WEST 'VIRGINIA. 



Arithmetical, Geometrical, and Mechanical For- 

 mulae" (1848); "Manual for the Geometrical 

 Mining Engineer " (1850); " Experiments upon 

 the Force exercised by the Pressure, Shock, and 

 Reaction of Water," etc. (1851) ; " Treatise on 

 Experimental Hydraulics" (1855). He had 

 also prepared, but had not published, a text- 

 book on mining-surveying. His amiable and 

 genial manners, and his great kindness of heart, 

 made him beloved by the thousands of pupils 

 whom he had taught during his thirty-eight 

 years' professorship. 



WEST VIRGINIA. The extent of surface 

 and the boundary- line of this State in re- 

 ference to Virginia, from whose territory it 

 was severed in 1861, were definitely settled in 

 1871. A suit had been long pending between 

 the two States, occasioned by Virginia's claim- 

 ing jurisdiction over the counties of Berkeley 

 and Jefferson as still continuing under her 

 government after the separation ; which West 

 Virginia denied, and maintained that, accord- 

 ing to the act of separation, those two coun- 

 ties belonged to herself. The Supreme Court 

 of the United States, in the early part of 

 March, decided the question, adjudging Berke- 

 ley and Jefferson Counties to West Virginia. 



The area and population of West Virginia 

 at the time of its separation, as compared with 

 the area and population which remained to 

 Virginia after the separation, are very dif- 

 ferently stated by the representatives of the 

 two States. The First Auditor of Virginia, in 

 his report, dated September 30, 1866, sets 

 down those items as follows : 



The whole number of acres of land in the State 

 prior to its dismemberment was 50,536,039 



In the fifty counties claimed by West Virginia, 

 nearly one-half the territory of the State.... -23,190,815 



Total white population of the State in 1860. . . . 1,047,547 



In West Virginia, rather more than one-third. 855,649 



In opposition to this statement, the three 

 commissioners appointed last summer by the 

 Governor of West Virginia " to treat with the 

 authorities of Virginia on the subject of the 

 proposed adjustment of the public debt of that 

 State prior to January 1, 1861," in their re- 

 port in January, 1872, state that "the present 

 State of Virginia contains 41,352 square miles, 

 and West Virginia 20,000," or less than one- 

 third of the whole; and, that "the coun- 

 ties composing what i snow Virginia contained, 

 by the census of 1860, a population of 1,219,- 

 S04; and those composing West Virginia a 

 population of 374,987," or 23,585 less than 

 one-fourth of the whole. 



The Legislature of West Virginia closed its 

 session of 1871 on the 2d of March. Among 

 the matters of public interest acted upon at 

 this session were several of a political char- 

 acter. 



Concerning citizenship and the elective fran- 

 chise to be exercised by the people in the State, 

 the first section of the third article of the con- 

 stitution provided as follows : 



1. The white male citizens of the State shall be en- 

 titled to vote at all elections held within the election 

 VOL. xi. i9 A 



districts in which they respectively reside, but no 

 person who is a minor, or of unsound mind, or a 

 pauper, or who is under conviction of treason, felony, 

 or bribery in an election, or who has not been a resi- 

 dent of the State for one year, and of the county 

 in which ho offers to vote for thirty days, shall be 

 permitted to vote while such disability continues. 

 No person who since the first day of June, 1861, has 

 given, or shall give, voluntary aid or assistance to 

 the rebellion against the United States, shall be a 

 citizen of this State, or be allowed to vote at any elec- 

 tion therein, unless he lias volunteered in the mili- 

 tary or >naval service of the United States, and has 

 been, or shall be, honorably discharged therefrom. 



With a view to rehabilitate the persons 

 thus deprived of their rights, an amendment 

 to the constitution, commonly styled the 

 "Flick Amendment," was subsequently in- 

 troduced into the Legislature, purporting to 

 strike the word " white," and the whole dis- 

 franchising clause, out of that section. After 

 long debates, the amendment was adopted, 

 but not submitted to the people for their 

 ratification or rejection, chiefly because its 

 timely publication in the papers, as required 

 by the constitution in such cases, had been 

 omitted. The same subject was brought again 

 before the Legislature at the present ses- 

 sion, in a bill entitled " An act to provide 

 for submitting to the people of West Vir- 

 ginia the proposed amendment to the con- 

 stitution of the State," fixing the 27th of 

 April, 1871, as the day of a general election. 

 After a renewed and thorough discussion, the 

 bill passed both Houses. At the election, the 

 people, by a very large majority, ratified the 

 amendment. This is now a part of the organic 

 law of the State ; and it is averred that about 

 fifteen thousand persons in West Virginia have 

 thereby recovered the right to vote. Governor 

 Jacob announced the ratification of the amend- 

 ment, as a part of the organic law of the State, 

 by the following proclamation : 



Whereas, The Governor, the Secretary of State, 

 Auditor, and Treasurer, in pursuance of section 6th 

 of the act passed February 14, 1871, entitled " An 

 act to provide for submitting to the people of West 

 Virginia the proposed amendment to the constitu- 

 tion of the State," did on the 1st day of June, 1871, 

 open the envelopes or covers containing the returns 

 from the several counties of the election held on the 

 27th day of April, 1871, and count the votes therein 

 certified ; 



And whereas, it appears from a certificate signed 

 by the officers aforesaid, filed in the office of the 

 Secretary of the State and duly recorded, that at the 

 said election 23,546 votes were cast for ratification,, 

 and 6,323 votes were cast for rejection ; 



And as it thus appears, from said returns, that a 

 majority of the votes cast at said election were for the 

 ratification of the proposed amendment: therefore 



I John J. Jacob, Governor of the State of West 

 Virginia, by virtue of the authority vested in me by 

 law, do issue this my proclamation, and hereby de- 

 clare the said amendment, to wit : 



" The male citizens of the State shall be entitled 

 to vote at all elections held within the election dis- 

 tricts in which they respectively reside ; but no per- 

 son who is a minor, or of unsound mind, or a pau- 

 per, or who is under conviction of treason, felony, or 

 bribery in an election, or who has not been a resi- 

 dent of the State for one year, and of the county in 

 which he offers to vote for 30 days next preceding- 



