Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-12-24
Pierpont,s Usurpn,ion.

x
try Of the organization of /" the Lcgi-la.
ture Of Old Virginia." at Alexandria,
and Of the contents of Governor Pier
points Message. Thus bad begins. and
we are afraid worse remains tehind -
We regard this whole contrivance os
new Government for the State Of Vir.
ginia, considering the manner in which
it has been sought to be established, as
wholly artif ial and not t. put too fine
a point upon it, monstrous usurpa-
tiOn.
In the early part Of the war a Con-
vention of delegates was held at Wheel
ing, which put into operation the machin-
cry Of State Government for Virginia,
on what is called loyal basis. Pierpont
was elected as Governor. and other ex
ecutive officers appointed. These were
recognized by the General Governu, ent at
Washington. the effect was to ignore
Lctcher and the Richmond State Govern.
ment.
Afterwards two Senotors were elected, A.,
and they were admitted as the true rep
rcsentatives Of the State; but while this
system was being carried ont, certain
counties Of the old State Of Virginia, by
Convention, agitated the question Of q
division Of the State, which was finally
done, by what Mr. Attorney General
Bates has justly termed "an original in
depe dent act of revolution" the separa-
ton being contaminated by the aimis.
sion into the Federal Union of the State
of West Virginia" Most readers are
familiar with the circumlocutionary meth
cd by which they attempted to evade the
provisions of the United States Consti-
tuition in the formation of this Govern
ment. It's legality remains to be tested
as it no doubt will be, at some day, by
the Supreme Court.
The State Of West Virginia having
been erected, an election was held for
officers, and the Government put upon
an equality with the other States in the
Union. Pierpont, no longer in office,
Immediately went to work to organize
another loyal Government, not for West
Virginia, of course, but for the Old
State. He announced himself a candidate
for Governor, and received some vote,
in those counties then within the lines oI
the Federal army outside of the new
State OF West Virginia. How many
votes he got we do not know, as we have
never seen statement Of the result o.
the "electon.' The whole affair wai
legal, wholly arbitrary and entire
| ly in opposition to the spirit of our re
| nh Inv tn a.
arrangement in Hyde county, Nortl
Carolina, by which Foster claimed t
have been elected to Congress, and t
the proceedings in Tennessee, by whic
lCampbell's friends claim him to hay
been elected Governor. But the Admir-
istration at Washington in recognizin
the Wheeling concern, set for itself
fatal precedent, which las encourage
Pierpont to repeat his revolutionar
scheme. This Alexandria Govern
ment" will no doubt claim to be repre-
sented by two Senators, and will deman
to be considered as tie Government 0
Virginia.
We hope the President will put hi
foot down upon Pierpont's little arrange
| ment Delele III uoeh any more lnlsculei
| he adheres to his plan Of reconstruc
ton proposed in the last message, it i
difficult to see how the Alexandria usur
patton can be tolerated. That plan re
quires the participation of at least one
tenth of the number af voters voting il
each State at the last Presidential eec
ton in order to reorganize the State gov
ernment. Deducting the votes cast il
the counties now comprising the Stat
of West Virginia, it is still certain tha
the territory in Pierpont's jurisdictio,
cannot provide the requisite population
and at least until it does the Pierpon
Government should be regarded and he'll
as purely bogus SAINT Loats RepuJli
can.