Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-02-06
Debate in the West Virginia Legislature

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Debate in the West Virginia Legislature
We cannot so far forget old associations as {,
be Indifferent to occurrences in West Virginia
Indeed We cannot bring ourselves to regard the
separation between MS in any other light tlr'u
an accidental and transient severance. We
choose, until events shall prove Us To be in
error, to regard this separation in the light OF a
temporary divorce u,cRSo e hOr0, rather
thanas apermanent rupture of the ru'c'i'm ni0
trHaOHU. Influenced by this sentiment, We feel
almost as much interest in what occurs in West
Virginia we do in what tranSpircS in the Va
riOus portions Of our own State.
The Wheeling Register OF February lsi, con
tains an interesting debate, which took place III
the House OF Delegates Of West Virginia Ola
the 3lst of January. Il was ON a bill To amend
the law in relation to the competency ct wit
nesses-as follows;
.. Be it enacted by the Legislature OF West
" Virginia
al. No person shall be incompetent as a wit
ness on account of color or race.
"2. Section 20, of chapter l76, Code Of lir-
d" ginia, second edition, aud all other acts con
' fictiug with the foregoing section, or parts oI
90 acts, are hereby repealed"
The debate on this subject was long, warm
and interesting. IL was participated in by III
teen members.
Mr.. Bee, of Doddridge, said that-'lIe
would much sooner vote for bill to prevent
"negroes from coming into the State. 1t thi,
&c bill were passed, it would be repealed il
% could not stand; the people of West Nir-
ginia would not submit to 1t he knew Dod-
bridge county would not submit To it, and lac
would vote against it,
Mr.. DARNEL, Of Mason, said" Mason county
would spurn the bill, and ii it was passed the
Z. Union soldiers would drive the negroes from
the State"
Mr. BENNETT, of Gimcr, said lie wished
% to cast his vote in such a way To promote
e the interests Of the great Union party If he
" voted for this bill he could not 90 home and
" live in his county
Mr.. JouNsaN, OF Tyler, said lie did not
&" think the people OF this State would az
cept the bill lie did not believe the time
&" would ever come when We should encourage
negro immigration or negro equality"
We make these brief citations as indicating
the feeling of many ofthc speakers ON the sub
iect Of the negro.
The question recurring on the passage of the
bill, it was adopted by the following vote
YEAS.-MeSsrs. Ballard, Beeson, Bell Rrsior
Brown Carroll Cassidy, Combs, Cunningham Cur
It's Dolly. Dyche, Fleming, Con, Hagans, Hooker,
Hornbrook, MARS, Mccoy, McQuilkin, McWhurter
Reader, Riddle, smith, ol Hancock smith. of Berl-
~, Stidger, Trainer. Whether and WOrklnau-2l
NAYS-Me>sSrS. ID. :. Pinnc, lSpeaker,) Bee
Bennett Camden, Cook, Cooper, Darnell, Davis
Given Higgins, Hnchman, lIiukc, Johnson Kcl-
lar, Kyle, Lockhart, Maxwell, McCurdy Spencer
Williamson aud Zinn-2l.
The reader will, no doubt, glance over the
names of the members with interest Some OF
them familiar.
So, it seems that in loyal West Virginia the
proposition to make she negro a competent wit
ness passed the House of Delegates 10y ma
jority OF only eight votes.
While upon the interesting subject Of West
Virginia, We take occasion to add, that from
q long article in recent number of the Cmciu-
natl Commercial on the subject OF ''The Reac-
tiouary Movements in West Virginia. based
upon articles that have appeared in the papers
Of West Virginia, it appears that there is
growing party in that State in favor of the re-
union OF West with East Virginia. The Cone
mercial says this party is likely ''to give some
trouble" 1t uses the word 'ploI, +" aud speaks
Ofthose in West Virginia who favor reunion as
"the agents OF the Richmond plotters." 1t ap-
pears that in some OF the eastern counties of
Nest Virginia meetings have been held
doubtless under Instructions from Rich
mond,T to take steps Tor a Reunion
with Virginia. The Commercial says;
The Wheeling Igtcliigencer adnouishes the he
actionsts that their dream OF 3, reunion with the
old State is vain and illusOry, and advises them %
be careful how they atOul ct the PROVISIONS ui
the organic law. The ParkeTs6urg Ga-ctte Is not
so confident Is evident from the earnest tone oil
we-cOnsidered and lengthy article on the subject
IL Is OF opinion that when, in The ninth Jndcidl
district OF the state al OK Lieutenant Governor ol
the rebel government VI NUgtuia Is elected Circuit
Judge by the votes O the people, there Is necessity
for legislation that viii diminish the pHWer Tor h'"-
chief which these cOnSpiratorS against the very cN
iStence of the State, are gradually gaining.
Why this desire Tor reunion should be- harShly
denominated plot and "a conspiracy
it be criminal for Virginia to wish to re-uuite
with West Virginia, or tor portion, or the
whole Of West Virginia to wish for the same
reunion 1t surely is better TO love one
another than to hate one another. As To the
talk about plots aud conSpiracicS, 1t is all non
sense. Virginia would employ no unworthy
means TO bring about the desired re union. She
is perfectly frank in the expression ct her de
sire in this behalf, and will use all proper and
honorable means to ehectuate IL. There is mo-
occasion for unworthy intrigucs OF di,honorable
expedients.
This is an affair with which outsiders have
nothing to do They had better quit mcddlus
with it, They could certainly be- better en-
ployed than in sowing the seeds of diStrust and
discussion between two States that until very
recently, were one, and which, by every con-
siderstion OF policy IS well as by every Senti-
ment and sympathy, should be one again.