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

UINNu lllANA NNNA ANAAAANl anu "
tnnt tho constitution OF the United
States required, and that that necessity
would consume . good deal OF Iiiiit,
There were Ia be no revolutionary pro-
Ceedlngs; that much had been settled
al tho May convention. Therefore, the
drst thing to do was TO declare gener-
nj cleurlhs; out OF the Richmond gov
| ernment and Che iuyalidatiOn and ab-
rogntIon OF all that II had pretended 10
do In the way OF seVcring the relations
az Virginia with the federal government
and entering Into rcbelllOUs alliance
with the southern Confederlcy. THIS
was the resumption and rehabilitation
OF sovereignty to which Senator Haze
had 40 graphically alluded.
The next step was to Install the per-
sonnet OF a rc-orglniZed government,
and Il was q high tribute indeed to
Governor PiarpoDt that everybody rec
ognized him as the proper man TO take
the helm He was. therefore. made the
provisional executive OF virginia IN
place OF John Letchcr, TO act as such
Tor q period OF six months, and after
| his selectlon came the fliing OF the 9TH
or offices OF the state. so that within
a week after the meeting Of the June
convention there was II fully equipped
| virginia government IN power az
wheeling. and within another week Il
had been recognized ut Washington as
the true and only government OF Viz
Ginla. ...,-..,
iouFned on the 2lst day OF that month.
| II knew exactly what II wanted TO DO
and proceeded straightwnY 10 do II; It
| ndIolITncd to meet again on the 9Th day
OF August. The interim was to allow the
hubble sentiment ia favor OF Il new
stnfe TO manifest itself Following the
adjournment OF the June convention,
and on the first day OF July, the viz
gInIa legislature met at wheeling, the
members to which had been duly elect
ed on the 23rd day OF May. the day on
which the people OF all Virginia, loyal
and dlsIoyll, in every one of the one
hundred and forty-cight counties or
the state. voted on the ordinance ot Sc,
cesslon and for members OF the general
assembly.
Hard Up for Money In 1861.
Such were the financial straits Of the
reorganlzed government when that leg
isIature met that 1t became necessary
IN order to raise the necessary funds
wherewIth to discharge the expenses OF
the members, that Governor PierpOnt
and 2. G. Van Wrinkle, OF ParkersburB,
should upon their own personal re-
sponsibllity raise $4,000, which they did
by their Individual endorsements in the
Wheeling banks fer that amount. No
taxes had yet come In for the support
OF the government, and the $4,000 on
deposit at Washington to the credit OF
the state Of Virginia, rs her proportion
Of the proceeds Of the public lands
which had been set aside by the gov.
eminent In the year 1871, had not yet
been received.
ON the s,h Of July Waitman r. Wiley
and John s Garlic were duly elected
United States senators by that legisla-
ture. and as such empowered to pro-
coed Mt once TO Washington and tak0
mart in the extra session OF Congress as
senator's from the state OF Virginia.
Their admission to the United states
genate was the finnl act that scaled the
entire legality OF the restored goYerl-
NEXT Of Virginia"
All this u ancient history now, but Il
was immensely Important In its DAY.
Hence am [reshcuing II up as germhne
10 my visit to the old governor who is
so important a part OF this history.
am trying to explain that everything
connected with the restoration OF tho
old state and the formation OF the new
was done "decentIy and in order" and
that all the people who think or say to
the contrary are in great need OF ele-
mentnry information. For instance,
the convention that had adjourned on
the 2lst OF June, and re-assembled on
the 9Th OF August following, proceeded
10 formulate and submit to the people
an ordinance permiSsive OF new state.
This ordinance was voted on In Octo-
Der following, and was carried over
whelmingly. and the members elected
a. g.nnaRttNVtGnN for the
new state met In Wheeling on the 18th
OF November. pursuant to an authorized
call OF the governor issued on Novem"
Der 18th, and they sat In convention
until the 18th day OF February follow
ing, after having completed consti-
tuition for the state, and then adjourned
TO submit to the people the result or
their work which work was duly rat
fled at general election on the third
Thursday OF April. the vote being 1882
for ratification, and 5l4 against.
These were some Of the steps taken
10 achieve the great results In West
Virginia that followed the secession OF
the old state. / need not follow UP the
successive steps us regards the votes
taken on the "Wllley amendment" un-
der which amendment the constitution
was remanded to the people by Con-
gress for eXpurgation In regard TO
slavery. What am simply trying to dois
TO show that there were no revolution
ary proceedings from flrst 10 last in the
formation OF the state OF West Virginia,
but that under the wise craftsmanship
Of Governor Pierpont, Mr.. Wiley, Mr..
VnnWinkle, Mr.. Lamb. and others, cv-
crythinE was done with strict regard to
ait the requirements Of law, and that,
therefore. there is no occasion for any
West VlrCinlan to feel that he Is citI-
zen Of an nlcgitimatc state.
Henry 4. Wise virulcntly proclaimed
West virginia as the bastard child OF
n political rape" and this utterauce OF
that unreconBtructed old sinner whose
boast il was that he had never asked
pardon for his treason or taken the
oath Of allegiance to the United States
after the war has been reiterated by
good many people north and south
throughout the country, but there Is not
in truth or In history scintilla Of foun-
dalton for such n remark. The exist
enCe OF West Virginia rs state Of the
Union Is regular in every particular
lust as much so as any one OF the 45
states Of the UDion-hnvinE been
achieved in perfect conformity to Sec
tlon third Of the fourth article Of the
constitution OF tho United States. which
section provides for the manner OF
erecting n new state out OF any part Of
nnother state, or by the junction OF
parts Of two states. all that Is necessa-
nv being the consent or the mother
state and Of Congress and this con-
sent West Virginia tndisputabiy had.
The Growing Episode Of the Struggle.
Governor Picrpont, In the course Of
his conversation at Falrmont, spoke OF
tho great Importance of tho movement
that resulted in securing the new state
30 early in the national struggle. In