The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-12-19
TIE YIRGINIA DEBT.
Proceedings Ia the Virginia senate
last ThaIOday.

M NtfBlulh ~ UTAAAHI lIAAily ~ -
bly, bound u pay the whole OF The dept
contracted by the Commonwealth prl's
10 the year 1881"
Mr WSddell offered the following rs d
@T.Sjsed The House Of Delegates con.
cuyTinyI Thatlt Is the duty ofEhe General
AS.eml,iy without necessary delay, to pro
vide lof lie payment Of the public deDI
contracted prior W the year ls6l' LOoEinS
M The State of West Virginia to pay INTO
Tie treasury Of this Commonwealth the
rorti0n thereof which, upon q ihir settle !.
nrnt, may he found due from mat staIe'
Mr.. Pendleton introduced an argument
IN support UI his resolution, BY alludlng
10 the delicate position Of the General As
,..tnbly Of Virginia In the consideration Of
mis- question, Virgins was sitting IN
Judgment upon her own Cause. II De
C,u,. ihe Legislature 10 remember the
claim. M al Interested We should be
mindful Of the widow and orphan, but
mai Efgetill Of the demands Of Justice,
ard. above all, should disregard the cries
Of the spccuBt1L
The Virginia Of today wRsln no sense the
Vlrginia u 1860. and could not be bound
for The latler'S debt. Her territory Is not
the same.-neArly half Of it Is gone, and
only about one. third Of her taxable prop.
erty Is len. The Virginia Of 1850 has
ceased IN live, and two new States have
arisen from the ruins Of the old Common.
wealth. The scperate existence Of the
second State Of West Virginia has been in
more than one way acknowledged by the
authorities OF Virginia. This being the
case, the present State OF Virginia was not
the party that contracted these debts, and
having Inherited only portion Of the
property held by the old State, Is legally
and equitAbIy bound 10 pay only IN
amount prop0rtlonRte to the value Of her
share u Inheritance.
We are not bound to pay the whole
debt merely because we inherit the old
name. Suppose. tho men who formed the
new State had included In It's limits all
the old State except half n dozen counties
about Richmond, and called those hall
dozen counties Virginia, would that Viz.
giDiA have been bound for the whole debt!
Just "a much so AS this government In
conclusion, Mr.. .PendletUn urged Senators
TO entertain no false views Of justice, but
TO do their duty rs representatives Of the
State, unwilling TO saddle dOwntroddcn
Commonwealth with the debt not prop.
pOrlY her own.
Mr. Riddlck, Of NansCmond, said the
Legislature Is called upon to solemnly
assert that we arc not bound TO fulfill tue
contracts made by the State Of Virginia.
He felt sure that when tho proposition Is
stripped Of the gloss Of language, and Us
naked delOrmity appears, the Senate will
place the seal Of condemnation upon II.
However impoverished, he knew we
were not unwilling to acknowledge to our
Indebtedness. The attention OF tho Sen
ate WIS called to the probable effect Of
tho adoption Of tho resolution Of Mr.
PendletOn. We are setting out upon II
new career, and population is Il bad start.
For the proposition involves practical re.
pudialOn. II we can refuse 10 pay II
part, we can refuse to pay all. Severed
though the old State may be, VIC who re.
tain the name still represent the State
that issued the certificates Of indebted
ness, and having assets enough TO pay
them arc legally and morally bound to
pNY those obligations, MG.Rrc N9L 10 be
Of morals from which there is IN appeal
We have future before us, and a
reputation for honesty TO sustain.
This Is case Of simple honesty.
Shall we rCpudialC u part Of our
obligation merely because we have
lost u part Of our property
True, We arc not MS prosperous rs We
were, but the people Of Virginia have not
been reduced so low rs to forget the com
mon instinct oftruc men. ltwOuld stamp
them with IN infGmy from which they
could not recover. The burden which the
assumption Of this debt may bring us Is
not SO heavy TINT II may not be borne.
The speaker regretted that the impress
sion was already abroad that the debt
would be rcpudialcd lie had attempted
to assure gentlemen that such fears were
grOundlcSs, but the delay in providing Tor
| It's payment strengthened their 0pprchcn-
siOnS. The world should now be shown
that we entertain no idea OF sacrificing our
honor.
If Virginia decides against her credit
ors, there tan be no appeal from that de.
CiSion, and the creditors must suffer In
silence. Let us dSappOint the prophecies
Of our enemies, ind restore tho credit OF
our State. No spccious reasoning should
draw us from the straight path Of duty.
Though this practical reputation may
give us tcmpOry relief, it will give birth
to evils which will return TO curse us
Honesty is in this case, rs always, the
best policy, and 1t Is now the part Of Nir'
ginia to show that, though poor, she is
still proud though beaten, she is not dis
cOuragcd; though cast down, she is not
destroyed; and above all, that she has
not lost that reputation for honor, which
has been in the past her glory.
Mr.. SnOwdrn then offered tho following
substitute;
"Whcrcas during the late war n portion
Of the domain ofthc Commonwealth Of
Virginia was, without the consent OF this
State, separated therCtrOm and erected
into the State known rs West Virginia,
which said State of West Virginia has
been recognized by the Congress Of the
United States, and while that portion Of
Virginias territory was under the juriS.
diction OF this State and formed. part
thereof, the debt OF the State prior to the
year 1851 was contracted alike for the
benefit Of all parts Of the then State Of
Virginia, and blythe said Acknowledgement
OF tho State she was deprived Of a large
portion of her territory and taxable prop.
Crly, and BY the fortunes Of war her peo-
ple have been dcSpOilCl and impoverished
thereby rendering additional taxation I'D
eQuatc to the payment Of the interest on
the whole debt, buIdensome and -oppres.
sivc, and well calculated to deprcss the
present value Of the remaining property
Of the people Of the State and retard the
influx OF immigration and capital; now,