The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-01-18
The Governors Message.

through the kinuness VI MI
State Printer, we are enabled to lay be-
fore our readers, this morning, a copy OF
Governor SrEvENsoN's message to the
Legislature, which assembled Yesterday
without the delay attending the slow
process of its transmission by mail from
the State capital.s
The message is, in the main very cred
liable to its author, and most OF the
suggestions it contains will meet with
the hearty concurrence Of the Leglsia-
ture and the people Of the State. 1t re-
iers in a somewhat extended manner,
though perhaps as concisely as the I'M
portance of the subjects treated ofwould
admit, to the condition OF the state
finances, the Virginia debt, the schooi
system, the benevolent and penal ihs'''
tutions Of the State, the works OF In
ternal improvement now being carried
on, and the EFFORTS tHat nav wv
10 promote immigration.
He recommends the repeal Of the
present registration Law because, as he
alleges, it has not been faithfully exc
cuted. and he recommends the adop
ton of the FLICK amendment and OPP
poses the holding of a constitutional
convention.
As regards the apportionment OF the
VIRGINIA State debt between the two
states by arbitration in the manner
now being discussed in Virginia, Gov
ernor STEVENSON seems opposed to the
plan suggested. He thinks the ac'
coupt between the two States should
be settled by credting Virginia with
the amount expended for public i'm
provements in West Virginia, and for
a reasonable portion Of the State ex'
penses, and debiting her with the taxes
paid by the counties composing this
State. This is the manner OF settle
ment contemplated by the Ordinance OF
August, 1861, the first provision made
by the people Of West Virginia on the
subject. We are inclined to think that
this mode OF settlement will not
be acceptable to Virginia, and we are
not convinced that it would be Alto
together just 1t seems to us that the
simpler rule which makes the taxable
property in Virginia in 1861 the basis
Of the calculation and apportions TO
West Virginia that share Of the debt
and that share Of the public property,
which the taxable property in the
counties composing West Virginia was
Of the whole amount, cannot fail to be
regarded by the people of both States
as eminently fair, reasonable and just
The Governors advocacy Of the
FLICK amendment and opposition TO the
proposed constitutional convention,
should show the Democratic friends OF
the amendment what completely Re,
publican measure it is. 1t seems that
in their opposition to such a
thorough reform Of our State
affairs as was decreed by the people
last fall and can only be effected by a
convention to revise the Constitution OF
the State, the Radicals have seized
upon the FLICK Amendment and pro-
pose to rush it through, as sort Of
tub to the whale" This accounts for
the sudden zeal they have manifested
in it's behalf, but renders still more in
explicable the conduct Of Democratic
supporters of the measure. From
every quarter Of the State comes the
demand for a convention, and if it is
10 be bartered off for such one sided
hallway measure as the FLICK Amend
ment, then will the Legislature
prove false to the wishes and
expectations of the people. We trust
that Governor STEVENSON suggestions
upon this subject will be appreciated in
their proper light, as an attempt to
hamper and deny the expressed will OF
the people and control a Democratic
Legislature by Radical leading strings.
There is much in the message to com
mend. Its suggestions are generally
: sensible and practical, and the exhibit
4of State affairs which it furnishes is
NH of interest. We commend 1t to
s5<ieFdl perusal by all our readers.