VIRGINIA. 



731 



The State Convention met at Richmond on 

 the 13th of February. John Janney, of Lou- 

 don, was elected President of the Convention, 

 and upon taking the chair, he made an addiv.-s 

 friendly to the Union, hut said that Virginia 

 would insist on her own construction of her 

 rights as a condition of her remaining in the 

 present Union. The next day was devoted to 

 perfecting the organization. The Commissioners 

 from South Carolina, Mississippi, and Georgia 

 were invited to seats in the Convention. 



The object of the people of Virginia, as ex- 

 pressed by their Legislature, and by their vote 

 at the election for delegates to the Convention, 

 was. if it could be done, honorably ' to restore 

 the Union of the States, and preserve that 

 Union for all time to come." 



On the 16th numerous resolutions were of- 

 fered, which, while expressing a hope that the 

 difficulties then existing might be reconciled 

 and the Union perpetuated, yet denounced the 

 idea of coercing in any way the seceding States. 



Mr. Wise, of Princess Anne, reiterated his 

 policy of fighting in the Union, and counselled 

 speedy action. 



Mr. Moore, of Rockingham, opposed haste. 

 He would not be driven by the North, nor 

 dragged by the cotton States, who had acted 

 without consulting Virginia. He was opposed 

 to coercion ; but if the seceded States choose 

 to assault the forts, let them take the conse- 

 quences. 



Mr. Carlisle contended that the Government 

 had not yet attempted to coerce the South, and 

 when this was done the people would resist it. 



Addresses were made to the Convention by 

 the Commissioners from other States who were 

 present. Mr. Preston, from South Carolina, in 

 his remarks, said that the Union could never 

 be reconstructed " unless power should unfix 

 the economy of good. No sanctity of human 

 touch could reunite the people of the North 

 and South." 



Mr. Hall introduced resolutions declaring 

 that Virginia had a legal right to secede ; that 

 the mere election of Mr. Lincoln was not just 

 ground*for secession ; but, since a portion of 

 the South had seceded, leaving the Border 

 States greatly in a minority in Congress, Vir- 

 ginia should demand additional guarantees and 

 proper amendments to the Constitution ; that 

 she should present an ultimatum to the North- 

 ern States, and fix a time beyond which she 

 would not wait ; and, if she failed in these. 

 Virginia should take the proper steps to secure 

 her just rights out of the Union. 



On the 20th of February, numerous reso- 

 lutions were offered and referred. They gen- 

 erally expressed an attachment to the Union 

 and the desire for an equitable settlement, 

 but denounced coercion, and declared a pur- 

 pose to resist it. Others maintained that the 

 union of the South was the safety of the South, 

 and that each State should speedily resume the 

 powers delegated to the General Government. 

 A resolution was offered to raise a committee 



to inquire whether any movement of arms or 

 men had been made by the General Govern- 

 ment towards strengthening any fort or ar.-t-nul 

 in or bordering on Virginia, indicating prepara- 

 tions for an attack or coercion. It was laid on 

 the table without further action, but taken up 

 the next day and adopted. The report of the 

 committee on the election of members stated 

 that all the counties except sixteen had sent in 

 returns thus far, and the majority for referring 

 the action of the Convention to the people was 

 52,857. 



On the 28th of February, Mr. Morton made 

 a speech in favor of immediate secession, and 

 denouncing the result of the Peace Conference 

 as a failure. 



On the 1st of March, resolutions were of- 

 fered and referred that an ordinance should 

 be passed submitting to the voters of the State 

 the question whether Virginia shall remain 

 with the North, or secede and go with the 

 South ; also, that Virginia should use her best 

 efforts to procure a vote in all the States 

 on the question of Union on the basis of the 

 Peace Conference propositions or disunion, and 

 that she would cooperate with the States agree- 

 ing with her in the result of the vote. 



Mr. Baylor endorsed the Peace Conference 

 propositions, and opposed the right of seces- 

 sion, as well as the right of coercion. 



Mr. Turner said he meant to exert all his 

 efforts to obtain an adjustment, but if they 

 failed, Virginia ought to unite with the South. 



Mr. Goode, of Mecklenburg, denounced the 

 Peace Conference. 



Mr. Goode, of Bedford, introduced the fol- 

 lowing resolution : 



Whereas the powers delegated by Virginia to the 

 Federal Government hare been perrerted io her in- 

 jury and oppression ; and whereas the moderate and 

 reasonable demands known as the Crittenden proposi- 

 tions, with the essential modifications presented by the 

 General Assembly as a final effort to restore the in- 

 tegrity of the Union, have been deliberately rejected 

 by the Northern confederates ; therefore 



Jtesolred, That every consideration of duty, interest, 

 honor, and patriotism requires that an ordinance be 

 adopted by the Convention and submitted to the people, 

 by which Virginia will resume all the powers delegated 

 to the Federal Government, and declare her connection 

 with that Government dissolved. 



The resolution was referred. 



Mr. Fisher presented resolutions suggesting 

 that the General Government should early ne- 

 gotiate with the Confederate States for the 

 transfer of Forts Snmter and Pick ens to said 

 Confederacy, and for an equitable division of 

 the public property and obligations. These 

 were also referred. 



The Inaugural Address of President Lincoln 

 created much excitement among the members 

 of the Convention and others. A resolution 

 instructing the Committee on Federal Relations 

 to report a plan for a Border State Convention 

 was offered on the 5th of March, to which a 

 substitute was moved to instruct the committee, 

 in view of the coercive policy of President Lin- 

 coln, to report an ordinance for Virginia to se- 



