The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-05-13
DAILY LEADER.
sATURDAY. MAY rs. 1893
The Pierpopt d GoYernmenI In VIrGinIa.

4
Since the announcement by Preslden
johnson that the Pierpont government
was recognized IS the Government of th'
State of Virginia, there is a general desire
felt to understand the history Of that gov
ernment- Many people have forgotten, l
they ever knew, the history of the Orgsni
zation of the Alexandria government O.
loyal Virgins, ,snd by many it is confounded
with the government of West Virginia A
brief statement of the fact in the case will
therefore be Of interest
When the state of Virginia was fouHy
and unfairly carried out Of the Union
against her will, the Union people
still clung to the Union with an afec-
tion which State pride and beliefin State
sovereignty could not overcome. Bs-
pecially is this true of the section
of the State lying east of the Blue Ridge.
Here, even after the war broke out, the
Union sentiment was not only predominant
but nearly universal OF course these
Union men, living under the Union flag,
could not snd did not recognize the au-
tbority of John Letcher snd his State gov
ernment a. Richmond. They accordingly
called q meeting at Wheeling, on the l1th
of June, 1851, and issued proclamation,
for the election Of legislature and State
officers for the State of Virginia. The
elections were held, in somewhat irregular
manner, aud resulted in the choice of q
loyal Legislature and State officers, with
Francis B. PIerpont as Governor. This
government met at Wheeling and declared
itself the government Of the State of Vir-
gihis under the old Constitution, and was
recognized as such by the National govern
ment Senators elected by its Legislature
being received into the United States
Senate.
The project for the division of the State
was then bros5hed, and, under the saDction
of the legislature, a convention was held 70
frame separate State constitution forWest
Virginia. The new constitution was adOp-
led by the convention on the 2Bth of No.
vember, 1861, ratified by the people May
Sd, 1862 and consented to by Gov. Pier
points government on the same day. The
constitution was amended on March 26Lh,
1863, by the adoption of clause making
West Virginia free State, and the new
government which was organized under it,
was recognized by Congress, and admitted
into the Union June 10th, 1853, having
thus received the sanction of its own Peo-
pie, of the Pierpont government of Vir-
ginis, and of the Congress of the United
States. Its capital is Wheeling, its Cover
nor is Arthur J. Boremsn Of Parkersburg,
and it is represented in Congress by two
Union Senators and three Union Congress
men. 1t cast its FIVE electoral votes, at the
late Presidential election, for Abraham
Lincoln.
This sction, however, did not extinguish
the PierpOnt Government, which, having
consented to the division of the State,
changed its sea' of government to Alexan-
dris. OF course its functions were very
limited, being confined to the loyal terri
tory remaining in the State after the or
ganizstion of West Virginia. The Legis-
lAture was a polite fiction, AMI Governor
Pierpont found very little to do, having nc
authority, of course, outside our lines, and
6ndingmArtial law almost every where with
in them. He was frequently sadly snub
bed by Generals commanding departments
within the State. His government was
howeverrecogniEed by the national author
titles, and the Senators elected before the
division of the Stste-one of then
being John s. Carlisle, notorious
copperhead-retsined their seats in tn
Senate. Messrs. Underwood and Segu
have recently been elected to three posi-
tions. The national House of Represents
tive however, refused to admit these gen
tlemen who claimed to have been elected f
Congress from different districts in tn
State. We believe no election was held il
the State last fall for President. At leas
the electoral vote of the State was no
counted. The legislature has, however
ratified the Constitutional Amendment
sbolisuing slavery.
This government has been formally re
cognized by President johnson, and Gov
ernor Pierpent has gone to Richmond t
assume the government of the entire Stat'
An election for delegates to the Legislator
and Congress will soon take place. Rt
construction, therefore, IS far rs Virg:nl
is concerned, will preve an easy task.