Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-08-22
A card from Hon. WIN. G. Brown.

fhlh6WooDJ aug. 1oI 1000
Editors Lnteltigeneer:
From the fact that you and l, since the
dawn of the rebellion, have been together
on all subjects, both in relation to the new
State movement aad the crushing ont of
the rebellion, you could not, nor would
not, do me injustice in anything. You
published in your Mondays paper-with
approbation-An article from the Wells
burg Herald, in which Gu allusion was
made towards the delegation in the last
Congress, from Virginia, in which great
injustice was done them. The members of
the Convention who framed the Coustitu-
ton of West Virginia were elected after l
was. During the labors of that Conven-
ton the question was agitated whether
West Virginia should have inserted in her
Constitution a provision looking to the
ultimate extinction of slavery within this
State; and, although my friends, the late
Gordon Battelle and J. s., Pomroy and
others, advocated the measure, yet it was
defeated by a very decided vote. During
the discussion of that subject, wrote q
letter to Mr.. Bartelle and another to Mr.
Pomroy, urging them to procure proVis-
ion declaring all persons born of slave
mothers after the 4th of July, 1862, free.
After tho Convention had finished their
labors and left the Constitution silent on
that subject, l felt confident that the
new State bill could not pass Congress as
the Constitution then stood, and l wrote
letter to your paper dated some time in,
March, 1862, suggesting that side Uote
should be taken on the first Thursday in
April-when the people were to vote on
the ratification of the Constitution
whether West Virginia should ultimately
be free State or not. The letter you
published, endorsing the suggestion
Immediately after the vote was published
indicating on the part of the people wish
to have a provision in favor of gradual
emancipation, drew up bill in which
introduced the post matt provision, had it
printed and referred, aud which bill could
have been passed but for the wild and
mischieyous scheme of Mr.. Carlile.
In the Senate Mr., Wiley had to combat
the bill of Mr.. Carlile, and in doing so he.
offered what was called the Wiley
amendment" which so far as it related to
slavery was taken from my bill. 1t is true
that the Wiley amendment was amended
by Senator Lane of Kansas, which inter-
fered with the young slaves in eSse. Mr..
Wiley voted against Lanes amendment
but when it was adopted, he nobly sus-
tanned the bill and passed it through the
Senate, and my colleagues from the west
fought most ardently and successfully for
it in the House.
My principal object in writing this letter,
is to ask you to look up my letter of March
1862, and republish it; or send me copy.
Instead of being in the "slow COACH"
either on subject of the new State, or of
making the new State ultimately a free
State, 1 was always in advance of the
public men of that day. l have no COM
plant to make of the public men who diff
tered with me, and thought that it was not
necessary to be in a hurry about pressing
forward the new State question, or of haV-
ing a provision inserted in the Constitution,
making West Virginia ultimately free
State-they were good and loyal men, and
NEST of them have been endorsed by the
people in the recent elections, but desire
my position on all public questions since
the Charleston Convention, to be rightly
and particularly SO, as am
about winding up long public life, during
which l have had the good fortune to
the reputation or an hUuesr aud
faithful public servant, though not of
highly gifted one.
Yours truly WIN. G. Brown.
1--WE did not understand the wellsburg
HeraLds remarks to refer to the new State
question at all, but rather to national ques-
tions, such as the abolition of Slavery in
the District of Columbia, the Proclamation
ratification-the Confiscation bill, So
We may be in error, but this was our I'M
derstanding of the article.-EDs. INTEL