e convention; for no
permanent settlement of the great problems could be effected with the
State virtually half slave and half free.

The Virginia policy during the period of 1850 to 1861 was influenced
largely by the nation-wide idea that the question of slavery could be
settled only by civil strife. Accordingly the Virginia politicians,
and especially Governor Wise[40] during his term of office, were at
great pains to connect Eastern Virginia in thought and in purpose with
the slave-holding South. This was a period of great internal
improvements in Virginia. The State incurred a bonded debt of
thirty-six million dollars. Many of the loans constituting this debt
were used to promote and facilitate the building of railroads and
canals. The railroads in question, almost without exception, tended to
connect Eastern Virginia socially, industrially and commercially with
her neighbors to the south. On the other hand, the only large railroad
of Western Virginia, the Baltimore and Ohio, was constantly
discriminated against at Richmond[41] and in every session of the
legislature restrictions were aimed at its activities. It is
significant that the hostility to railroad facilities for the
Northwest persisted down to the beginning of the Civil War.[42]

While Western Virginia was denied railroad facilities out of deference
to southern and slave-holding interests, liberal appropriations were
made for the building of turnpike roads in that territory.[43] This
consideration tended to some extent to alleviate the feeling of
dissatisfaction. The fact remained, however, that Western Virginia had
become one in thought and in purpose with the people of Pennsylvania
and Ohio, and she was influenced considerably by her intercourse with
Baltimore. It was to these places that she had easy access. It
followed, therefore, that in 1861 when Eastern Virginia seceded from
the Union and went with the slave-holding States of the South, the
western part of the State had little choice save to remain loyal to
the Union.

SECESSION AND ITS RESULTS

In 1860 there were in all Virginia 498,887 slaves, of whom 12,771 were
in the forty-eight counties originally constituting the State of West
Virginia.[44] With an overwhelming majority of all the slaves in the
State located in the East, the people of this section were, naturally
enough, profoundly interested in the events then occurring in other
pro-slavery commonwealths. Influenced by the secession o