VIRGINIA. 



733 



Mr. Harvie submitted a minority report, with 

 three signatures, for the passage of an ordinance 

 of secession. 



Mr. Barbour, of Culpepper, submitted another 

 minority report, to the effect that the Govern- 

 ment must immediately adopt measures to 

 afford the people of the slaveholding States full 

 constitutional assurances of their safety in con- 

 tinuing a further association with them under 

 the common Government ; also, recommending 

 the appointment of .commissioners to Mont- 

 gomery to confer with the Confederate author- 

 ities. 



Mr. Baldwin, from the minority of the com- 

 mittee, submitted a report, endorsing the Peace 

 Conference propositions ; recommending a Bor- 

 der State convention at Frankfort, Kentucky ; 

 opposing coercion ; favoring the removal of all 

 causes of the present complaints, and charging 

 the present condition of affairs on the politi- 

 cians. 



Mr. "Wickham presented another minority 

 report, opposing coercion ; proposing a Border 

 State conference at Frankfort ; and favoring 

 the peace propositions as a fair and honorable 

 adjustment. 



A resolution, tendering the thanks of the peo- 

 ple of Virginia to Senator J. J. Crittenden, of 

 Kentucky. " for his recent able, zealous, and 

 patriotic efforts in the Senate of the United 

 States to bring about a just and honorable ad- 

 justment of our national difficulties," passed 

 by a vote of ayes 107, noes 16. Mr. Tyler, 

 who had returned from the Peace Conference, 

 was opposed to the adoption of the peace prop- 

 ositions. He desired Virginia to put forth an 

 ultimatum, demanding full and ample security 

 as the only condition of remaining in the 

 Union. He thought such security, if guaran- 

 teed, might ultimately bring back the cotton 

 States. Virginia could not exist without them. 



On the 25th the Convention refused, ayes 4, 

 noes 116, to strike out the report of the major- 

 ity of the Committee on Federal Relations and 

 substitute the report of the Peace Conference. 



On the 28th the first and second resolutions 

 of the report, were adopted. 



Mr. Hall, of Wetzel, offered the Constitution 

 of the Confederated States as a substitute for 

 the report of the Committee on Federal Rela- 

 tions. The majority accepted the opportunity 

 to make a test vote on the proposition, and the 

 minority (the friends of secession) vainly sought 

 to withdraw it. A vote, after considerable par- 

 liamentary manoeuvring, was forced, and the 

 proposition substituting the Constitution was 

 rejected yea? none, nays 78. 



On the 4th of April the Convention proceed- 

 ed to vote on the other resolutions reported by 

 the Committee on Federal Relations. 



The third resolution, which opposed the for- 

 mation of geographical or sectional parties in 

 respect to Federal politics, was adopted. 



The fourth resolution was taken up, and, on 

 motion, was amended by inserting the words 

 " the several States," in lieu of the words 4i the 



United States," making it declare that the Ter- 

 ritories constitute a trust fund, to be adminis- 

 tered for the common benefit of the people of 

 the several States, &c. This was agreed to 

 yeas 68, nays 66. Mr. Morton moved to amend 

 by striking out the last sentence, namely, " If 

 equal admission of slave and free labor into any 

 Territory excites an unfriendly conflict be- 

 tween the two systems, a fair partition of the 

 Territories ought to be made, and each system 

 protected within the limits assigned to it by 

 laws necessary to its proper development." 

 This was lost yeas 38, nays 91. The fourth 

 resolution, as amended, was adopted. 



The fifth resolution coming up, Mr. Flournoy 

 moved to amend it by striking out the words 

 " and to aid in suppressing domestic insurrec- 

 tion," thus making the declaration simply that 

 the legitimate use of the forts, &c., is to protect 

 the country against a foreign force. This was 

 agreed to 68 against 61. 



The sixth resolution being under considera- 

 tion, Mr. Harvie moved to strike out the whole 

 of it, and to insert in lieu thereof the follow- 

 ing: 



, That an ordinance of secession, resuming 

 the powers delegated by Virginia, and proTiding for 

 submitting the same to the qualified voters of the com- 

 monwealth for adoption or rejection at the polls in the 

 Spring elections in May next, should be adopted by 

 this Convention. 



Several motions that the Convention adjonrn 

 were voted down. Mr. Harvie's substitute was 

 then rejected yeas 45, nays 89. It was not 

 strictly a test vote. 



On the sixth resolution Mr. "Wise moved to 

 strike out the whole, and insert a substitute 

 contemplating resistance to the wrongs of the 

 South, indulging a desire for an adjustment, and 

 that Virginia should not offer or adopt any 

 terms of adjustment which ought not to be ac- 

 ceptable to the seceded States, and restore 

 them to the Union. The Convention, by a vote 

 of 57 ayes and 83 noes, refused this substitute. 

 Mr. "Wise then moved to amend by adding the 

 last clause of the foregoing substitute, which 

 was rejected 64 to 74. The resolution was then 

 adopted as amended. The seventh, with slight 

 amendments, was also adopted. 



The Convention then referred to the eighth 

 resolution, recognizing the right of secession 

 for just causes. Mr. Carlisle moved to strike it 

 out, and insert a substitute embodying President 

 Madison's language, justifying secession only in 

 the event of the failure of every constitutional 

 resort. The Convention rejected the motion 

 yeas 22. nays 114. Other amendments were 

 proposed and rejected. The eighth resolution 

 was then adopted, after striking out the words 

 " they concede.'' 



On the ninth resolution Mr. Bouldin moved 

 to strike out the whole, and insert a substitute 

 embodying a declaration that the independence 

 of the seceded States ought to be acknowledged 

 without further delay, and such laws passed as 

 a separation may make proper. The amend- 



