Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-08-17
AFTERNOON SESSION.

AFTERNOON SESSION.
The Convention reassembled, and Mr..
| Garlic took the floor and proceeded TO
| finish his remarks begun in the morning
session.
+ Mr.. STEWART followed, and in the course
/ of his remarks said he wanted 1t dlsunctiy
understood that he was in favor OF ul'i-
sion of the State, and Inc had beiieEed ana
urged that it should take place Mt the u,ne
! of the Constitutional Convention OF 1871
! Rnt weasapeopIe are here recognizing our
| Government interests. We have an honor
| TO maintain. Everything else sinks into
Iinsionifcance compared to the great object
| of maintaining the Union and the Gov
eminent of the United States. What was
Northwestern Virginia without the Union
If their action here was likely to inJure
the cause of the Union, could MOI they
hesitate before they took any such action.
He said the friends of division urged the
measure. lest the debt of the StNte con-
tracted by the usurpers at Richmond should
ne fixed upou them. Was it to be suppo-
sed that thev would have anything to do
with the debt contracted by n rebel
lious people which the Government was
now putting down. Tie knew there were
true men in the Eastern part of the State.
He had seen them shed tears i'll the Rich
mond Convention when the ordinance was
passed, and he did not desire to cut loose
from such men as these. He protested
against such selfish action.
But he professed to be a constitutional
man, and he prayed them not to be the
first to trample the constitution under foot,
and he appealed to them, what was the
spirit of the provision of the constitution
in relation to the formation of new States,
which he quoted? Did they believe that
this emplated that twO-thirds OF a
State should cut loose from the remaining
State by an arbitrary majority and leave
that third 10 maintain their government
as best they might. 1t was contrary to
all ideas of justice in governments. And
if two-thirds could not do so, how could
one-iourth of State force division
without the consent OF the remainder OF Il
State? The gentleman had asked for n
reason for not taking immediate action.
That reason was that we cannot comply
with the requirements of the constitution
of the United States. Certain influences
had been brought to bear here that he had
not anticipated. That influence was his
friend from Harrison. In the May Con
vention he was in favor of n division.
On the 18th of June he found him oppos-
ing division of the State at that time,
and urging that the primary object OF this
movement was to restore Virginia to the
Union. Now we find him turning around
aud urging Il division. Why was it that
gentlemen were so chnngahle? His nrgu-
ment was that in the first of this session
there was no Legislature. Was there any
in May, when he wanted division? But
it was necessary to obtain the consent OF
the Legislature; he would say that it was
not vet obtained. The gentleman from
Harrison (Mr. Lewis wanted the State di-
vided so as 10 get back to the old rcprescn-
tutivc form of government. Well, sir,
this was Il representative government. lie
had been sent here by constituents, who
SO regarded it. But they didn't send him
here to divide the State; it was to aid in
putting down rebellion. In CanvnSsing
before his constituents he had made this
and the support of the government the
great question, and had ignored the ques-
ton of division because he believed it
would result in dividing our people among
themselves. He did not stand here TO dis
sent from his constituents, and if any man
would convince him that his people want
ell him to take hasty action he would go
with the advocates of division. But he
wanted first, before he did such Il thing, to
90 back to his constituents for instruction.
that an equitable settlement would show
that the West did not owe the East one
dollar.
He nnimadvertcd severely upon sug-
gestion made by Mr. Garlic. that with the
bonds of the new State, Virginia bonds
could be bought at from 80 to 40 cents
Should they thus swindle the people who
had come here to protect and defend our
people from the hordes of secession? No,
sir He hoped the gentleman would never
mention the suggestion again. lilo alluded
to remark of Mr.. Lewis in relation to
treason against the State, that he believed
it would even be treason to petition for II
division of the State. The Constitution of
the United States was above any statute OF
any State, and the right of petition on any
subject was one that was and must be in
violate. He had always cOntended. and
always should, that the people OF North
western Virginia had the right of petition
ing for IL division of the State or for any
other object. With regard to taking add
vantage of the circumstances which gentle
men d''providentinl,n that was another
argument which he placed in the same cat
egory with the proposition of buying up
our own State debts.
Why was it that all the secessioniSts in
his section of the country were now clam
oring for State division?
Mr. LEWIS replied that he believed it was
because they regarded that the vote given
upon that question was Il manifestation OF
the views of the people upon a division OF
the State, and they were willing to "c-
quiesce in the majority.
n Mr.. STEWART said that acquiescing and
advocating was very different thing.
Mr.. GATHER said in his part of the coun-
| try they had understood from that vote,
that IL majority here were in favor of the
Constitution of the United States, and by
dividing the State, and the formation of
the new State, they would have Il good ex-
cuse for submitting to this majoritY.4
| Mr.. STEWART believed notwiths Standing