Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1868-05-16
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In the speech referrcA ,o,iu DOR notice
of last nights Demscratic mssiny, the
of the Occasion charged Tho Re-
publican party with frequent and habits-
,ual violations of the Constitution. In
this connection he laid particular Stress
upon the admission Of West Virginia
Into tho pnion, and deied any Rcpubli-
can to defend that act. The language
Of thu Constitution s-coaossaiog Now
States, is substantially as quoted by Mr..
woodburn. Article w., Sec. 3, reads
jas follows; "Nev States; may be sd3
United by the Congress into this Unioni
but no new State shall be formed or
erected within the Jurisdiction of any
other State, nor auy State be fortnedEbS
the junction Of two or more States or
parts Of States, without the consent Of
the Legislatures 0 fthe States concerned,
as well as of the Congress" Couple
with this tho eorrelativo clause which
provides that the United States shall
guarantee to each State a republican
form Of government, and we will then,
as suecinetly as we are capable Of, u.s.
certain the argument contained in the
facts of history. On tho 18th OF Feb
ruary, 1861, u Convention, composed Of
l52 members, met iu the city Of Rich
mond, pursuant to a proclamation Of the
Governor of Old Virginia. On the nth
Of April following, this Convention, by
q vote Of ss to IS, passed an ordinance
Of secession. Before the required vote
on this ordinance vas taken, however,
tho State Government proceeded rs
Though it had been ratified, removed
United States flags, raised troops, bor-
rowed money, appointed delegates to the
Confederate Congress and invited the
Confederate government to make Rich
mond its Capital. Whom the vote was
taken on the secession ordinance, East
ern Virginia was almost unanimous for,
while the Western portion was quite as
unanimous against it. These Western
counties were 80 in number, and en-
braced q population Of 2sl ,7s6 souls.
The loyal men Of these Western coun-
ties were not willing to DO drawn into
tho vortex Of rebellion by the mad
traitors Of the Eastern portion Of the
State, nor did they, al did their oppo-
nents, consent to be deprived of their
equal suffrage in the Senate of the Uni
ted States. ..
They therefore held a Convention,
elected n Legislature, State Govern
meut, and members Of Congress, and
applied for recognition as n State in the
Union, and that they no longer be " de-
prived Of their equal suffrage in the
Senate" If it is admitted that the
guarantee of a Republican form Of Gov
ernment refers to aud concerns the peo-
pie, rather than the land and water,
rivers and mountains Of a State, we
find all of the people of Virginia to
whom the Government could make aud
insure such guarantee applying for it.
The only Legislature in Virginia that
maintained or professed practical rels-
tions with the Government, not only
consented but requested the organiza-
ton of the new State. Senators elected
by this Legislature claimed, in the
name of their State, "equal suffrage
in the Senate"
Would Mr.. Woodburn have gone to
the Legislature that had elected men,
bers of the rebel Senate, and asked their
consent to the organization Of a new
State2 1t is the merest subterfuge to
claim that tho Confederate State Of Vir.
ginia had to DO consulted abontlho al
mission of the loyal State of West 'Vir'
ginia. The rebel portion of the State
was practically out Of the Union, how
ever wrongfully. The loyal portion
had refused to go out, and, being the
only portion applying for recognition,
or to which we could guarantee ropnb'
lican government, We recognized it and
made the guarantee peaceably, while
we brought all the power of the Gov
eminent to bear to forcibly compel the
rebel portion to return to duty. CT,