Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1866-12-11
GOVERNOR PIERPoNTsoN THE STATUS
OF JEFFERSONtAND BERKElBYss
COUNTIES.

or JEFFERSoN,AND BERKELEY
COUNTIES. f.stl,st -
---I1- The wonderfully long message which
Governor Pierpont hasput before the Lcgis-
lature Of Virginia, he has apparently taken
much pains to say Is little as possible about
the status of Jefferson aud Berkeley counties
He contents himself by referring to the re-
port of the Attorney General of the State
report which we have not yet seen. We
are not surprised at this slight of the Goy>
ernor. IF he had chosen to reveal the histo>,
ry of the transfer of these two. counties to
West Virginia, he. would, necessarily, have
been compelled to exhibit his own want of
upright dealing from the beginning to the
end of the nefarious transaction. He would
have told how he had certified that the cleo
ton held III this county had been held in ac-
cordance with the law which some of our po
litical trieksters had had passed by the little
band of restored Virginians who manufac-
tured laws at Alexandria, when he knew,
beyond all doubt, that the terms of that law
had not been complied with in any of its par
ticulars, and especially so upon the important
requirements of holding the election at only
such time as when it could be ''fairly and
properly" held, and Of ''opening polls teach
of the eight election precincts" of the coun-
ty., The Governor knew that on the day of
election one half of the county was in the oc>
cupancy of the Federal army, and the other
half was held by the Confederates; that polls
We're opened at only two of the eight pre-
cincts that 10. notice, of any sort, much less
one in accordance with the law. had been
given to the voters outside of the Federal
lines and that the actual polling of votes was
not supervised by properly appointed officers,
He would have had to tell the Legislature
how he had explicitly promised, in July,
1865, at the request of large number of our
citizens, to proceed to organize the county
under Virginia laws, by the appointments of
2 judicial officers, and how, when the people,
finding him apathetie in the matter, proceed
ed to do it for themselves under the provisions
of the code, he initiated the project of militia
ny prohibition by advising Governor Bore
man of the intentions of our people and sug~
costing the propriety of inhibiting any action
on the. part Of the people towards even peace
able resistance of thewrong he bad been main
ly instrumental in iuficting upon them how,
after nominating, as his oath to- the Constitu-
ton required him to do, judge7lor dtisdis-
trict, composed by that Constitution of the
counties of Jefferson, Berkeley, Frederick
and Clarke, he advised the judge not to take
any jurisdiction over. Jefferson and Berkeley,
and how, in every way, he has been the bit,
terest foe to Virginia in this matter, and tho
warmest advocate of the transfer to West Yir-
ginia ; how he has been deaf to the wishes of
twenty odd thousand people merely to sub
interests of few miserable political
fers who knew themselves to be too
association with Virginians; and
now that the Legislature having
tdsred suit to be brought to test the validity
hl the transfer, he is turning the cold shoulder
( to the Eirginian side of the controversy
These revelations were due to the LegisIa-
elres but the Governor did not make them,
not so much GA account of any fear he may
have had ofthe damage done thereby to his Off
cial condGc. or his private character, as for
the fear that he might be doing injury to the
Professions of West Virginia