sea, by flood and field-the assaults of open, the snares of secret, foes-the timidity of the faint-hearted, the rashness of the bold. At last we were out of the wilderness; not only in sight but in possession of the promised land. The past, with its anxieties and bitterness, was to be forgotten save for its lessons of wisdom and patience; and now all faces turned to the future, rosy in the dawn of enfranchisement and progress!

CHAPTER XXII.

THE SECESSION CONVENTION DESCRIBED BY SURVIVING MEMBERS.

AS SEEN BY M'GREW OF PRESTON.

Hon. James C. McGrew of Kingwood, West Virginia, was a member of the Richmond Convention of 1861, colleague of Hon. William G. Brown. He is now at the age of eighty-eight the president of a bank in active service, the possessor of a large property which he cares for, and is more active and capable than many men at fifty. Learning that Mr. McGrew was still in good health and activity, the author wrote him in June, 1900, to ask if he would contribute for these pages his recollections and impressions of the Convention and of some of the Western members. His reply (written on type-writer with his own hand) was addressed to the author; and except the address is given without alteration. The day he mailed it, Mr. McGrew says in a P. S., he completed his eighty-seventh year.

Kingwood, W. V., September 14, 1900.

Not until now, since writing you in July, have I been able to command sufficient leisure to fulfill the promise to tell you something about the Virginia Secession Convention; and now that I have set myself about it, I find that I cannot be sure of entire accuracy in stating facts which occurred near forty years ago; having to depend largely on a memory somewhat impaired by age. I believe a full and complete report of the

proceedings of the Convention, including the many able speeches, has never been published. It would be interesting reading now. Although there existed great dissatisfaction in the western part of the State growing out of the inequality of taxation, there was no demand among the people at the time for an extra session of the General Assembly. Under the Constitution, that body sat biennially, and the winter of 1860-61 was the period of vacation. Various reasons for convening the Legislature were given in the Governor's proclamation-such as "State legislation," "ratification of the sale of the James River and Kanawha Canal to a body of French capitalists," and "to take into consideration the condition of public affairs." These were mere pretexts, the sole purpose being to open the way to secession of the State.

The calling of the Convention was in open disregard of well-established precedents and was clearly a usurpation. Never before in the history of the State had a State Convention been

ORGANIZING THE NEW STATE.

The last day of the session an ordinance was passed "for the organization of the State of West Virginia." It provided that on Thursday next succeeding the thirtyfifth from the date of the President's proclamation under the act of admission, an election for State and county officers should be held throughout West Virginia. The Executive Committee were entrusted with the details of holding the election and of providing for the accommodation of the Legislature and executive officers at the city of Wheeling. It was provided that the Legislature on the sixtyfirst day after the date of the President's proclamation should meet at eleven o'clock in the forenoon and proceed to organize. All officers acting within the State by authority of the laws of Virginia were to continue the exercise of the powers and duties of their offices in the name of West Virginia until officers chosen under the new constitution were elected or appointed and qualified to succeed them.

The Convention adjourned February 20th, subject to recall by the Executive Committee; but if not previously convened it was to stand adjourned from the date the New State was organized and in operation, and Mr. Dille was appointed Vice President to act in the contingency of the death of the President.

AMENDMENT RATIFIED BY THE PEOPLE.

The amended constitution was submitted to vote March 26, 1863, and the amendment ratified by 18,862 to 514. This vote did not include the volunteers in the United States army, roundly stated at ten thousand.