VIRGINIA. 



739 



Mr. Morton and Mr. McFarland opposed the 

 ordinance. They were of the opinion that such 

 a course would place Virginia in a suspicious 

 and unenviable position before the enlightened 

 world, and maintained that plighted faith 

 should never be broken, however strong the 

 temptation might be. In the course of Mr. 

 McFarland's remarks he said that he was not 

 aware of a single instance in which any such 

 course had been pursued in the Xorth towards 

 uth. but, on the contrary, the Xorth had 

 thus far liquidated their obligations with all 

 propriety and promptness. 



Mr. Ambler asked the gentleman whether he 

 did not know that the usurpation at Washing- 

 ton had declared money to be contraband of 

 war. aud arrested it in its transmission from 

 the Xorth to the South ? 



Mr. McFarland replied that, as far as his in- 

 formation extended, the usurpation at Wash- 

 ington may have expressed opinions of that 

 character, but he was not aware of any official 

 act to that effect. He continued to urge the 

 policy of retaining their ancient prestige, and 

 coming up manfully to their obligations, allud- 

 ing with especial emphasis to the power in the 

 hands of the Xorth, where many of their citi- 

 zens owned valuable property. 



Mr. Ambler made a teply to the argument 

 of Mr. McFarland, contending that it was not 

 only just, but proper, for Virginia to keep out 

 of the hands of her enemies the means of prose- 

 cuting this war upon her. He referred to legal 

 authorities and to history in support of his po- 

 sition. 



Mr. Holcombe made a brief reply, in which 

 he maintained that the ordinance proposed was 

 inconsistent with public and constitutional law, 

 and that the precedents referred to by the gentle- 

 man related to individual debts, and not to debts 

 in which the honor of a State was concerned. 



Mr. McFarland was about to make some ad- 

 ditional remarks, when he gave way to a mo- 

 tion to lay the ordinance on the table for the 

 present, and the Convention then adjourned. 

 On a subsequent day the act was passed 

 ayes 58, nays 37, prohibiting the payment of 

 interest as above stated. The interest on all 

 other bonds, except those payable in London, 

 was made payable in currency or State notes 

 at the State treasury. 



The following delegates were chosen by the 

 Convention to represent the State in the South- 

 ern Congress, at its adjourned session in Rich- 

 mond, on the 20th of July : R. M. T. Hunter, 

 John Tyler, W. H. McFarland. Roger A. Pryor, 

 Thomas S. B. Cooke. "W. C. Rives. Robert E. 

 Scott, James M. Mason, John W. Brocken- 

 bangh, Charles W. Russell, Robert Johnson. 

 Walter Staples, Walter Preston. For the State 

 at large, James A. Seddon. and W. B. Preston. 



The acceptance or holding of office under 

 the Federal Government by any citizen of Vir- 

 ginia, after the 1st day of August, was declared 

 to be evidence of treason to the State. The 

 privileged question, regarding the expulsion 



of certain members of the Convention, was 

 called up, and the following named members, 

 mostly from the western section of the > 

 were expelled by nearly a unanimous vote in 

 every instance: Win. G. Brown, of Preston 

 County ; James Burley, of Mar-hall ; John S. 

 Burdett, of Taylor : Jo'hn S. Carlisle, of Harri- 

 son ; Ephraim B. Hall, of Marion ; Chester D. 

 Hubbard, of Ohio ; (Jen. John J. Jackson, 01 

 Wood; James E. McGrew. of Preston ; George 

 McPorter, of Hancock: Chapman J. Steiiart, 

 of Doddridge ; Campbell Tarr, of Brooke ; and 

 Waitiuan I. Willey, of Monongalia. 



A proclamation was is-\i. d by the Governor, 

 stating the popular vote on the question of rati- 

 fying the secession ordinance to be : for ratifi- 

 cation, 125,950: for reject ion. 20,373; majority, 

 105,577. He therefore proclaimed that " The 

 Constitution of the Provisional Government of 

 the Confederate States of America, ordained and 

 established at Montgomery, Alabama, on the 

 18th day of February, 1861, was now in full 

 force in the Commonwealth, and must be re- 

 spected and obeyed." 



The Governor stated that the returns from 

 some of the counties had not been received. ' in 

 consequence of the presence of a hostile force 

 in the northwestern, and of the blockade in the 

 eastern portions of the State." Among this 

 number were thirty-four counties in Western 

 Virginia, The average majority in these coun- 

 ties was as four to one against secession. The 

 total vote of the State at the presidential elec- 

 tion was 167.223. 



A requisition from the Confederate author- 

 ities was made upon the Governor at this time, 

 for calling into immediate service the militia of 

 the counties north of James River and east of 

 the Blue Ridge, as well as all the militia in the 

 valley of the State, north of James River. The 

 necessary proclamation was issued on the 16th. 

 By another proclamation of same date, the fol- 

 lowing persons were exempted from the call : 

 operatives employed in the manufacture of 

 arms, munitions of war. and woollens ; millers, 

 railroad employees, farm overseers, bank offi- 

 cers, city police officers, and telegraph agent?. 

 By another proclamation he prohibited the 

 bills or notes of the Merchants' and Mechanics' 

 Bank of Wheeling, and the Northwestern 

 Bank, with the offices of discount and deposit 

 of each, except the branch of the Xorthwestern 

 Bank at Jeffersonville, from being received in 

 payment of any money due to the State. The 

 reason was that the banks named had " given 

 aid to the enemy." 



The following note, addressed to the com- 

 mandant of the London County militia, describes 

 the measures to which the Confederate troops 

 were compelled to resort to obtain supplies : 



HEAD-QUARTZES. AEMT OF POTOMAC. ) 

 MAXASSAS,/Wy 23, 1661. *' 



COLOXEL : Mr. Geortre Johnson, special agent of the 

 Quartermaster's Department, is sent to Louden 

 Countv for the purpose of collecting wagons, teams, 

 and grain forage for the use of this army. It is t x- 

 pected that he" will have no difficulties whatsoever ; 



