The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-01-23
Message Of the Governor Of West
............... Virginia. II Es 4 gt

: ,IsiterestS IN common, and 1t has Deen 30
short time since the latter State was cut
off from the former, that thc.annual mes
sages OF the Governor Of West Virginia
most necessarily touch upon subjects that
concern the people OF Virginia. The debt
Jointly owing by the two States, the bound
arg lines between them, the Chesapeake
and Ohio railroad, and other such Masters
:, must annually come up before the Legiss-
= sure of West Virginia until all such dis
4 tnrbing questions arc settled. That body
met few days since, and received Governor
BoREMAN's message. rnI TLGG
The Governor begins by telling how tine
rebels" disturb his loyal SUBJECTS out az
mits that there is "more OF peace anu
HARMONY !" within the State than at any
N nrev;ous period of its existence He says
he had last fall to call upon the United
q States Government for troops to subdue the
rebels of Cabell and Marion counties, who
had made demonstrations of violence to-
wards his rascally officers. Twenty
ttree'' ~ muskets "with bayonets, accou-
trements, and ammunition" were captured
in the latter county, whose rebels are Of q
very turbulent sort, as Governor PE1RPoIST
and others can testify. 1t does not appear,
however, that /" anybody was hurt" as Mr..
LINCOLN used to say.
'h The receipts into the State Treasury
during the year were 1854, 1918. The
disbursements were $76l ,ss2.26. The State
ig evidently much more able to pay its
share of the joint public debt than is Vir-
aSginia.
b And as to this joint debt, it appears that
the United States Government holds West
Virginia bound, as every honest man knows
she Is, to pay her just proportion Of it.
Governor FOREMAN having applied to that
Governm emit for the payment of the claims
made against it by his State for moneys
expended in paying and supplying military
forces engaged in suppressing the rebellion.
he was told that the Department Of the In
terror held large amount of Virginia State
bonds in trust for certain Indian tribes, on
#
been paid since January l, 1861, and that
the Secretary Of the Interior had requested
that the payment Of the sum found due
the State of West Virginia be withheld un-
til, through her authorities. she should make
settlement with the Department Of her
gust proportion Of the liabilities incurred
by the Issue of said bonds. In regard to
this request, Governor BoREMNN says: .
"The aggregate principal of these bonds is
S796.s0 and the unpaid Interest accrued M
the date of the examination fMarch. lS6S,)Was
1884,. 656, upon which. as WINS officially in
formed. hut about s29. on0 had been paid since
January l. 1861. There are a portion of these
bonds for which there may he n slight pretext
TO hold the State responsible, on the ground
that the corporation which issued them is
within the State: These are the bonds of the
CITY Of Wheeling. guaranteed by the Stare OF
Virginia, amounting 10 Sl6S.ooo OF prnc'pa''
and on which no interest had been maid since
January. 1861, until recently, MS l am in.
formed The city authorities have paid about
one. half of the same: vet DENY that there 's
anything in this matter that should rehoer
the State liable for these bonds
The Governor thinks it may become ne
oeasary to ask Congress to take action in
the matter. We imagineth Congress will
hardly assist the new State in repudiating
its just debts. He says that no commits
sioners have as yet been appointed to treat
with Virginia upon the subject Of this debt
because the suit between the two States as
to the counties of Jefferson and Berkeley
has not yet been decided by the Supreme
Court of the United States. This statement
seems to imply that West Virginia may yet,
in a fit of honesty, agree to pay small
part Of the debt in question.
The West Virginia penitentiary is not yet
completed. Nor has the State accommoda
tons in her asylums for all her insane, Vir-
ginia having within the last year trans
ferred q number from her asylums to that
of West Virginia.
As to the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad,
the Governor says:
"I am happy to be able to state that my in
formation is that 4 considerable portion of the
work has already been let to contract, and
that the prospects are most flattering for OBJ
tanning the necessary means and prosecuting
this great national Improvement to compile.
ZION at comparatively early day. Wonio
be much pleased to know that the State was
In n condition to extend to 1t more eHlcienI
aud than encouraging and friendly leglsla-
tion,n ...ra4.tz !.r# 'a.asa s
He says that the influence of this road
must soon be felt in the development OF one
of the richest mineral regions In the coun-
try, in the rapid improvement OF the Wnole
southern portion Of the State, and in add
ing greatly to the wealth of the people.
The sum Of S523, o57.O7 was expended in
West Virginia for all free school purposes
during the year, Of which Sl94, 5O4.6O was
contributed out of the State taxes, and the
rest was raised by local taxation. 1,769
schools were in operation within the year,
and 1910 teachers engaged. More than
1900 school-houses have been erected since
the school system went into operation in
1864, which are valued at $633, Sl7.92. The
value Of the land on which they are located,
and the other school property, such as fur
niture, apparatus, books, etc., swells this
amount to $737 ,343.2s. Thus showing that
near three-fourths Of million Of dollars
worth of school property has been acquired
since the organization Of the State. This
is all highly creditable to the young State.
The Governor thinks the State capital
ought to be located, the omission to do so
having retarded the improvement and pros
perity of the State. He recommends the
establishment of an asylum for the edues-
ton Of the deaf and dumb and the blind,
al ots trys fho