Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-02-23

VOLUME XII. lfs
they have been so admitted. Nv col.
!!e4gpe AIR. Carlile) and myself now hold
ing seats in the Senate of the United
states, were elected by the Legislature al
4 MheelIng. And Messrs. Blair and 5Segar.
now holding seats in the House of Re1re.
sentatlyes, were elected under warrants is.
sued by His Excellency. Gov. Peirnoint.
the Executive of this re-organized gov.
ernment. And that is not all. For. in
the language of the Hon. Mr.. Colfax.
when lately discussing this same Question
on the floor of the House, of Representa-
tives of the United States:. 8
Secondly, The executive Departmental
the Government, and the highest portion
OF that executive department., the tPresi.
! dent himself, has repeatedly recognized
the Governor and the Legislature Of Yir-
glnia as the rightful authorities : Of that
State. E f,i5 ~
!, Thirdly, The Secretary Of the Treasury
has recognized that government as the
rlghttul government of Virginia, for he
has paid to them out of the Treasury of
the Union, without complaint and without
protest from any one of all the twentysodd
millions of loyal people of the United
States the SAC, 900 remaining inthe Treas
ury as the share of the State of Virginia
OF the proceeds of the sales of the public
lands, and which the Statejof Virginia had
hitherto refused to take from the Treas
ury; -,
recognized his government as the lawful
government of Virginia, and Governor
Pierpoint as the rightful Governor of Yir-
ginia, by accepting his commissions of the
officers of the noble and loyal volunteer
regiments of Virginia, as commissions
emanating from rightful and legal author
ity;.
"FGtlhly, The Secretary of the Interior
has also recognized the same thing in his
communicating to Governor Pierpoint, as
the Governor of Virginia, the official no..
tlce OF the congressional apportionment
of 1860, as required by law. srs-r
Surely, then, | think 1 may confidently
say that the Legislature at Wheeling, and
the government at Wheeling, have been
most amply recognized by stthe proper
constitutional authorities And if, in
the language of the opinion just quoted,
Its decision is binding on every other de-
partment of the government, and would
not be questioned In a judicial tribunal, /"
we ought to be content.
But the opponents of this measure ex-
press equal dissatisfaction with the char
acter the act ofadmission passed by the
Congress of the United States: and whilst
they cannot deny the power of Congress
iii the premises, they assume to aIIege
that this power has. been exercised in
an oppressive and unconstitutional way.
They denounce the act of admission be-
| cause we were not admitted with the Con-
stitutOn we had ordained and adopted,
Observation-Disclosures or conditions Mr.
President, j am free to say that such an.
admission would have been more accept
able to ne. But l put it to you to say
whether there ever was u law passed of
very greatimportancew whichwas, in all res
poets, perfectly acceptable to you. 1t is
impossible to please all parties exactly in
any matter OF important legislation. The
wishes, feelings, prejudices and interests
OF others must be consulted as we'll as our
own. Dr. Franklin remarked, when about
to cast his vote in favor of the Constitu.
ton OF the United States, that there were
many provisions in it which he would de-
sire to be modified; but that considering
the views and opinions of others it was the
best Constitution he could get, and that
ITS advantages and virtues so overbalanced
its defects and vices, that he was willing
/ W ShNAO ~ ~ 40 a. h4lO1Ssa NfGllS
| posed the adoption of the condition i'm
posed upon us in the act of ofadmission. l
preferred to have no such conditions, and
lvoted against them. But was but one of
forty Senators, each of whom were enti-
tied to as much consideration as myself.
A majority of them determined to affix the
conditOns Complained of to the act of ad-
missiont and they did aftix it. The result
was, that Unjust choose between admission
withths Objectionable feature, or rejection
altogether. / could not hesitate. The
advantages of admission thus embarrassed,
over total rejection were, to my mind, so
overwhelming that there was no apology
for hesitation.
But, Sir, let us examine the objection
most frequently, and, as / understand,
effectively ymade against this act of admis-
lsion. IL is called unwarrantable-nay,
opsttaGonal "dietation," on the part
of Congress ywith matters properly cogni-
Fable 10y, and belonging to the people of the
Statefin their municipal capacity. Now,
what is the precise cause of offence?
In the Constitution of the new State
there was this section:-
| No, SLAVE shall be brought, or free per.
son of color Be permitted to come, into
this State for permanent residence.
The following is the substitute proposed
by Congress for the foregoing section: t.The
children of slaves born within the limits
of this State after the fourth of July, eigh-
teen hundred and sixty-three, shall be
free; ard all slaves within the said State
who shall, at the time aforesaid, be under
the age of ten years, shall be free when
they arrive at theage of twenty one years
and alllslayes over ten and under twenty
one years, shall be free when they arrive
at the age of twenty-five years; and no
slave shall be permitted to come into the
State for permanent residence therein
| Now this is the provision which has
created so much ado and inspired so ma