The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-02-27

tee' that being as far, 1t was thought, "as
prudent men ought togo"
Now, VIC submit these facts 10 the
common sense Of intelligent readers
and ask If they do not Justify the
apprehension we have expressed that
tho action Of the Convention looks
to repudiationP If the Convention
were o set Of idiots, VIC might suppose
otherwise; but they arc in tho main very
intelligent body Of men, The question
was discussed over.this section three days
and the significance and consequences Of
the action finally taken were clearly
pointed out ~ such able men as WILEY,
WHEAT and PENDLETpN, The explAna-
ton VIC have givenitseems to us the only
one possible. "YoarCKt writing to the
Register in the midst Of the debate says !,
From what | can learn ! deem i certain
that no recognition Of any obligation on
the part Of West Virginia win BIO made.
There q y ssfeag parry headed BY Mr..
Rqois ~ho are q Jasor Of absolute repadt-
alton, while many others, like Mr.. HAY
MoSD, ["prudent mem tsiat tt iaGrpedisnt
b mention lte stlGiea az all" One of our
correspondents wrote pr MI. WOODS that
be had made 20 powerful and. plausible
speech against eitherrecognizing or paying
any Of The Virginia debt" Now the action
finally taken resulted from combination
Of this ""strong party Of out,and-out re-
pudiaton, headedby Mr.. WOODS, with the
many other" "prudent men" headed by
Mr.. HAYMoND. Then must not that &c.
ton, as far as the WoODs party is con-
cerned, at least, smean reputation 2"
There Is no escaping it, Another CORES.
pendent Of the Register, writing Of this
discussion. speaks Of the Two parties 10 it
as "repudiators" and "non.repudiatorS,"
and makes this general observation:
"As Is evident from the remarks OF the
several gentlemen who offered the amend.
ments, they. all tended To- the recognition
Of the Virginia debt, and 10 a. desire Of
placing the ultimate disposal Of It in the
hands Of the Legislature, whilst those OPP
posed 70 any amendments were DESTROYS
Of not altogether repudiating, yet leaving
the section in such q way that a conStruc.
ton hereafter may b placed upon Il to that
effect"
That is it exactly. The "prudent men,"
like Mr.. HAYMoND, have shaped the section
in such way that the Legislature, from
the necessity Of its OWE. limited powers,
and no less from the evident inten-
ton Of the Convention, will leave
tho question forever untouched, unless
some other action than any yet taken
should compel different course. We
have hastily run over the circumstances
attending the adoption Of this 9th section !;
and we say uphesitatipgly that whenever
q legislature comes to deal. with that sec.
ton, the "cotemporaneous interpreta.
ton" furnished by the persistent and re.
peated refusals Of the Convention to per.
nit the insertion of one word referring
to the Virginia debt Wilt such conclu.
sive, irresistible evidence Of The purpose
OF the Convention not togrant the Legis-
lature any power in that section to deal
with that debt, that no legislature could
or would, under its terms, thus inter.
preted, ever touch the question. 1
Hence, we say once moro, the action Of
the Convention must mean population,
and mustlead to it unless something hero.
after inserted in the constitution, or the
rejectionot that instrument by the people,
delivers the State from such calamity.