The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-02-24
thirds of said debt, and makes procla-

officers to pay one cent o. interest to any
one that does not recognize her mode OF
settlement. Over $30,0O0,000 Of bond,
holders have accepted her proposition.
Ny opinion is that since the act Of
1871 we shall never hear from her
again. She will never bring forward
any proposition to arbitrate the debt.
She stands relieved by the consent of
her bondholders of Sl7,000,000 OF the
debt | desire to see West Virginia
pursuing the path Of integrity and
honor that she is always ready to re-
cognize any just obligation imposed
upon her.
Mr.. Pendleton, who is a member Of
the committee on Taxation, Finance,
&c, followed in a very eloquent and
argunenta1ive speech of which, l am
sorry to say, cannot give any extracts.
His speech was of that character that
it would be impossible to give extracts
that could be Joined together to make
it Ineligible or do him justice. He,
however, at the close, offered the follow
ing as an additional section to the re-
port: ANY debts contracted or engage
ments entered into prior TO the adoption
Of this Constitution shall be as valid
against this State under this Cons,iu-
ton as under that for which it is sub
stituted."
The dinner hour having arrived, the
Convention took a recess, and upon the
reassembling, Mr.. Travers, who is
chairman of the committee AID entitled
under the rule to the closing speech,
arose to sustain the report
He said that the committee believed
that the old provision for the payment
of the debt in the Constitution
ought no longer to exist, and so they
dropped it. That so far as the commit
tee was concerned, great injustice would
be done it if it was supposed to shirk
any liability that it thought the State
OF West Virginia might be under to any
man or any State; that they had by the
strongest language acknowledged this
and every other liability of West Nir-
ginia The State of West Virginia
upon first requesting admission was
denied, not because it had not performed
any act in its organization, bat upon
the distinct ground that it had not com
piled with the Constitution OF the
United States; that it had not the
assent of Virginia, and that Thaddeus
Stevens had declared West Virginia
was myth.
Mr.. Wiley had stated that it never
was rejected in consequence Of the non
assent OF Virginia, but that when the
Constitution of West Virginia was pre-
scented to Congress it was objected to,
until certain clause in regard 10 slavery
should be modified.
Mr.. Travers resumed. Mr.. Wiley
had stated that so scrupulOus was Con
gress in regard to the debt of Virginia
that it demanded it should be provided
for in the Constitution OF West Virginia,
and he (Mr. Travers) thought that from
that fact Congress had 70 very pleasant
feelings towards West Virginia. Mr..
Wiley was pleased to inform us, also,
that already the question is agitated
whether this State will be permitted
longer to live. Permit me to say that
whenever Congress shall conceive that
it has power to blot out Of existence a
State of this Union be assured they
will not be wanting in pretext
According to the views Of my learned
friend (Mr. Faulkner), he desires to
refer to the Legislature the whole Of
this question. Has not Virginia indi-
Gated her desire to settle the question,
not through the Legislature of West
Virginia, but BY a tribunal OF arbitra-
tors composed of distinguished citizens
of the United States. The more discus
sion there ha. been upon this subject,
the more favorable / have been to the
report Of the committee.
We must put Virginia in the same
line that we put any one else to whom
West Virginia may be indebted. What
virtue is there in these varied provisions?
Isn't it better that this doubt be allayed
by terms in which there can be no
doubt? There is no reason why there
should be any discorl between these two
States.
During Mr.. Travers speech he was
often interrupted by Mr.. Wiley, who
desired TO correct him in different
statements. As is evident from the re-
marks OF the several gentlemen who
offered the amendments, they all tended
to the recognition of the Virginia debt,
and to desire of placing the ultimate
disposal of it in the hands of the Legis
lature, whilst those opposed to any
amendments were DESTROYS Of not alto
gcther regulating, yet leaving the sec.
ton in such a way that construction
might hereafter be placed upon it TO
that effect
The question being called, Mr.
Wheat withdrew his amendment, Mr.
Wiley withdrew his, and Mr. Pend'e-
ton offered his additional section.
whereupon Mr.. Wilson offered tue col.
lowing:
"A Just proportion OF the public debt
Of the Commonwealth Of NirLinia prior
to the first day OF January. 1851, to be
a:certained by charging to it all State
expenditures within the limits thereof
and just proportion OF the ordinary
expenses Of the State government since
part of said debt was contracted, and
deducting theretrom the moneys, paid
into the treasury Of the Commonwealth
from the counties included within the
State of West Virginia during the same
period
Mr.. Faulkner desired to know from
the gentleman If he had calculated what
his amendment would produce and how
far back his calculation ran. To which
Mr.. Wilson replied that his calculation
ran back as far as the formation OF the
Commonwealth of Virginia. The