PART I-HISTORY,

"Let us search more and more into the past; let all men explore it as the true fountain of knowledge, by whose light alone, consciously or unconsciously employed, can the present or the future be interpreted or guessed at."-Carlyle.

"I do not in the least want to know what happened in the past, except as it enables me to see my way clearly through what is happening to-day."-Morley.

"Between history and politics I can draw no distinction. History is the politics of the past: politics are the history of the present."-Freeman.

THE

HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT

OF

WEST VIRGINIA.

PARTI-HISTORY.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTORY.

I. 1. Settlement of Virginia. It is necessary to a proper understanding of the history of West Virginia that a brief outline be given of the first settlements of Virginia, together with the conditions under which those settlements were made. Columbus discovered the West India islands in 1492. Five years later John Cabot landed upon the continent of North America, being the first white man to set foot upon its shores in modern times. Through him the continent became known to the English, and they based their claim to the country upon his discovery. Very soon after that time the Span

ish discovered Mexico and the southern coast of the United States, and they also claimed the continent by right of discovery. They soon planted colonies and sent military expeditions to take possession. But the English were slow in strengthening their claim by establishing settlements. One

hundred and nine years elapsed after Cabot's discovery before any part of the American continent became the permanent home of English people. Jamestown was the first colony that survived. It was established in 1607 on James River, fifty miles from its mouth.

2. Remarkable Ignorance of Geography.-The best educated people of that time were remarkably ignorant of American geography. Ships had sailed along both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and the Spanish had penetrated toward the interior in several places; but the greater part of North America was totally unknown. The explorers had little knowledge of distance and poor ideas of direction. Spanish maps made at that time show the western coast of North America extending westwardly across the Pacific Ocean in the latitude of Hawaii. On the other hand the English and Dutch explorers, who first mapped the Atlantic coast, imagined that the Pacific Ocean was no farther away than the Blue Ridge. They actually sailed up the Hudson, the James, and the Potomac, hoping to reach the Pacific by those routes-as though a river could have its mouth in one ocean and its source in another. Virginia lost territory from time to time. The first division was the cutting off of the northern part to make New England. Then came other subtractions, the last of which was in 1863 when the western part was taken off to form West Virginia.

3. The First Colonists of Virginia. Before the beginning of the seventeenth century the English people had never planted colonies farther from home than Ireland and Scotland. The race was hardy and vigorous. It contained all of the elements necessary to development and expansion. The wilderness of the New World was the field where the seeds of civili

zation were speedily to take root and grow. The time was ripe and the conditions were favorable. England had come off victorious from its wars with Spain, which was, at that time, considered the most powerful nation in the world. The English soldiers on land and sailors at sea had met no equals.

The people of all classes were inspired with confidence and were aware of their strength. They did not hesitate to undertake the great work of civilization which the outcome of events and the evolution of nations had set before them.

Theirs was the task of redeeming from a wilderness the newly-discovered continent of North America, and of placing it in the front rank of the nations of the world. The English were the only people at that time who were competent to do that great work. Colonies were planted in America by the Spanish, the Potuguese, the Swedes, the Dutch, and the French; but none other succeeded like those founded by the English people.

4. Good and Bad Elements.-At the close of the Spanish wars large numbers of the better classes in England were left without employment. There were soldiers and sailors, mechanics and skilled workmen. They became the strength of the Virginia colonies. They were reliable, sensible people, and their influence has had much to do with fostering the spirit of liberty and shaping its course in America. On the other hand some of Virginia's early settlers were not so desirable. At one time nearly one-fifth of the population of Virginia was made up of men who had been banished from England for transgressing the laws. Jamestown was made a penal settlement for English convicts. Those unfortunate people Nevertheless, the

were turned loose upon the community. result was not so bad as many feared it would be. Perhaps one-half of the imported convicts would not today be classed as hardened criminals. At that time, under the laws and in the courts of England, offenses which would now be regarded only as petty thefts or as breaches of the peace, were punished with great severity. That which to-day would be punished by a few days in jail, or a small fine, was then considered worthy of the dungeon for years, or banishment for life, or the gallows. With this knowledge before us, it can readily be surmised that many of the expatriated settlers in Virginia were not villians, but rather were unfortunate persons willing to