Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1916-08-10
Romantic History of West Virginia

Il
ture recognized the absolute necessity
of holding fast that portion of terri
tory lying West Of the mountains and
furnishing a chain of natures fortif1ca-
lions reaching from the White House
to the Mississippi. of which chain the
strength must be measured by its
| weakest link; where could be seen a
weaker link than this immediate COM
munity, this valley Of the Great Kama
wha, and it's tributaries whose people
looked with confidence for facilities OF
transportation from the Ohio to tide
water, whose interests were allied
with Southern centers of trade, whose
principles, habits Of life, and domestic
!. institutions assimilated with those Of
the old mother state!
Motive prompts action. To hold
these natural bulwarks between the
states North of the Ohio and the arm
ed forces South of these mountains. 1t
was absolutely necessary to occupy and
hold this immediate section, or sever
that great chain of Notifications. To
so hold and occupy the sentiment must
be overcome with armed forces. Con-
hning the conflict to armies South Of
the Ohio meant protection for the
homes and property of the people
North of the Ohio and furnished the
key note for appeal to arms in those
States, to which response was antici-
pated as early as February, 1851, when
Judge Milroy enlisted troops in In
diana, that stood ready, at first call, In
| April, to enter upon his campaign In
West Virginia; and from Ohio CoEJohn
; B. Steedman crossed Mason and Dixon's
! line at Parkersburg on the morning Of
May 9th, 1861, by order Of General
Mcclellan given from Cincinnati, to
Colonies Steedman, Kelley, and Irvine,
directing them to conciliate the peo--
pie and suppress all negro insurrec-
lions.
Mr. Lincoln was native Of Ken
lucky; hts mother and relatives from
Eastern Tennessee; he had served In
Congress with William Guy Brown, of
Preston County, West Virginia, and
personally knew and esteemed George
w. Summers, of Kanawha. There is
| sworn recorded evidence that, within
a few days after his inauguration, Mr..
Lincoln sent request for conference
with Mr. Summers; and it would ap-
pear that this was done to thwart al
doption Of Ordinance Of Secession by
Virginia with proposition to withdraw
Federal Troops from Fort Sumter II
the Richmond Convention would ad-
| journ Sine Die without action. Mr..
Summers did not visit Mr.. Lincoln, and
the party, by Mr.. Lincoln supposed to
be his representative did not commun-
icate such proposition to that Conven-
Ftfon. Acceptance, Of this proposition
would have doubtless found strong adj
vocates in the Eastern as well as the
Western parts Of Virginia, as General
! Robert E. Lee was only one OF many.
! who at heart were then opposed to Sc
/ cession, and of what sufferings and
privations would our people have been
| relieved, how many lives saved from
sacrifice in the more than two hundred
conflicts of arms that stained West
Virginias soil! However, the Border
States policy was not dependent upon
the action of that convention, or on
one man; Maryland was held to the
Union by imprisonment Of members Of
| her legislature Eyewitness testt-
mony can still be produced to show
that in Richmond, to parties who had
come from West Of the mountains, was
brought the message, that in event OF
adoption of that Ordinance OF Seces-
! sion, those opposed should organize q
government and adhere to the Union
that the Federal Government would
recognize them as the government OF
Virginia; and as an inducement there
was given assurance that such newly
organized governments consent would
be accepted as the consent of Virginia
to the admission of a new state, anc
/ that the new state would be admitted
to the Union. The suggestion of un'
constitutiona1ity was met with assur
ance Of admission to the Union.
When Senate Bill 365 was under dis
cussion in the House Of Representa-
tives in December, 1852, Mr.. Dawes, Of
Massachusetts,, stated, "In every one Of
the Primary assemblies, so far as
have been able to trace them, the ques'
ton discussed as the object Of e1ectine
i delegates, the declaration Of the Prim
airy Meetings, was that the election wa:
Of delegates to a Convention, not fol
the purpose Of re-establishing or set
ting in motion the government Of the
State of Virginia, but to erect new
State government in West Virginia
That convention, so far as it came VI
in the Primary assemblies, and the &C
was of a provisional character, assem-
bled for that purpose. It was then
for some reason, which I understand
to have emanated from Washington
that they concluded the only practica
way of accomplishing that end, t.
wit the erection of a state govern
ment in Western Virginia, must b
through the action of that Convention
to set in motion a State government t.
be called the State Government Of TIL
whole of Virginia Then, that tina
Government should have two things t
do: first, to set up new state within
itself; and secondly, to give its con
sent"
Mr.. Colfax, of Indiana, afterward
Vice President, in supporting the bill
took the position that the Federal Gov
ernemnt had recognized the Wheelinl
body as the government Of Virginia
first by seating two Senators electe
by that body: secondly, that the Presi
dent had repeatedly. recognized tn
Governor and the legislature "as tn
.lrightful authorities Of that state" an
thirdly, said he, "the Secretary OF tn
Treasury has recognized that govern
ment of Virginia, for he has paid t
them out Of the Treasuryeof the Unior
l tbs