevailed for a WHILE
ms settled down into comparative quiet. But the
mob propensity which existed here and in the ad-
joining county of Marshall especially, did, for a
time, riot, and that spirit coverty and in
sidousy fostered, and encouraged by some of the
leading Black Republicans of the place.
The morning after a notwithstanding hanging
and destruction generally. of some two or three
hundred persons had assaulted the residence of the
Rev. James Moore, Rector of ST. Johns Episcopal
Church, formerly citizen of Baltimore, and orr
giuay from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, man
against whom civilly, morally and politically
naught could be said, and who had never uttered
sentence of politics from his pulpit, but who had
quietly and unostentatiousy expressed his unborn
southern sentiments as any orderly and Christian
citizen might do-the Black Republican Lncoln
paper here edited and conducted by free State
men, declared in substance that 'secessionists bad
to be thankful for escaping mob violence as
well as they did,
/ am reliably informed that this same Republican
paper was only induced subsequently to deprecate
mob violence by Union men, who were honestly
such, announcing that unless such riotous demon
STATIONS checked, the Union men would sepa-
rate themselves from the Black Republicans.
Col Kelley, natire of Massachusetts, and the
past several gears a resident of PhHadeiphid, but
who has been falsely represented native of
Virginia and colonel of the so-caled United States
First Virginia Regiment, ohich regiment, by the
ray as made up almost exclusively Of men from the
bis wound received at Phillippi, by Henry Hub
bard, Lieut-Colonel, and long a resident of this
place. but natiue Of Connecticut Both these gen.
tlemen are worthy men, but with no military
knowledge or experience whatever, excepting of
limited militia kind.
But that which appears to have attracted more
attention elsewhere than here was the convention
just through with its sittings. This convention,
composed mainly of free State men, was real fill
clustering concern and if Mr.. Lincoln had perform
ed his constitutional duty, and the requirements
OF his solemn oath, he would have had the whole
thing dispersed. There be no doubt, that the
Virginia Ordinance of Secession carried
throughout the entire State by over ninety-six
thousand majority, and that too by people who,
before they were forced to that the determina-
ton OF the Federal Government was to cOerce and
sublugate them, were almost unanimous for the
preservation of the Uuion. In the face of this
overw helming majority for Secession, mere hand
full of sefappointed delegates, or, where elected,
representa- meagre minority, in convention here
assembled, attempt to filibuster Provisional Gov
ernment, and style themselves, GIVE, THE PEOPLE OF
NRGINIAP '
The first convention that met here was for the
avowed purpose of dividing the State. and erecting
a sort OF an old John Brown Provisional Govern
ment, to be called New Virginia. But the movement
was suddenly cut short BY that particular clause
in the Constitution of the United States embraced
ia section of article 4: so in three DAYS the con-
ventinu concluded its labors bV organizing Cen
trail Committee whose duty it to stand upon
the watch-tower, and proclaim aarum, and send
lUfln nat Tor another aSsemblage.
The best material of the first convention haring
atran3ntdted the treason boldly attempted there,
refused to haze anything to do oiM the present
Increment.
The convention just adjourned, as before said,
was mainly made up of free State men. Their
President, Arthur |. Boreman, is a Green county,
Pennsy lvania, man, as is also his brother Ga dele
gate), W. j. reman; 0. D. Downey, of Hamp-
shire; A: F. Richie, OF Marion; James A. Foley, |
Of Doddrige, and H. W. Crothers, of Brock, are
all Pennsy lvania men. And of the four Wheeling |
delegates, one is a Washington county, Pa, man,
the other a native of Connecticut, and the third, |
Oy birth, education, DC, an Englishman. Those |
representing themselves as delegates from Eastern |
Virginia, are refugees from places where they had |
not the manly courage to remain and maintain
their rights as peaceable and orderly citizens
In debate just before the adjournment, John S.
Garlic, of Harrison, but now living in Wheeling
aid "There is no doubt existing in the minds Of
he people of their right to change the State con-
ttution, or the whole form of government; or in
,ther words, in the right of neutrality-suspicious.
anctionng the very thing for which they
lemned the Richmond convention.
Mr.. Dorsey. of Monongalia, but originally from
View Lisbon, Ohio, on the same occasion said: "He
lad no doubt the Federal Government would
ognize the Provisional Government of the whole
State. And if they would recognize the Provision
i Government of the whole State, he had no doubt
hey would also recognize the Provisional Govern
nent of Western Virginia. That should have
10 scruples to right in this matter, as to lav.
|
e delicate this point, for ,ce hare already commit
ed acts ,ohich are considered reasonable He would
oppose the resolution to form Provisional Govern
hent for the VII lie State"
>; such remarks as the above, made in the conven-
nr;n,,a never saw dayght-being suppressed in the
3. Vsuo reports As evidence of the fact John
severeIv harrison, complained bitterly of, and
nor,s ~ ddsnounced the partial and one sided re.
Pv M. naue o, remarks Of certain delegates
ibis same Mr.. Harrison, the Enoi;shr,an h.e,
alluded TO- and one Of the delegates Of WbesI;nr
offered a resolution "to empower the Covsrnnn
have all who recognize the bogus co ~ovsrnor 70
Richmond or sympathzs with The so.cslIas Gon az
ederate States arrested and held in prison, or en-
,elsd from the State" v 'A'
The office Of Governor for while went BEGGING
The more cautious friend, of those who were viii.
np to accept would whisper TO them TO beware, for
hat they did not know what might be the result
If this war, and might hereafter meet with pecu-
lar kind of dislocation
The "wild excitement" and the "grand and ex-
iting scene," which the Lincoln organ here de-
cribed as the election of Pierpont as Governor,
vas most shabby affair, and was productive of no
'ther result than terrible fright, lest it should
prove a signal of the coming of Ex- Governor Wise
YIN his legions, to take captive the fbustering