Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-11-11
4 Talk with John Iannoy, PresIdent
OF he"VIrsiniR C0nventI0n-The
Attitude or an Old yIrsiniRn
(Correspondence OF the Now York Timesl
LREsBUne, Va, Nov. l, 1861.

| Attitude OF an Old YirSlntRn.
Correspondence of the New York Times)
LBEsBURG, Va, Nov. /, 1861.
t- lr te#
Nothing and nobody in all Leesburg in
terestsd me but one e.haired old Vir-
ginia gentleman, of whom history will have
a word to say. mean John Janney, the
President Of the Virginia Convention nj
Richmond that voted the State out Of The
Union, and whose home is in this town.
In the Convention he constantly and per.
sistently voted against every measure in
any way looking toward secession. though,
as its President, he had 10 affix his name
to document which he considered the
death warrant and suicide of the State
Knowing that when he afterwArd returned
home, and the time for the popular vote
N came, he voted for secession; Twas curious
to know what influences had worked this
interior change in high and pure souled
nRtare.
Oalliugat his residence, L WAS received
with cordialIty by the tall, spare figure
with noble white cherelure, whose every
liueament iandIthe high, courtly, old time
manners plainly showed the fine old Vir-
\ ginia gentleman. Mr.. Janney is now about
sixty five, aud has been of late months in
feeble health. 1t was not difficult pres
emily to carry the conversation from present
affairs and give it 3 historical turn. II did
\ not need his Rvowal TO inform me that he
Ind been all along an Old Line Henry
Clay Wing, and he, had long kept him
self aloof from political parties; it was easy
to see that, such as they have been kept
North and South, they must have offended
his honest temper. twas a little remark
able therefore, that he should have been
| Ch the F,HaaiHinnr nff of
ton on the question. of secession, and the
choice of so conservative, Union.loVing q
man, showed there was some moderation
and virtue in the body. The Convention
met you will remember, in the middle of
February, '6t; and be laid great stress on
the thoroughly Uuion sentiment that pre-.
vaded it during its earliest sessions. If
vote on the question had been taken any
time during theNmonth preceding the at
tack on Fort Sumter, three-fourths at least,
of all thelEvoiGesN would, have been
against the ordnance. When that
event took place, the secession mer-
curry on the instant leaped up in the
barometer. "Was the attack purposely
timed to effect the deliberations of the
body-was the fuse cut at theright length
to carry the shell where wauted2p "phefe
is too much reason to fear it was" The
Union party in the convention, however,
still struggled on. They sent delegates TO
MISUNDERSTANDING, implorlpg some as
sueing word, some basis of hope, some
promise which they could present to their
people. "And Mr.. s., am bound to tell
you we got discouragement rather than
encouragement" Unable thus to get any
rallyiug point, the Union party was over
slaughed, blythe disunionisis, and the Sc.
cession WAS voted by large majority, Mr.
Januey, with some others, holding out to
the last. The Convention dissolved, the
members went home, the popular vote,
without whose ratification the action OF
the body was HVOiee, and nothing more"
was about TO come on but before the day
arrived Mr., r,lLiuGoln bound Virginia with
the blockade, and invaded her soil by
marching troops into Alexandria. When
the time for the popular vote came john
lJanney gave his voice for secession. The
invasion, State Rights and the old time
traditions had done their work. 'Sir, ]
am, in o word, Yirginiau-a citizen OF
la Commonwealth that had existed as a
sovereign, organized government for two
hundred years before the United States
had name" Such, in sentence, is the
history of the lapse of thousands of the
best and purest men of ofYirginia-men who
are now the mAinstay of the rebellion 10
bAG TUG uu CGTIhluly
there could have been no condition of mind
more favorable to the purposes of the plot
ters Of disunion than they found in the
principles, prejudices and traditions of
Yirginiaps. !, a.Ii Eaa
Il thought, however, that could detect a
dawhing consciousness In the mind of Mr.
Janney of how he, and. conservative mind
ed men likehtlim, had been used by the
South Casolina FIRE! eaters. Ifelt delicate at
pressing him on these tender points, but
the rebellion has obviously in his mind not
q clean birth record. The secession Of
South Carolina and the Gulf States he re-
CARDS as gigantic crime-uuproVoked
.uncalled for, unauthorized, illegal and dia-
bolical. Next to this he accounts the ac-
ceptance by the Washington Government Of
1.-The attack on Fort Sumter as q lchallenge to
| war, Followed by the calling out of rs, 900
men, as, grand political blunder. he ex-
coriRtes Mr.. BuchauRu-whom he looks up
on as the weakest aud meanest of all the
tools ever used by q tyranical faction-for
not reinforcing Fort Sumter at time
when II could have been done without Civ
Ing offence but he also blamesMr Lincoln
for treating as case for war an affair that
statesmanshfp would have made a diplo.
matte transaction Of. The lack Of that
statesmanship now is, he thinks, the great
trouble; for he considers there is none of II
on either side. "Read the Constitution,
and you will see that the office of the Pres.