Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-12-11
The State of West VIRGINIA,

The bill for the admission of West Virginia
into the Union, which passed the senate at the
last session, has occupie the attention of the
house for the last two or three days. Its adms-
sion is advocated on the ground that its geogra-
phical formation readers the division of the state
expedent and proper; that the people Of West
Virginia have long been unjustly oppressed by
the more favored and powerful section east of
the mountains; that they are and have been
from the beginning loyal to the government,
while the rest of the state has been and is dis
loyal; and that all the provisions of the
constitution relating TO the erection of new
states have been, in their case, complied
with, The passage of the BILL on the 9TH
er hand, was opposed with much vigor and
ability, on the ground that the Wheeling gov
ernment, under which all the steps preliminary
had been taken, was not the legitimate govern
ment of Virginia; and that the organization of
independent governments by few individuals in
seeded states was radically revolutionary in
character, and subversive of the republican sys
TEN. Mr.. Conway of Kansas stated other OBJ
jections to the BILL which apply as well to move
ments set on foot in regard to other revoted
states, and are, therefore, of peculiar interest
He said -
with the admission of this new state the
president would have substantially created four
senators, two for Virginia and two for West Vir-
ginia. He would also have substantially created
fifteen electoral votes for president, belonging
to the state of Virginia, and six or eight as be-
longing to the new state, beside the number of
members of this house, to which West Virginia
will be entitled, and also the number which may
come in hereafter from the socalled Virginia il
self nudRr MIR PiprnOnt'S Certificate NOvy
pose this scheme is carried into the other seced-
ed states, and if it be right here it is right any
where, and if it is good thing across the Po-
tomac it cannot be bad thing in Tennessee or
at Port Royal.
He was informed that steps have already been
taken for similar action in Louisiana, Tennessee,
North Carolina, and other parts of The south,
and had recently seen in one of the newspapers
letter signed by the president to one Smith,
recommending him for some such work in Ten
neSsee. What will be the undoubted result of
all this? Why, that the president, Though bis
particular friends, few in number and perhaps
unprincipled in character. will exercise the fed
eral powers pertaining under the constitution to
all the seeded states. He will have twenty-five
senators, and nearly one half of the electoral
college, to say nothing of this house and every
thing else. How much better, pray, would this
be than the slave ogarchy itself? Would it in
deed be any thing else than a new slave oligar-
chy of a most raw and disgusting nature?
Mr. Conway argued that the situation with re-
gard to The seeded states was, that they were
out of the Union by having a quired at least
beligerent character, thus securing an interna-
tional status incompatible with their federal re-
lations. This placed them 10 us in the position
of foreign power, with whom we are at war
and made their territory subject to our sOver-
eign will whenever we succeeded in taking it
from them.
The true policy of the government, there
fore, was to hold them as conquered territory
wherever and whenever our arms were extended
over them.
1t is understood that, the bill having passed,
the Pierpont government which claims 10 be
the Government of the whole of Virginia, will
remove from Wheeling to Alexandria, and the
new state will start in business on its own
account. This pledge has already been given to
the president, and the plan is not concealed from
congress-.