eeling prevailed among the home-workers for the cause.

_Pierpont's Pretentious Administration._

On December 7, 1863, the legislature of the "Restored Government of
Virginia" held its first meeting in the chambers of the city council
at Alexandria, which municipality became the seat of a Union
administration in the Old Dominion, after Governor Pierpont's removal
from Wheeling, W. Va., where, by unqualified political trickery, he
and his unauthorized following had effected the establishment of a new
Union commonwealth out of the ruins of Confederate Virginia. Six
senators were present, representing the counties of Norfolk, Accomac,
Fairfax, Alexandria, and _Loudoun_, and the city of Norfolk. Prince
William, Northampton, Alexandria, _Loudoun_, and Norfolk counties were
represented by seven delegates. J. Madison Downey, of Loudoun, was
elected speaker of the house of delegates.

This tiny mouth-piece of Virginia Unionists had naturally few
important, or even ordinary, questions of legislation to decide. The
most important was a provision for the amendment of the State
constitution with relation to its bearing on the slavery question.
"Everybody," said Governor Pierpont in his message, "loyal or
disloyal, concedes that slavery in the State is doomed. Then acting
upon this concession, call a convention of loyal delegates, to alter
the State constitution in this particular, and declare slavery and
involuntary servitude, except for crime, to be forever abolished in
the State."

A new constitution which should supercede that of 1851 and express the
Union sentiments of the Potomac legislators, was accordingly drafted.
Nominations of delegates to the constitutional convention were made in
January, 1864. By the terms of the act relative thereto, any voter in
the State who had not adhered by word or act to the Confederacy since
September 1, 1861, might be chosen a member of the convention; all
"loyal" citizens, who had not given aid or comfort to the Confederacy
since January 1, 1863, possessed the right to vote.

Elections were held January 22, 1864. Very little interest was
manifested by the people, as was evidenced by the ridiculously small
vote everywhere polled. _Loudoun's_ nominees, Dr. J.J. Henshaw, J.
Madison Downey, and E. R. Giver, were elected by a mere handful of
voters.

The convention met at Alexandria February 13, 1864, with fifteen[40]
delegates present from twelve counties. Le Roy G. Edwards, of
Portsmou