The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-05-17
to d." Mr.. Maynard said there were tive
Governore and two I,euialaturpa aaanrnjnu

to do" Mr.. Maynard said there we're "tw
Governors and two Legislatures asaumin
authority over Virginia simults
neously. The question here Il
which nhall tho government Of the Unite'
States recognizes as tho true and law
ful Legislature Of Virginia?n H
commended that II had already been settled
by the admission OF members Of boil
branches Of Congress under the Pierpon
government. Mr.. Dawes affirmed that mo
body has given hia consent to the division
OF the State Of Virginia and the erection O
new State who does not reside within tn
new State ITSELF" He contended therefor
that "this bill does not comply with th
spirit Of the Constitution. II the remaining
portions Of Virginia are under dures
while this consent Is given, 1t Is a mer'
mockery Of the Constitution" Mr.. Brown
OF Virginia, from that part which was to b.
included In the new State, corrected Mr.
Dawes, but the latter maintained tina
while member OF tho Legislature "wal
picked up In Fairfax and two or three gen
tlamon In other parts Of the State, they
protested themselves that they did not pre-
tend to represent tho counties from which
they hailed" ,sHN s'tf-BE
TlIAD STEVENS ROUGH AND READY.
Mr.. Thaddeua Stevens said that he die
not desire TO DO understood as "sharini
tho delusion that We are admitting Yves
Virginia In pursuance Of any proviaion O.
the Constitution" He could find no pro
vision justiiying 1t, and the argument In
favor Of 1t originates with those who either
honestly entertain m erroneous opinion
or who desire to justify by forced con-
s!ruclion an act which they have predeter.
mined to do" lie maintained that II was
but mockery to say that the Legisla.
ture Of Virginia has ever consented to
the division. Only 100000 out OF
q million and quarter Of people
have participated in the proceedings" He
commended that 'the State OF Vir.
ginia hos regular organization and
by large majority OF the people It has
changed its relations to the Federal Gov.
ernment." He know that this WAS treason
in tho individuals who participated in il;
but 80 far rs the State was concerned it was
al valid act. Our government, he argued,
"doee not act upon State. The State, ai
a separate, distinc! body, Is the State Of q
majority Of the people Of Virginia, whether
rebel or loyal, whether convict or free
men. Tho majority Of the people OF Vir.
ginia ia the State OF Virginia, although
individuals have committed treason.
Governor Pierpont," continued Mr.. Stew.
ems, lis an excellent man, and I wish he
were the Governor elected by the people Of
Virginia. But according to my principles,
operating at the present time, i can vote
for the admission oil West Virginia without
any computations Of conscience-only with
some doubt about the policy Of it. None OF
the States now in rebellion are entitled to
the protection Of the Constitution. These
proceedings arc III virtue OF the laws Of
war. We may admit West Virginia aa a
new State not by virtue Of any pro.
vision OF the Constitution, but
under our absolute power which the lava
Of war give US in the circumstances in
which we arc placed. l shall vote for this
bill upon that theory and upon that alone.
l will not stultily myself by surprising that
we have any warrant in the Constitution
for this proceeding" I1I
OHIO TO TIE REsCUE.
Mr.. Bingham, Of Ohio, made an able ar.
gument, principally devoted to rebutting
thesomewhat mischievous ground assumed
by MIR. Stevens. He affirmed that "the
minority Of the people OF the State cannot
be deprived Of their rights because the ma
Jority have committed treason" He ar
gued that, the majority OF the people Of
Virginia having become rebels, the State
WAS in the hands OF the loyal minority,
who in that event had a right to admins
ter the laws, maintain the authority of the
State government and elect State Legisla.
ture and Governor through whom they
might call upon the Federal government
Tor protection against domestic violence,
according to the express guarantee OF the
Constitution. rI7 y
40 deny this proposition" continued
MIR. bingham, lis to say that when the
majority in any State revolt against the
laws the State Government can never be
reorganizsd ncr the rights OF the minority
protected 80 long as the majority are in re-.
volt" He commended that the doctrine he
advocated was not q new one, and be call.
cd attention 10 the remarkable letter OF
THE Federalist," addressed by Mr.. Madi-
son to the American people, in which The
who is called the author OF the Constitu.
ton" asked, "Why may not illicit comb.
nations for purposes Of violence be form
ed as well by a majority OF State as by a
msjority OF q county or district OF the
same State? Aud il the authority OF The
State ought in the latter CASE to protect the
local maglstracy, ought not the federal au.
thority in the former case support the State
authority" ~.
JUSTICE TO A LOYAL PEOPLE.
Mr.. Sugar, who represented the district
including Fortress Monroe, pleaded yery
earnestly against the Acknowledgement OF
his State, and he argued, as Mr.. Powell
had argued in the Senate, that there was
no evidence that msjority Of the people
within the counties which were to CONFUSE
the new Slate bad ever given their assent
to its formation. Tho ordinary vote Of
those counties, he said, was 49,
600, while on the now State
question the entire vote. caBt was
only 10000. He named ten counties
included in the new State organization in
which not single vote had been cast on
either side Of the question at the special
election. Though loyal 10 the Union, and
grieving over the rebellious course Of Vir.
ginis, he begged that thia humiliation
might be spared her. 'Let there not be
two Viigiuias; let US remain one and
united. Do not break up the rich cluster
OF glorious memories and associations
which gather over the name and history Of
this ancient and once glorious Common
wealth." 1sa3 lr5ts
Ou the passage Of the bill the ayes were
90 and the noes IS. Tho ayes were wholly
from the Republican party, though several
prominent Republicans opposed tho meas.
ure. Almost tho entira Massachusetts
delegation voted in the negative, as did
also MIR. Roscoe Conkling, Mr..
Conway, Of Kansas, and. Mr.. Fran.
cis Thomss, Of Maryland. The
wide difference OF opinion con-
corning this net was not unnatural. But
the causo Of the Union was aided by the
addition Of another loyal Commonwealth,
and substantial justice was done to the
brave people Of the new State, who by
their loyalty had earned the right to be