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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us February 21, 2005 Food & History The birth of West Virginia Jeff Cheek Abraham Lincoln was a brilliant lawyer and a political genius. It took every ounce of both skills to steer a course between Southern chicanery and Yankee malfeasance in 1861, but a new state, West Virginia, was created. Pre-Civil War Virginia was a huge state, almost 75,000 square miles stretching from the Atlantic to the Ohio River but it was actually two states. The eastern two thirds was tidelands and rolling hills, with a plantation economy and half a million slaves. A fourth of Virginians lived in the mountainous western third. They were small farmers, miners and lumberjacks. There were only 18,000 slaves in the region. These westerners were fiercely loyal to the Union. Virginia did not secede until a week after Fort Sumter was fired upon. On April 19, 1861, the Secessionist Convention voted 88 to 45 to join the Confederacy. The vote followed sectional lines. The east for it, the west for the Union. Their decision had to be ratified by the people. On May 23, the people voted 125,950 to 10,373 to secede. But it was a fraudulent election. They counted the ballots and announced the results before those from the west arrived. This arrogant chicanery would pay a heavy price. Enraged by this ursurpation of a hallowed legal process, western delegates met in Wheeling. On June 11, 1861 they voted to create a new state, West Virginia, with Wheeling as the capital. Charleston later became the capital but the state motto they adopted never changed: "Montani Semper Liberi" (Mountaineers are always free). Union forces under General George McClellan easily drove Confederate forces out of the region and elections were held that fall. In May 1862, West Virginia petitioned Congress to be admitted as a new state. This action precipitated a constitutional crisis. Artice IV, Section 3 of the constitution says that "no new state shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other state ... without the consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as the Congress." Lincoln welcomed the support from West Virginia, but he had also sworn "to protect, preserve, and defend" the constitution. There was a tiny legal loophole. The federal government held a thin slice of Virginia along the Potomac River. It amounted to about five percent of the land area of the state, but, as Lincoln had never recognized the Confederacy as an independent nation, Virginia was still technically part of the Union. A provisional government had been established in Alexandria, just across the river from Washington. In essence, Virginia had three state capitals: Richmond, Wheeling and Alexandria. Richmond was the capital of the secessionists. Wheeling the state capital of the breakaway independents who were petitioning for statehood, and Alexandria the capital of the "Restored Government of Virginia." The Wheeling government could not vote on their own request but the Alexandria government approved the petition. Congress waived the probationary period as a territory and West Virginia became our 35th state on June 20, 1863. This column is about dual states so Double Use Devil Ham Dip is appropriate. Use any leftover dip for sandwiches. Ingredients 2 4-oz. cans deviled ham 1 8-oz. package cream cheese 2 tbsp chopped pimento stuffed olives 2 tbsp finely chopped onion 1 tbsp catsup Preparation Combine all ingredients, chill until needed. Serve with assorted crackers. Any leftovers will make tasty sandwiches for school lunch bags. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Women's & Men's Slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks heloc libor rate Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weightloss Products Memory Foam Mattress afsa home equity loans teleconferencing W2 Forms Homeschooling Tatoos student loans Matchmaking & Dating Scripts African Safari Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation diamonds Currancy Exchange Online Casinos Community Fasa Student Loans Tatoo Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams