The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-08-10
Fayeafe SPEAKS - Piecc On the State
.-. Debt.
fsrom the Southern Patriot.1
THE STATE DERT.

THE STATE DEBT.
We will now attempt TO redeem prom.
ise made some time since, and present to
the public our views upon the subject OF
the state debt. We are Tree to admit that
this is one Of the most Intricate and com.
plicatcd subjects that has ever been pre-
sented to the Legislature of this or any
other State, and we approach it with great
care and dellcacy, feeling as we do the
want OF ability To do justice to the ques.
| tion. -.....
| In the first place, the debt was cre1ted
| by the construction OF the James River and
| Kunawha canal, commencing at Richmond,
| and designed TO reach the Mississippi Val
| lev. THIS work cost between six and eight
millions OF dollars.
Next add the various railroads and turn
pike roads of the State. Now, bc it remem-
bered that for all these various works the
votes of West Virginia were cast with the
exec ption of, the Virginia and Tennessee
road. against which most of the vote was
given upon the ground that if our road
should be built it might defeat theirs. 1t
would be well in this connection to bear In
mind that, whilst the votes Of the West and
Southwest were cast for the improvements
in the different portions of the State, most
of the votes of the Southside were polled
against those works. Hence the debt, or
most of it. was forced on the people south
of the James river against their. Wish: lt
must be remembered that the canal and the
Chesapeake and ONO railroad were both
regarded as works Of vast Importance in
uniting the east and weSt--as much lof the
benefit Of the one as the other. .a:.'.
We wish it distinctly understood that we
We think that States, like individuals,
should pay all of their just debts that II
they cannot pay one hundred cents in the
dollar, they should pay seventy-hye they
cannot pay that, they should pay fifty cents;
If they cannot pay that, they ought TO pay
twenty-five, or ten and when man has
paid all that he can, that is all that should
lie required ofihiln. 1t is our wish. to see
Virgins pay her fair share Of the State
debt, but the Siateof West Virginia should
pay her part also. Let lis look at the legal
and moral phase of this subject. West
Virginia, by her votes, helped to create the
ed or divorced herself from Virginia, ille-
ga!ly, unconstitutionally, aud without just
cause, taking of fifty OF as good counties
as any in the State, and thus, by this act
and outrage, disabled Virginia to a great
extent from paying the debt. In the next
place, West Virginia united with the Fed
erai Government and aided In oyerpoWer-
ing Virginia and Wiping out aud aDohshing
slavery, and thas very seriously crippled
our finances and disabled us from paying
the debt. Again, West Virginia lent her
political influence to the Radical party 10
the Virginia Convention which incorpor-
ated the homestead clause in our Consti-
tuition, By which act at least three-louftns
OF the people. will be, exempted rom
paying any part of the State debt,
and the result will be to compel the other
fourth to pay the whole of the State debt,
as recommended by Gov. Walker. The
fourth will become hopelessly insolyent.
for we have neither the property nor the
ability to pay the debt, which now amounts
to say fifty millions of dollars. Is we could
pay the debt, and were to pay 1t, and then
look 10 West: YiIginia for her part. we
might and would look in vain. We would
never collect one dollar. The fact is, there
is 40 mode by which we could force nerttot
pay one dollar. We differ as wide as the
poles win Gov. Walker on this point. we
arc opposed TO Virginia paying her part OF
the debt any faster Than we are a0le 10 pay
it. Let our, children who dome after, us pay
u portion of tho dept. They Will reap the