The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-04-14

Governor Plnrpont never claimed to DO
great jurlst. bur with the wisdom
born OF the occasion he At the outset of
the chaos that threatened the loyal peo-
pie OF west Virginia In 1861, held that the
fourth section OF the fourth article or the
constitution OF the United States fully
anticipated and provided for the condi-
tlon IN which the people were LEFT by the
net Of alliance entered into on the part OK
John Lctchcr and the Virginia govern
mcnt with 4 government at war with the
United StateI.
As member ~ the committee on state
and federal relations In the convention
that met at Wheeling, under the Clarks-
burg call to the people OF Western Nlr-
Elnla on the 18th day OF May, BGl, h.
brought forward that section as present.
Ing u way uut OF the chaos. and after
wrlnEle Of three days In the convention
on various other proportions, It was ac-
cepted as the consensus of the members,
and as such recommended TO the people
M a basis for their action at the elections
to be held on May 23rd and June tth.
Governor Pierponi has always claimed
that he waR the pioneer in this view, and
the fact has never been disputed as far ns
/ know. but certainly It was a view that
such men as W. I. Wiley and John S.
Garlic and General jackson. OF Par
kersburR, or any other lawyer Of the
body, might Just as well have held, no
perfectly obvious was 1t that the trainers
OF the constitution Of the United States
must have Intended Il to meet Just such
an emergency, But the trouble was with
many members OF the May convention
that they were confused by Mr.. Garlic.
the hutspur OF the revolution, who urged
them then and there TO declare new
state on; OF two congressional districts
ui Virginia, without reference to the pro-
cesses made necessary under the cunSti-
tuition OF the United States, The men
named, however. opposed all such radical
action. and successfully, but Uutside OF
Governor Pierponi's remedial step they
really had no plan save sort of passive
attitude Of resistance to the ratification
OF the ordinance OF secession, whlch al
ways reminded me Of General Frank
BlAir's remark at the Mcclure House.
when on his way home from Congress- to
81. Louis, TO organize union force In
Missouri. to The eTect that he had left
william II. Seward At Washington en-
gagged in trying to put down the rebellion
with the trank!nE privilege, in the way
OF sending out documents showing the
mndnesa and folly az secession.
The section to which have alluded,
and which opened the way 10 meet the
great crisis OF 1861 in Western Virginia,
reads aS follows: The United states
shall guarantee to every state IN this
Union a republican form OF government,
and shall protect each Of them aG!nst In
vnsion. and on application OF the leElsla-
ture. or OF the executive, when the leSiS-
lature cannot be convened. against do
nestle violence
81 Have III Have IT," Said tho Gov
Stnor.
Governor Pierpont told me afresh dur
Ing my recent visit to his home. the story
OF his anxious quest for an effective md
legal way to organize against secession
and rally the people. To this end he had
sat down TO read the constitution Of the
United States through section by section
and when at last he had come 10 section
four OF the fourth article, as quoted
above, he felt like that ancient alchemlst
who exclaimed Eureka! Eureka and
had really said to himself Il have 1t! l
have IL"
He brought his discovery with him 70
the May convention and presented It TO
the committee on state and federal Tela-
lions, but for some reason & did not seem
TO strike everybody as forclbly as II had
the governor. as a ready resolvent' Of
the situation. At all events It did not
come to the front at once as an accepted
balm In Gilcad." possibly because It was
tlistrusted by the Garlic element ~ not
being drastic enough TO meet the eXlSen-
Giles.
In revolutions the violent govern"
Those who were at Washington hall In
those historic days remember well how
Garlic, with THAI melodiOus and match
less voice OF his, sWayed the delegates
and the crowd. He was the idol OF the
hour as against Wiley, Pierpont, Jack
son and everybody else, but he was con-
t!nually pressed by them with the sug-
geStlon that hiS plan was revolutionary
and that the government OF the United
StAteS would never acknowledge u, mas
much as 10 do 50 would be tantamount TO
a confession TO all the world that constl-
tuGOnRI methods had been abandoned on
the part OF the government.
NIne-tenths OF the delegates were Ter
vent new state men. 1t would be almost
fair TO say OF some of them that they
were new state men first and Union men
afterward. The feeling on that subject
was intense. Next to Garlic. Doctor Dor
sey, of MonOngaila, and John S. Burdett
OF Taylor, we're leaders OF the rampant
new state element. Governor Pierpont's
plan OF reorganization and restoration,
however finally came from the commit
tee, slndWlched among q number OF other
resolutions. but in scarcely recognizable
shape
II had not been deemed best to an
nounce In advance that the convention
summoned to meet on the 18th Of June
following, would proceed to formally de-
clare the government at Richmond dead
in Office. The programme was for the
June convention 10 meet under an auth
orizatlon Of the people and take such
stops az might be necessary 10 meet the
exlgenciel-1io prevent anarchy, and to
protect life and property. Everybody,
however, understood before the election
of June lth that this meant the super
seizure OF the Richmond government. II
meant that loyal Virginia was to Invoke
the political NJ well as the military aid Of
the United States under the fourth Sec
ton OF the fourth article alluded TO.
Mr.. wHlsy'S Triple Treason Speech.
Perhaps It was Mr.. Wllley's remnrka-
bic speech carly In the May sitting that
made the committee and the convention
cautious as to the exact verbIage OF
their final address to the people. He
made what was known then and ever
since as triple treason" speech. That
Is. he. in nntagonism to Mr.. Garlic
and all the rampant element, warned
the delegates thnt they were about TO
commit triple treasOn"-treason to the
United States, treason TO John Letcher
e. Company, and treason TO the South
crn Contederacy. into which confeder-
acy Virginia had been merged on the
25th OF April. by the Virginia state
government In advance Of n popular
vote on the ordinance OF secession.
That remarkable speech OF Mr.. VIII
ley'a threw n chill over the delegates