The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-07-04


fifteen Of whom voted for IT, Edah-
teen West Virgintans occupied seats
In the West Virginia constitutional
convention Of 1829-3O; thirty4four:
sat in. the convention Of 185O-51,
which framed the third constitu-M'
t1on OF the state; and @forty,sSyen
West Vlrginians were members 0fi,
the state convention Of 1861, which,
adopted the ordinance of secession
Thirteen West Virginians occup1sdbs
seats in the Virginia house OF. Bur-
gesses before the revolution, and /;
more than a thousand OF them ssatt;
as members Of the general assembly
alter that time. A West VirginiaIt,
Joseph Harrison, Of Harrison coun-
~, was governor of Virginia sr0m I
1851 to 1886, defeating anothAH3
West Virginian, George w: Stu tr,h ~ -
mers, Of Kanawha county, by5S a
small majority Elisha W. McComas,
OF Kanawha county, was elected
acknowledgements Of Virginia. In Y
1856, defeating James M. H. FBeale, %s
OF Mason county, for that Office. He
resigned in 1857 and Governor Wise,
appointed James l.. Carr, Of Kanayq4s
ha county, another West Virginian.
to I'LL the vacancy; and when he. Fa-
signed, William L. Jackson, of Lew
Is county, West Virginia, became HIS
successor. John J. Allen, of Harris
son county, was on the bench Of the
supreme court Of appeals from 1877:
to 1857, much Of the time its chief
Justices; and from 1852 TO 1851 aefVssS
Ing on the bench with George Hay
Lee, another West .Virgtnian n frosas
the same county. In 1860 iona.
than M. Bennett, West Virginian.$
was first auditor Of state, the best
auditor Virginia ever had %I5f;S1 I'll
Virginia was the greatest Of ais
the colonies. Voluntarily and patrtI4
otieally she gave to the general goSat}}
eminent great stretches of her teFrfss
tory, out Of which were carved what
are now great and glorious states dc
this union. 1t is a fact worthy OF
mention, that since the cession Of
| the territory Of West Virginia, Yir.t
ginia Is practically back to her origb!
nal boundaries, that Of the old cole
ny, embracing the region Of the
tideWater and the valley between
the Chesapeake and the Alleghan+$
lies. IITT|WT 81 rs
! West Virginia's statehood was not
result or the war, nor of Yirginia,at
secession from the union. They gave
the opportunity to the people west
|
fect desire long cherished, often
discussed, and which was bound To
become fact. The new state fdea,
was nearly century old In 1860, 3Iks
mad It's foundation in geographically
climatic, social, political and ethEy,s:
cal reasons. The separation Of jWessfss
virginia from Virginia was best for
Doth states. The fact is that the.
TWO peoples were not homogeneous.
The immigration that poured, Into,
West Virginia in the days Of her set
Element, and which naturally left it's
impress on the state, was largely
from territory other than Virginia:
while the people of the new state
adopted very largely, yet with inn
portant exceptions, the ideas, the
forms OF government, and the laws {
oi virginia and, rejecting other
names proposed therefor; c1aristene
lea their new state West Virginia.
and indeed were Virginians, yet they
were new irginians-West Virgin I
ians. o'"rftSE
When West Virginia became a,
state, in the throes Of the great CtviE
War, her sons were not inexperfa;
enced IN the science Of government.
IN her first constitutions most ets I
NoNu"OuL IdUSuaE0 and
contents-she placed a free-schooI
system. A thing 80 precious was not
left to the caprice Of statutes; It was
embodied into the very organic law.
June 20, 1868, the button waat
pressed and the machinery of The
government Of the new state. the,
Youngest daughter Of Virginia, was
started. 1t operated under great diff
fculties, owing to the great war them
being waged, and which was then at /.
the very height Of It's fierceness. Not
outstanding this handicap, which
did not end with the end Of the war. "a
the state has made great progressJ
IN 1862 when the reorganized ao3,$5
eminent began there was no money.
IN the treasury, and Governor Fran y
els II. Pierpont, on his own notes.
borrowed $4,000 out Of Wheeffng
banks with which to pay the mens1
bers Of the legislature, On June 20. =
1863, there was over 4235,0G0 IN
the treasury. ',"IEf go
In 1850 the population OF gWegg
Virginia was 376,6S8. In 1897 ft.ffs I
estimated at 100000. It ts, laorSlw !
white and native~born. Tho last. ooY,.s 4
sus gave the foreign-borfl st ~ 900 B.
out Of a total Of 958, 5000, Over Ffst,ts.
half of tho forelgn-born elem6nt Vas
!, ~. u S'fft = $500