Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1866-02-22
Correspondence Of the Journal-l
WHEELING WEST VA
Feb. 10, 1866.
Nh EDIToR:-

WHEELING WEST VA.
Feb. 10, 1866. I
Mr. EDIToR:-
I have bern stop
, ping for a shors-tIme here at Wheel
ing, the present Capitol Of the State
and will enclose you few items Of
news. For the past few week the
City has been all alive with excite
ment, owing to the fact that the Leg.
il Iature and Court Of Appeals have
been in session. Important meas
ures before the Legislature, especially
the permanent Location of the statc
Capital anI other public buildings,
have brought Up to the City an un
usually large number of prominent
citizens from all parts Of the State.
The contest for the Capital has heen
principally confined to BuckhSnon in
Upshur county and your neigi!bor7ng
City of Charleston, in Kanawha coun-
ty. Buchanon at first seemed des.
tined to outstrip all of her conpeti-
tors. but prospects are now looking
much more favorable for Charleston.
A bill fixing the Capital at Buckhanon
PISSED the House some days ago,
but upon reaching the Senate it was
amended by inserting Clarksburg in
the place OF Buckhanon, and thus
amended was laid upon the table.
The House and Senate being thus at
loggerheads, it is hoped and conf
IDENTIFY anticipated that no final &C
tion will be taken upon the question
this winter Charleston gains every
thing by delay, inasmuch as several
Counties from that section of the
State are not at present represented
in the Legislature, thereby weaken
ing her strength to the extent of six
or seven votes. A delegation of
prominent citizens from Kanawha
county has been stopping in the
City for several days past, zealousiY
lo5oring for Charleston. Among
whom 1 noticed Captain j. w. Cra-
craft, formery y of your Twenty third
Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry,
and now promising young lawyer
residing at Charleston. The inter
ests ofKanawha could not have been
intrusted to better hands.
Rumor says, that in the Capital
question. Mason county has been
playing double. attempting to nego-
tiate ade with the Buckhanon an
terest, by giving to Buckhanon the
Capital, and securing for herself the
Agricultural College, thus leaving
Charleston out in the cold. Truly
Mason is growing enterprising The
Agricultural College added to her
projected Woolen Factory and Ma
rine Railway, would give your rival
Point Pleasant, quite the start of you.
DR. Pinnell, l believe once resident
ofyour City, is the present speaker Of
the House. He represents Upshur
county. is said 10 be one of the keep
est politicians in the Legislature, and
heads the Buckhanon interest in the
fight for the Capital.
The present being virtually the
first term of the Court of Appeals
since the close of the war, many i'm.
portant lar questions have been be.
fore the Court, touching the status
of unconStracted rebels, and the con-
stitutionality of certain State laws
relating thereto and enacted by the
Legislature during the war. Per
haps the question that has excited
the most interest is that relating to
the admission of returned rebel at
torneys to practice in the Courts of
this State. By an act Of the Legis-
lature passed November 10th, 1863,
it is provided that "every person
elected or appointed to any office of
trust, civil or military, SHALL take
certain oath therein prescribed,
which is in. substance that he has
never in any shape, manner or form
taken part in, or aided or abetted the
late rebellion. During the Fall
terms of the circuit Courts through.
out the State, the question arose
whether attorneys wee officers within i
the words and spirit OF tile Statute
and as such required to take the
oath above referred to. The ques.
tion was differently decided by differ
ent Circuit Judges, some requiring
the oath, and others not In order !
to test tue matter before the Court of
Appeals, Faulkner of Berkley county,
minister to France under Buchanan's
administration, during the war 6
rebel of considerable notoriety and
at one time prisoner in the old
Capital at Washington, moved the
Court for permission to qualify as an
attorney of the Court without taking
the oath prescribed by the act OIL
1868. The motion was very ably