The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-07-23

1tnia too well to do her injustice, Sun "
thinks her TOO dishonest TO pay her debts. =
Wheeling Register.
TIA, Is hardly the way TO state 1t. We 90
nes consider the people OF West virginia
dishonest. On the contrary, we regard
them as almost universally honest bu'
they are nevertheless opposed TO paying
debt which the State honestly owes. IL
woujd certainly be right TO pronounce them
dishonest u they thought they owed the
debt. But this they do not think. They
have been badly taught. There are TOO
may demsgogats in West Virginia. The
peopIe are totally ignorant OF the law and
the facts Of the case. They have beee
told by lawyers aud others In whom
they have confidence that West virginia
ewes only such proportion OF Virginia's
ante.belIum debt as PEIRPoISf's bogus Con-
veniion ack Iowledged to be her fair share
OF that debt-namely, none, or next 10
none. II Virginia bad not been divided
the people OF West Virginia would have
had 10 pay in proportion to their taxable
values. Their moral and legal obligation
would have been the same. They would
necessarily have paid in that proportion.
Is their moral obligation changed by the
erection ef new StateY Do they owe any
less Of that debt because they cannot be
compelled to pay any OF itS To ask such
questions is TO answer them.
The fault, we say, is In bad teaching.
The masses Of the people in any State are
hardly capable Of making up an intelligent
opinion on such subjects. Ask them to
vote cave" or "No" on a question OF
taxing themselves, and they are very apt to
vote No." especially il there are any re-
spectacle public advocates OF reputation
telling them that they may honestly vote IN
that way. II oil their trusted leaders had
told the people of West Virginia that they
owed lust as much OF the debt as II
they had remained In Virginia, they
would never have conceived the idea that
they owe only a million OF the thirty-one
millions which Virginia owed before West
Virginia seeded.
Don't we hold that Virginia ought TO ac-
count for the assets she had 10 1861 Surely
we do; but when we recollect that almost
the entire debt OF Virginia was contracted
10 pay for schemes carried by West Virginia
votes, and against the protest OF all Tide
water Virginia, we have little patience with
those who begin TO talk about "assets.'
The James river canal and the CovingtOn
and Ohio road were both undertaken for the
purpose OF opening up West Virginia. The
debt OF Virginia Is largely for money bor-
rowed to construct those works. Virginia
had to sacrifice all those assets"-give
them away, In a word-because those works
had not reached their intended terplini, and
she was not able to complete them. She did
the best she could under the circumstances.
She used those assets to secure and did Sc
cure the grandest railroad on the continent,
running for over two hundi ed miles through
West Virginia territory, and enriching
thousands Of people in that State; and yet
we are to be told that Virginia is to ac-
count TO West Virginia for those assets!
We know how it is with the Democratic
leaders Of West Virginia. Their condition
and strategies remind us OF those OF the
Democrats of The northern States. The
West Virginia Democratic leaders are
afraid Of being charged with too great de-
yotion TO Old Virginia, and to Richmond,
and tC the "aristocrats Of eastern Vir-
ginia." and so "Out-HerOd HER0D" in
swearing that they WON'T aid in paying
Virginia's ante-tellum debt-as If il were
net their own debt. just as much as ours.
Those leaders are mIsleaders Of the honest
masses, who suppose that 1--WE won't name
them Blank, and Blank, and Blank. who
were rebels or rebel sympathizers, will
surely go as far as any honest man ought to
go in assuming debt that bears so heavily
upon their former associates and friends OF
the Old Dominion. Thus 1t turns out that
pace-seekers mislead the honest tax payers.
But how as TO the honesty Of these place
seekers, our friends Blank, and Blank, and
BIanks Let BURNS tell:
+" For alb, mankind is uncO weak
And little TO be trusted;
III sell the wav ring balance shake,
IT'S rarely right adjustedh
Love cOvereth multitude OF sins NOT
10 the man having the love, or charity, but
in the person beloved. We therefore find
an excuse for the leading Democrats Of West
Virginia Ia supposng that they are blinded
by the god OF ambition.