Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1865-11-07
ou1s sTATr REt.ATIoNs.

/
State connections of Jefferson and Berkeley
counties. The copieus citations of authori-
ties ON the matter in controversy between the
two virsipias, and their forcible and practi-
cal application to all the points-of discussion;
4 eyince great industry and research on the
mart of the distinguished writer, and a COM
,lcte mastery of the law of the case of which
he treats.
1t will be observed that Mr. Dawes in the
commencement of his letter remarks: 81 am
reluctant to further continue the discussion
lest l may be considered an antagonist toyour
proposed line, voluntarily entering the list
against you. Nothing can, however, be fur
ther from the fact. 1 have from the be-
ginning believed that the line ought to be
established as you contend it has been, and
one, at least, of your Representatives in tho
last Congress is aware that at the time it came
under my notice in the contested election case
of McKensie Us. Kitchen, [ urged upon him
the propriety of having it SO established by
consent of Congress while all parties were of
one mind"
1t would seem, then, that, in the absence
of any representation of the State Of Virginia
in the last Congress, the Committee on Elec-
tions in the House of Representatives were
guided in their examination of the question
of the jurisdiction of the State of West Vir>
ginia over the two counties above named SOLE
ly by the rigid principles of law involved
the mass of damaging facts in the history of
the attempted annexation having been stu
diously kept from view, by tho parties most
interested to conceal the gross fraud thatwas
intended to be pCrretratcd. Hence Mr.. D.,
who was Chairman of that Committee, and
who has defended its action aud that of the
House in the contested case above referred
ton which it was settled that neither
Berkeley nor Jefferson county was any part
of the territory of West Virginia-very ma
turally expressed his willingness to establish
the boundary which both States seemed to
have agreed upon by reciprocal acts of leg
islation. Fors as the case was presented to
Congress, the two States seemed to be in per-
feet accord as to tho proposed change of their
boundaries. There appeared, to affect the
action of that body, none of the circumstances
under which the election WAS held to deter
mine the question of the contemplated trans>
fer:-neither the failure to notify the people
of an election for any such purpose the ne
glect to appoint commissioners to conduct it,
and the meagre and fraudulent votes that
were cast at it; nor the fact, that at the time
the election was held these counties were in
tersected by the strictcst and most vigilant
military lines, thut often confined the citizens,
Tor whole weeks to their own premises, from
which, on nc prctext however urgent, they
were permitted to pass all of which rendered
any attempt by the people to exercise their
freedom Of choice subject of so much
Importance to them-even if proper notice
had been given to them-a matter of great
peril, if not of utter impossibility. These facts
were carefully withheld from the Congress of
the United States. But we have reason to
believe that Mr.. Dawes, with doubtless others
of that body, upon further investigation of
the subject, hns modified the views entertain
ed by him at the last session as to the pro-
pricty of ratifying the proposed transfer. In
a communication addressed to gentleman of
this place, after having read the report pre-
sentcd to the meeting of the citizens of the
county on the 23d of Sept. he says "In my
second letter, which l enclose, [ speak of al
ways having been in favor of the line claimed
by West Virginia. This has been upon the
assumption, which supposed until now was
true, that all the people of these counties
wanted to be transferred and had so signiicd
at the ballot box" In that spirit of candor
and fairness with which he has discussed the
difficulty between the two States, VIC have
more than an intimation in the above extract
that Mr.. Dawes will not consent either to give
his vote or lend the power of his command
ing influence in the next House of Repre-
sentatives, of which llo is a member, to fastcn
an offensive government upon an unwilling
people, and mutlatc still further the geographic
cal proportions OF the Old Dominion. To
prevent such Il contamination, two petitions
are now in circulation for the signatures of
our citizens, one to the Congress of the Uni
ted States, praying that the consent which is
required to be given by it to any agreement
or compact of one State with another shall be
withheld or, ''that it it should be- deemed
advisable, in order to obtain beyond doubt
the real desires of the people of this (Jcffer-
SOM county on the subject, that it will refer
the matter of the said transfer to a vote of the
people of the said county, taken, as would be
their right in such case, under ths laws of the
State of Virginia.;" the other. petition to
the Legislature of Virginia asking that, "in
view of the manifest wrong that has been done