The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-01-15
The Public De6i OF virginia.

WESTON, January 3, 1896
Editors ftus Register
Anterior to 1853 the sum of $50 Sal ,474,
"a had been expended by the State of
Virginia for internal improvements
To Railroads SIS, 500 i27, 80
Navigation Companies ...........- 49, GS 80
Plank Roads ............-.---- Sso, 42e, "a
Turnpikes ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. S,22S Ilf II
| Bridges, l33 lOO, W
At the SESSION Of 1859 the additional
sum of S5,9i7, 600 was appropriated. and
since paid.
Navigation Companies ..............-. $4,000
Turnpike Companies. $4,000
And to this sum may be added s5,35i,-
coo. appropriated 10 works of internal
improvement, prior thereto and not here
toforc called for. bat since organized.
and which may, and doubtless have been
demanded. making in the aggregate
the total sum of s3l coo ,474,04 paid b.
the State for works OF irternal impro-e-
men1
b. az examination or The report OF J
III Bennett, Esq late Auditor Of Public
Accounts Of Virginia, under date Of De
cenber 10th, 1896, it will be seen that
the outstanding public debt of Virginia,
estimated to the list of January. 1861,
vas SO, lS6, 06T ,32-that the unfunded
debt of the State was about 5000 600,
and that by estimating the back interest
it would swell the public debt of Virginia
in round numbers to 100000 As
suming tha: the public debt of Virginia
IN round numbers is s4T 100 go, and
taking the appropriations TO works of
internal improvements IS basis Of
settlement tor the CID aud new State,
and estimating !he monies expended in
..ud revenues derived from the counties
Of the new State how wodld the account
standi We stated IN former paper that
iii an equitable settlement between the
cid and new State. the new would have
| no part Of the public debt to pay We
think so still The State of West Vir
ginia is composed OF fifty counties, and
these counties paid into the public treas
ury Of Virginia in the year 1860, intakes,
the sum o. s630,I26 81. Now II We
estimate the taxes derived from these
counties from the year 1855 to tie year
lcUu at the same rate of taxation, il pre-
duCes the sum- Of s3,lh3,630 81 Aud
| allowing that one half that sum W as re-
| allied for the five proceeding years, that
IS to say trour the lst of January 1850 to
1880 the additional sum of 81 ,576,315 IL
IS acquired, which, added TO the S3, l53
go II Increases that amount to 81
| '3o,ei0 4o which We take upon our
| selves 10 say, is more actual money than
has ever been expended in the present
limits OF West Virginia for internal i'm.
proyemeuts, and perhaps for all pur
poses.
Prior 10 the year 1882 there were but
twenty-four counties ia the present lin
its Of West Virginia. and 1t may be ow-
ing TO the sparseness Of the population
and the reduced assessed yalue of the
lands i'll many of the counties that the
t0xes derived frvm them did not pay or
binary governmental expenses But We
apprehend, by careful examination in.
to the matter, they greatly exceed
81 expenses between the years ls40 and
1850, and that there will be found large
balance sheet in their favor Assuming
that S2,0O0,000 have been expended il
the limits of West Virginia for railroads
s1e9, 900 for turnpikes (being one-third OF
all the monies expended in Virginia
for turnpikes), AID 81 900 900 for bridges
navigation companies and State roads,
and there would still remain of the S4,.
I2s, s4o 40, $751; &c to meet any
deficit or contingent liability which
mig ht arise in the settlement between
the two States.
A careful examination into toe expeu-