The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-01-29
Some "reminiscences by an Old lime
Virginia1.
SMALL BODY MUCH THE BEST.
The Memorable Conyention OF 1529-3o
HAD Only Eighty aicmb.rs-Many
OF Them l,s,,na ui-hed Men.
sbp.,i,. Meet III the Fall.
l1rrittan for The Times.l


ed in being called on. for one reason or
another, at the frequent intervals OF once
in every fifteen years to resume SoEer-
eighty in convention.
The first convention assembled in 1tIo
and had Peyton Randolph, of Williams
burg, as it's president, and at hts death
Edmund Pendieton, OF Caroline, was
chosen. Pendleton was also the president
of the Convention Of 1ISS. which! was call
ed to ratsIy the EeGeTaI GonStilutloIl
From 1iSS to 1850 there was no con-
vention-for n period of over forty years.
The Convention of 1870 was first pre-
sided over by James Monroe, ex-PreSi-
dent OF the United States, who was imam
in1ousIyE chosen on motion OF eN-President
Madison. When Monroe resigned because
of failing health and feebleness OF BODY
Philip z. Barbour. OF Orange, then an eE-
Spcatnc:. OF the United States House of
REPRESENTATIVES. and afterwards q jus
tics OF the United States Supreme Court,
vas selected. The next convention was
} that OF 1S50-'51, over which John Y. Ma
sJa presided. MIR. MaSon-or Judge Ma
son was q citizen OF Southampton and
hal hecn up;tet. States District Judge
for the District of Virginia. Colonel
Archer Anderson married a daughter OF
John Y. Mason. Mr.. Mason was twice
Secretary of the Navy, Acknowledgement
of the United States, and after serving as
President of the Convention OF '50-5l was
Minister to France.
THE SECESSION CONVENTION
The next convention was that of 1861,
known as the Secession Convention. 1t
was presided over by John Janney, of
Loudoun. Next there assembled at
Alexandria on the 18th of February. 1864,
during the throes of the Civil War,
small convention, called under the au-
thority Of what was designated as the
restored government of Virginia, or bet
- -
Alexandria was then in possession of
United States troops, and the members
OF the convention Were adherents Of the
United States. PieTpont was the first
Governor. who served under the consti-
tuition which this convention framed, and
| he was succeeded by II. II. Wells and
Gilbert C. Walker. Walker served under
! it, and was the first Governor under the
! present or Underwood : constitution
! the Constitution of 1S50-'51, as a.oended
by the Convention of 1861. was SUPER
| ceded by the constitution made by the
| mody which met at Alexandria Feb
ruaTy IS, 1854. over which one Leroy CT
| Edwards presided. The Underwood Con-
! vention, so called because presided over
| by Judge j. C. Underwood, United States
| District Judge for Virginia, appointed by
| President Lincoln just after the seces-
| sion of Virginia. This convention was
! called by the United States general then
| commanding the military department of
! Virginia-this State having for several
| years after the war been mere military
| district department-and met December
| !, 1901. It's work became effective by the
| vote of the people on the readmisston of
| the State to the Union January g. 1870.
| The Alexandria Constitution became eff
| fective over that part of the State which
| united with the Confederate States from
| the time Governor Pierpont reached
| icbT n p Ssrinor ISEJ. |
| think. Perhaps it had better be stated
| that it became effective April 9, 1865, on
| the surrender at AppomattoN, for the
| Federal Government absolutely refused
! to recognize Governor Smith or the then
| existing State Government which was
| q part of the Confederate Government
| Governor Smith went into office at Rich
| Inond January l, 1864.
THE LEGISLATURE'S WORK.
| And new on the threshold of the TWEEN
| ticrh century, the Legislature OF Viz
| ginA has assc5r bIed in obedience to the
pr,'c as, OF the Governor ana the
| expressed vote of the people calling for
| q new constitution to determine primari-
| " four questions:
| First-How many shall constitute the
Col stitutional Convention?
| Secondly-How and when they shall DE
| chosen:
Thirdiy-Nhen shall the convention
| meet?
Fourthly-What shall be the compen-
| sation OF the members composing the
| convention?
/ OF all the Constitutional Conventions
! that have been held in Virginia that OF
! 1885, easily, like Abou Ben Adhem's
! vision, leads all the rest 1t was such q
/ gathering as never before or since has
| assembled, either in Virginia or any
| other State of the Union, to frame Il State
| Constitution. 1t consisted Of ninety-SiX
/; members, but since then and during the
| war-1S6l-1S65-that part of old Virginia
| now constituting West Virginia was cut
| off and formed into q separate State. II
I; the then West Virginia had not existed
/ as a part of old Virginia in $50 the
| membership OF that greatest of Virginia
| assemblies would have been just about 80.
/ The members of the Convention of 1S29-'30
| We're chosen from the then State Sena-
| torial Districts, the Senatorial Districts
/ being then y. and each district being
| given four members. The members OF
| the conventions OF the present century
/ have been chosen from Senatorial Dis
| tricts or from districts made arbitrarily
! by the Legislature, and never have I.cgis-
! l2tive Districts been made the basis for
! choosing q number Of delegates equal to
/ the membership of the House of Dele
| gates. except The delegates for the Con-
! vention Of 1851 The membership of the Con
| Nention OF Seal was chosen by districts
! made by the Legislature, several counties
| being grouped for this purpose into dis
| triets, and the Underwood Convention
| membership was selected in like amer.
| The members of the Convention of 1851
| represented the popular branch of the
| General Assembly, and for the obvious
! reason that it was not called to make OF.
/. alter a State Constitution, but Tor the
| greater question as to whether Virginia
| should resume the sovereignty that was
! claimed for her. and exercise q claimed
right of cutting loose frone the Federal
| Union and organizing a Southern Con-
! federacy. 1t, however, did some State
/! Constitutional tinkerins after the states
secession in April, 1861.
ONE OF TWO PREcEDENTS
As it is probable the '.t,uo uodo" OF the
selection of delegates to the Underwood
Convention will cut no figure, and as the
mode OF selection for the Convention of
| 1861 IS not apt under present circum-
stances. the Legislature will either have
to choose the precedent OF 1880, or
that OF 1s50-51. or makeNa new departure
If 1t undertakes to provide for the choos-
Ing OF the members of the convention by
districts formed for selecting members
to the YirSinia House of Delegates.s
In the first precedent the Legislature
has Senatorial Districts already formed.