"Excuse me, but Virginia left the Union in a very peaceful and democratic
manner, as did all the Southern states."

The facts are: Elements of Virginia (her agents) made aggressive, unlawful moves to interfere with the movement of 
Federal personnel within Virginia.

These agents made attempts to secure Federal property and deny Federal access to it and its contents.

This "moves" occurred prior to the "legislative" process to secede.

Virginia (Executive and Legislative) made no "constructive moves" to "squash" or otherwise "dis-avow" these, if not 
unlawful moves, certainly provocative ones requiring a lawful response.

Virginia (Executive and Legislative) gave ample, if not overwhelming, indication that it supported and would resort 
to "violence" to support its legislative process to secede before and after legislation. (I'm not sure, the 
Executive was "wholly" on board - but may have been lax in asserting authority, leadership, and influence to divert 
the Commonwealth from the "flavor" for violence.)

In short, the "guys" in charge did not take charge of their secession movement as envisioned by our times and our 
understanding of the enabling provisions of our Constitution.

In short, the "Feds observed that the burglar was in his house".

In short, we, "history", get to be the jury.

In short, proponents for the "lost cause", who had the political "where-with-all, believed and were willing to 
succumb to "precedent" (our successful Revolution) over subsequent established law to retain their own "ideal" of 
government.

Those are facts that I have been explained to me previously.

They are a "hurtle" to all other "wishful" explanations.

I would invite authoritive research revealing that those facts did not occur.

Should they prove to be untrue, then we can begin the debate that might lead to a "cloth" of "total" innocence of 
our Commonwealth in the "affair".

W. R.(Ray) Waddell


 

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