The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-05-17
the Union would complete the chain Of
loyal COMMONWEALTH ON thu aonth aida Of

loJAl AOUlMOuWeAItQ6 Oh l16 60utn blub
Mason and Dixon 8 line, and would driv
back the jurisdiction Of rebellious Virginia
j. beyond the chain Of mountains and inter
. pose that barrier TO the progress Of tho In
Burrectionary forces westward and north
ward. The provision In the Federal Con
stitution that no new State shall DO formet
within the jurisdiction Of any other Stat
without the ConGent Of tho Legislature Of th'
; State as wall as Of Congress, had always beer
the acknowledgement In the way Of West Viz
{ ginia's Independence. Despite the hoatili
D ties and antagonismB Of the two popula
. tlons Virginia would insist on retainin,
this valuable section Of country within he
own Jurisdiction. But now, by thu
: chances OF war, the game men who desiret
TO create the new State were welding thu
entire political power OF Virginia and the,
would naturally grant permission to them
selves 10 erect State that would be entire
ly FREQ from the Objectionable jurisdiction
which for the time they represented. The,
were not slow to avail themselves Of theil
opportunity. N3.
Il DOING TIE DEED.
The Pierpont government, as 1t was now
popularity termed, adopted an Ordinance
on the Goth Of August, 1861, providing "fsl
the formation Of new State out Of q por
ton Of tho territory Of this State" The
Ordinance was approved by a vote OF the
people on the fourth Thursday OF October
and on the 26.h Of November tho conven.
tioIt assembled in Wheeling to frame Il
Constitution for the new government.
Tho work was satisfactorily performed,
md m tho Il rok Nhnrodav ~ aNx;i 1910
the people approved tho Constitution by a
vote Of Is. sG2 in favor Of 1t with only Oh
against It. The work Of tho representa-.
tives OF the projected new State being thus
ratified, the Governor called the Legis!a.
ture Of Virginia together on the 9th day OF
May, and on the l3:h Of the same month
that body gave itH consent, with due rpgl.
larity, to 'the formation Of new State
within the jurisdiction Of the said State Of
Virginia" A fortnight later, on the 18Th OF
May, Senator Wiley introduced the sub.
ject in Congressby presenting memorial
from the Legislature OF Virginia, together
with certified copy OF the proceedings
Of the Constitutional convention and the
: vote OF the people. agg5.
:. The Constitution was referred to the
Committee on Territories and bill favora-
BILE to admission was promptly reported by
: Senator Wade, OF Ohio. .E. :
: The measure was discussed at different
periods, largely with reference to the effect
1t would have upon the institution OF
slavery, and Congress insisted upon in.
sorting provision that "The children OF
slaves, born in the State after the fourth
day Of July, 1868, shall be free; all slayas
within the said State who shall at that time
be under the age Of ten years. shall be free
when they arrivc at the age OF twenty.one
years; all slaves over ten and under
twenty.one shall DO free at the age Of
twenty-five years; and no slave shall
| be permitted to come into tho State
| Tor permanent residence therein" This
condition was to be ratified by the conyen-
| ton which framed the Constitution, and
| by tho people at an election held for the
purpose, and, upon due certifcatiou OF tho
approval OF the condition to the President
OF tho United States lie was authorized to
lesue his proclamation declaring West Viz.
ginia to be State OF tho Union.
THE SENATE on TIE NEW STATE,
MIR. Sumner was not satisfied with con.
'liton which left West Virginia with Gny
form Of slavery whatever. He said there
were twelve thousand human beings now
hold in bondage in that State, and all who
are over a certain age arc to be kept 80 for
their natural lives" He deaired 10 strike
out The provision which permitted this and
to inaert one in lieu thereof, declaring that
within tho limits Of the eaid S!ste there
ahall be neither slavery nor involuntary
Bervltude otherwise .than in the punish
ment OF crime, whereof the party shall
have been duly convicted" Mr.. Summers
amendment WAS opposed by some Of this
most radical anti-slavery men in the Sen.
ate; notably by Colla,ner and Foote, OF
Vermont, by Wade, Of Ohio, and by Howe,
of Wisconsin. They believed that the con.
victions Of the people Of West Virginia had
developed to the point embodied in the
bill, and that to attempt the immediate
exfirpation OF slavery might lead to reac-
ton, and possibly to the rejection Of the
Constitution. MI. Summers amendment
was therefore defeated by 81 votes against
II. OF the "a votes, II we're given BY Re-.
publican Senators.
Mr.; Powell, Of Kentucky, vigorously op.
posad the bill in all it's parts. He CON
tended that I'll the cities OF New York and
Brooklyn, with the counties in which tliey
are located, were to got up little bogus
Legislature and say they were the Slate OF
New York, and ask to be admitted and cut
off from the rest Of the State, would lust
as soon vote for their admission as to vote
for the pending bill" No Senator, he
said, could pretend to claim that .'eyen a
third part Of the people OF Virginia had
Lever had anything to do with rendering
their assent to the making Of this new
State within the territorial limits OF that
ancient Commonwealth" lie declared
this to be "a dangerous precedent which
overthrows the Constitution and NAV be
fraught with direful consequences" "Out
OF the 100 counties that c1mpose the
State Of Virginia" he continued, "less than
onefourth have assumed to act for the en-.
tire State; and even within the boundaries
Of the new State, more than hall the voters
have declined to take part in the cleo.
tions."
Mr.. Wiley argued that the Legislature
represented the almost unanimous will OF
the loyal people OF West Virginia, He said
that besides The Il, 900 votes csot there we're
5000 men absent in the Union army, and
that, the conclusion being foregone, the
people had not been careful to come out
to vote, knowing that the constitution
would BIO overwhelmingly adopted" On
the 14th Of July, three days before Con.
gress adjourned, the bill passed tho Senate
by vote Of % to II. Mr.. Rice, OF Mime.
sofa, was the only Democrat who favored
the admission Of tho new Slate. The
other Democratic Senators voted against It,
Mr.. Chandler and Mr.. Howard, Of Michi-
gan, voted in the negative because the
State had voluntarily done nothingto towards
providing for the emancipation Of slsyee;
MIR. Sumner and Mr.. Wilson because the
Senate had rejected the auti.slayery amend
tmenl; Mr.. Trumbull and Mr.. Cowan, be.
cause Of the irregularity OF the whole pro.
ceeding. 80.
7e TIE QUESTION IN THE HOUSE.
The bill was not considered in the House
mill thu naxt ppeuiou 7 v.op ,,,,or 49, -,