The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-01-25
Tic Vcsf Virginia Convention.
INTiNslNGUVHIVi iH rIIC VTN'INEaU NOIiIucFC!aT
CHARLESTON, january is, 1872.

CHARLESTON, January is, 1872.
The cid original Virginia made a large
spread cu tie map, cut broad gauge i'll the
history Of the country. and was celebrated
tor her hospitality. chifalry and lndepen-
icncc. and the superior quality of her oat
crops. chewing tobacco, and Presidents. All
her productions were filSt-claSs. Her chew
ing tobacco had us wide reputation rs her
Presidents. She never turned out an intc-
rior quality of either. Her tobacco still
nainains its high estate III the markets Of
the world, but some time ago she ceased pro-
dGcinG Presidents. and it is feared by
thoughtful men that she may not go into the
business again. One of the old sort like
Washington and Jefferson would be an agree
able novelty in politics 1t the present time.
II is 4 matter of history tha; there always
has been more o. less ;lntagoniSm between the
| two great sections Of Nirginia-that is, the
| eastern and western sections. Thirty years
| ago there was talk Of separation, but it ended
| in falkland nothing more. for the pride of the
| Old Dominion would not allow herto submit
| 10 the loss Of an inch OF her ancient posses
sions; and but for tic war there would to-
| day be no State of West Virginia.
The history oi the Old dominion is too
well known to need attention here. and we
will contnc ourselves to Il brief glance at
West Virginia history and tic causes that
| led TO the separation.
The mineral wealth and fertile soil Of
| Western Virginia attracted the attention OF
| and spectators and buyers more than a
| hundred years ago. As early as 1850 George
| Washington was engaged in surveying OH
! this side of the mountains, and with al eye
to future developments i'll tle wild region
! aion" the kanawha river h entered III his
| own name upward of thirtr-two thousand
acres. 1t was then and ut the time OF his
death almost an unbr0kcn wilderness, yet lie
valued il il his will 1t ten dollars per acre.
| But there was no permanent settlement III
| Western Virginia proper until 1854, when two
| dcsertcrs from Fort Pitt came into the wilder
ness and settled in what is now Upslul
county. \ few years after. other adIen-
| turous pioneers followed. and permanent
| settlement was made. These early settlers
subSi,tcd by hunting, fishing, and the
slOreulv cultivation Of q few acres Of corn,
manifcstn- Il lack of industrial enterprise
| which to Il grcat extent chulactcrlZcS the
"old stock" Of W est Virginia to The present
day.
As I have before stated, separation was
talked about, but no step taken until the
spring of 1861. III April of that year an
| ordinance Of secession was adopted 1T Rich
moud. and Virginia was declared to he out OF
the Union. ! majority Of the delegates from
this side Of the mountains voted against II.
| but they were overwhelmed, and returned
home to agitate the question Of u new state.
The initiatory step IN this second secession
movement. this seeding from the state be-
cause the State had seeded from the Union,
was taken in C!ark:burs. where nearly
| iwrlvc hundred citizens met 1T the court
house and adopted resolutions recommends
ny that tie people ii al tiic counties COM
| prising Northwestern Virginia appoint delc-
yates 20 meet in convention III Wheeling on
he Eth day Of May, 1>G!. "to consult ana
determine uI,cn such action aS tie people oi
| Northwestern Virginia should take in the
present fearful emergency
! Delegates from tWcn!t-iINc cntntieS met III
this peculiar convention and l9>srd rcsolu-
ton, Gcno,lncinG the ordinance Of secession
~ III &c: OF treason, and providing for con-
vpntion ol all the curnticS Of Virginia atthcllnS
| TO the National Government.
! This second peculiar convention assembled
in ,Jurr. Forty counties were represented,
and with this slim attendance the convention
proceeded 10 rcptdiatc the acts oi the l,ici'-
| mond convention and "rcUrwanlzC the law
! lul government of the Slltc. Their proceed
ingS were is Illegal aS the Secession ConVeli-
ton they met TO dcnounce and annul, and
| their extraordinary acts, setting at defiance
all known law and gospel, can only be en-
c,,sed upon the broad ground that it is some
times Necessary to fight the devil with fire.
This convention, Illegally called together
and Illegally acting, put L. Ii. PierpoIt IN
the Executive clair and called their csai'-
!iSltment The "Hc0Jganizcd Government OF
| Virsinia," although ii VA: utterly without
power east of the mountains, having lot SO
much rs Il constable who dare obey its Il@ll-
dates. 1t was one oi the ridiculous iarceS
that sometimes come to the surface in olu
complex Government. =
But the arrangement in this fashion was
necessary in order to comply with the proV-
s;ons of the Federal Constitution rcIuirn"
the consent Of the Legislature OF a State &c
the erection Of Il new state within its juIis-
dicticn. During lis first session this Nir-
-inia Legislature No. , elected United Statc,
senators to take tic place Of the old ones,
who had run away 10 ''go with their State,
and voted $20o,0G0 for military defence.
But Congress refused to recognize the new
State in the old she'll until slavery was abol-
ished, and the loyal Firginians were met
with a new trouble. As Il compromise, they
adoptcd what is known as the "Nille!
amendment" designed to gradually abollsi
slavery, letting into the arena oi freedom !;
few ut 4, time.
This Legislature Of "Rc0rganizcd Eir
~inia," although III truth it was us iilega! IL
! the Secession Convention Itself, gave lis con
sent to the formation ot q new State, and il!
/ Jane. 1863, West Virginia was admitted int
the Union. That is the history Of the brit
of West Virginia. AS to what became of tho
"ReUrr;,nizcd State Of Virginia" that 'gart
its consent TO the formation of new State
don't know. 1t certainly is not the concern
they have at Richmond at present. There /
: a Government missing.
The Constitution Of West Virginia at pre-
f sent in force was adopted ut time when
= large portion of the people were under {
political ban 1t was the work of faction
r and for that reason. rs much as because prac
s ticc has demonstrated some parts OF it to bt
cumbersome and difficult to operate, it is pro
posed TO abolish the whole thing and make ;
new one. Since the old one has been il
force the disfranrhiscd class has come tx
mower. and the State is largely Democratic
1t is well enough to understand at the begin
: ming that the movement Is a Democratic
movement, and that the new Constitution tc
: be turned out will be less like that OF ONO
than the present one, and more like that o
Virginia Of old.
!, When West Virginia was formed into &
State and her Constitution created, the WORE
of forming and creating was done by men
who proposed to northernizc the State TO the
fullest extent possible, and eradicate Old 10
miuion footprints from the statute books
So they adopted whole sections from the
Constitutions Of northern States, and maze a