Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1865-08-31
State of West Virginia.

The good people of Jefferson County are in
a fair way to have the benefits and the burdens
Of double Government at one and the same
time.
In Nav. 1868, vote was taken at the
precincts, Harpers Ferry and Shepherdstown
on the question of annexing Jefferson County
to the State of West Virginia and some three
hundred votes were reported in favour of an
nexation. No election was held at the other
precincts. The Legislature of West Virginia,
on the 4th of November, 1868, passed an act to
receive Jefferson County as part of the new
State.
In the contest between Mckenzie and Kitchen
for a seat in Congress from this district Mr.
Dawes of Massachusetts, chairman Of the Com
mitteeon Elections, took the ground that Berke-
lev and Jefferson had not been legally annexed,
In the course ofhis speech he said:
~Tbat it has been the established law of the
country. as pronounced by the Supreme Court,
fiat no two States could change their boundary
lines without the consent of Congress, and hence
Il required the consent of the State of West Vir-
oinia, the State of Virginia, and Of Congress, to
change the boundary line between those States
Congress has admitted West Virginia into the
Union with fixed boundary line. That does
not include the county of Berkeley; and Con-
gress has never consentN that the county Of
Berkeley should be pant Of West Virginia, or
that the boundary line between West Virginia
and old Virginia should be so changed as to IN
clude that county This is, in the opinion OF
the Committee, absolutely necessary; so that
whatever may be the legislation of the two
States on the subject, the county of Berkeley,
without the consent of Congress, could never be-
come part of West Virginia. 1t Is perfectly
apparent that that is necessity Of the case,
for if old Virginia could transfer the county OF
Berkeley to West Yirginiaitcouldtranslerall the
other counties, or could transfer itself to West
Virginia and cease to exist by its own action
The Supreme Court has SAID so,
and that has been always the rule acted upon.
1t was so in case of the boundary line between
Massachusetts, and Rhode Island and also III
the case of the late change of boundary between
New York and Massachusetts, All the prac-
tice has been that without the consent Of Con-
gress there can be no change in the boundary
lines Of States"
BY the Constitution of Virginia under which
Governor Pierpoint acts,) prepared by the Alex
andra Convention and adopted on the 18th April
1864, it is provided that Berkely and Jefferson
Counties shall form Senatorial district, and
each elect two delegates to the General Assem-
bly, and that the Counties of Clarke, Frederick,
Berkeley and Jefferson shall constitute the 18th
Judicial Circuit Of the State of Virginia
JOINT RESOLUTION-Rat ifying the pro
posed Amendment TO the Constitution of the
United States abolishing Slavery.
Whereas the senate and house of representatives,
of the United States of America in congress assem-
bed, BY concurrent vote of two-thirds of both
houses has proposed to the legislatures OF the seve
raj States the following amendment to the Constl-
tuition of the United States, to be classified as art
Gle thirteen of the amendments to said constitution,
namely:
"ARTICLE XIII.
l. Neither slavery nor involuntary servituds, ex-
cept rs a punishment for crime, whereof the party
shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within
the United States at any place subject to their uris
ton.
2. Congress shsll have power to enforce this arti-
Gle by appropriate legislation;" therefore,
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia,
That the said proposed amendment is hereby rati-
fed. Adopted February 8 1865.