he said, at "an utter subversion of our constitutional
system and will consolidate all power in the hands of the Executive."
He was answered with spirit by Mr. Colfax of Indiana, who reviewed
the successive steps by which the legality of the Virginia government
had been recognized by the President and by all the departments of
the executive government. He argued that West Virginia had taken
every step regularly and complied with every requirement of the
Constitution.

Mr. Crittenden of Kentucky said the Wheeling government could be
regarded as the government of the whole State of Virginia "only by
a mere fiction. We _know_ the fact to be otherwise." He said it
was the party applying for admission that consented to the admission,
and that was the whole of it. When the war should cease and the
National authority should be re-established he wanted the Union as
it was. This would be "a new-made Union--the old majestic body
cut and slashed by passion, by war, coming to form another government,
another Union. The Constitution gives us no power to do what we
are asked to do." Mr. Maynard said there were "two governors and
two Legislatures assuming authority over Virginia simultaneously.
The question here is which shall the Government of the United States
recognize as the true and lawful Legislature of Virginia?" He
contended that it had already been settled, by the admission of
members of both branches of Congress under the Pierpont Government.
Mr. Dawes affirmed that "nobody has given his consent to the division
of the State of Virginia and the erection of a new State who does
not reside within the new State itself." He contended therefore
that "this bill does not comply with the spirit of the Constitution.
If the remaining portions of Virginia are under duress while this
consent is given, it is a mere mockery of the Constitution." Mr.
Brown of Virginia, from that part which was to be included in the
new State, corrected Mr. Dawes, but the latter maintained that
while a member of the Legislature "was picked up in Fairfax and
two or three gentlemen in other parts of the State, they protested
themselves that they did not pretend to represent the counties from
which they hailed."

Mr. Thaddeus Stevens said he did not desire to be understood as
"sharing the delusion that we are admitting West Virginia in
pursuance of any provision of the Constitution." He could "find
no provision justifying it, and the argument in