Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1882-09-10
HI.
Mr., Lamb In War Times.

| The civil war found Mr.. Lamb engr0sSed
in the duties of his position in the bank,
but it also found him a keen observer Of
events and q careful student of the dangers
OF the hour. He had never then held pub
! lie office except the city clerkship from
1890 to 1896 and had taken very little part
! in the great political struggles that had
| divided parties up to that hour. Early in
! life he became welded to the policies and
fortunes of Henry Clay, but he only held
| the position Of voter, not worker, i'll the
| Wing party.
He had met Henry Clay just after his
| majority, when Wheeling was the stopping
| place for the statesmen of that day, when
] on their way to Washington. Jackson,
| johnson, Clay, Benton, and almost all of
the great men of the times he had seen and
heard, but his conservative nature and quiet
| disposition was aroused by Clay alone and
| he became his devoted admirer.
When sectional agitation had finally pro-
voked secession, the threatened dissolution
| of the Union stirred Mr.. Lamb from his
| quiet life and carried him into the vortex
! of politics. He went to Richmond during
the secession convention and kept his eyes
and his ears open. When he returned home
he held the settled conviction that bloody
war was but few days ahead. When his
neighbors asked him his opinion OF the
future, he replied: The Convention will
pass the ordinance OF secession and there
will be war
The people thought was cracked" said
he to me when speaking of the estimate
put upon his opinion by those who asked
IT.
There were few secessionistS in this sec
ton of the State and no one believed there
would be an armed conflict. In few days
they changed their minds and began to pre-
mare for the inevitable
The famous meeting of the 18th of May
was called to decide upon the course of the
Unionists and in it Mr.. Lamb was prcmi-
ncnt figure. John S. Carlisle sought thus ear
ly to organize the new State, but MI Lamb
acted as the balance wheel to Mr.. Carlisle's
enthusiasm and STAYED of the consideration
of so grave matter. In the June conyen-
ton which followed when the restored
Government of Virginia was organized Mr..
Lamb was also a conspicuous figure. Not as
4 speaker, for he never was that. His work
was that of the draughtsman. His clear
power Of statement and pure logic gave to
the political work of those early days, the
solid legal foundation upon which future
movements were based. Gov. Pierpont
was made Governor OF restored Virginia
by that Convention and Mr.. Lamb was
chosen one of his council. Afterwards
when the convention was called, which
Lamb. took leading place in tina; body,
quistsy tn8Ting in the committee room
ard seeh.nsoStly in the completed work.
He was opposed to the organization OF
the new State at that time beCauSed he be-
lieved that secession could best be crippled
by maintaining the State of Virginia intact.
When the vote was taken upon the Ques-
ton of organizing the new State ii Was car
ried by vote oflffty-two to fifty. The op
ponentS of the division of the State, under
the leadership of Mr. Lamb, then proceeded
to destroy the value of the success obtained
by those who were in favor ofdividing Viz
ginia, by lacking on amendments that
would destroy its force. Ii soon became APP
parent, however that To defeat the division
OF the State would be TO create
serious diSSensions in the ranks OF the
CniouiSis OF which there were none more
ardent than Mr.. Lamb. Opposition thereto
was abandoned and Mr.. Lamb At once en-
tered heartily into the work OF preparing
the people for the revolution In hisoppo.
sition 10 the organisation OF West Vir-
GINA Mr.. Lamb was sustained by Mr. Lin
coin and nearly all Of his constitutional ad-
visers. He had frequent conferences with
Mr.. Lincoln and uembegs Of the Cabinsf
early in 1861, and while they were ardent
in support of the restored government
they advised against the attempted disso.
luton of the State
Mr.. Seward won Mr.. Lambs dislike in
his first interview with him, hF sayinr
when approached in relation 70 khe organ
ization Of the reStored Government of Vir-
gina, fhere IL no necessity for it sir; tn.
war will not last sixty days The patron,