Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1881-05-07
THE DEBT QUESTION.


In The Senate on Tuesday, Senator
Davis, OF this State, made an elabor-
ate speech on the debt question be-
tween the Virginias. lie promised
his remarks with an expression Of
! regret that the Speeches Of the SEN
ators from Virginia and Ohio MA
homo and Sherman should have COM
PEELED him to discuss in the Senate
Chamber what he considered to be a
purely local matter. The debt ques-
tion in West Virginia, he asserted,
mas never been made political one,
and he regretted that the Republi-
can Senators should have made
statements in regard to the debt
question, rejecting on the action Of
the Democratic party Of West Vir-
ginia.
Senator Davis then gave clear
and full history OF the debt question
between the two States, showing
conclusively that West Virginia has
from first to last acted honorably
and fairly in the matter. He closed
by hoping the two States would soon
come together and finally and ami
cably dispose OF the matter.
The Washington correspondent of
the Cincinnati Enquirer, refers to
Senator Davis speech as follows:
Senator Davis, of West Virginia,
rarely speaks in the Senate unless he
has something to say. He is not
given to beating the thin air to hear
his own voice; but when he asks the
attention Of the Senate he is instruc-
tive and not a bore. To-day he made
short speech, to explain in bust
ness-like way the debt of his State,
which had been unjustly commented
upon by Senator Sherman and the
awful Malone. This he did in such
logical and convincing way that it
had great weight. He said that the
debt question in West Virginia had
never been made a political one, and
he regretted that the Republican
Senators should make statements re-
hecting upon the action Of the Dem
Ocrats OF that State on the question.
Little or nothing had been doae look
ing to the adjustment of the debt
question between Virginia and West
Virginia until 1871. In the early
part Of that year the Legislature Of
West Virginia had, upon his motion,
agreed to resolution for the ap-
pointment of q commission to treat
upon that subject. These commits
sioners had proceeded to Richmond,
but had met with nobody with whom
to treat. Since that time nothing
had been done, to the best of his
knowledge, by either State, officially,
with reference to the vexed debt
question. In 1871 Virginia had
passed what was known as the
Funding Bill, which had arbitrar-
lily set aside two-thirds of the debt
to the old State and one-third to the
new State. The Governors of Vir-
ginia had uniformly, since the pas
sage of that act, held that they had
no power to answer the calls Of West
Virginia for settlement of the debt
question. The commissioners APP
pointed by the State of West Vir-
ginia had reported the following
facts: That nine-tenthS of the i'm
provements for which the debt had
been created had been located with
in the State of Virginia; that Vir-
ginia contained Al 600 square miles,
West Vir5inia but 10000; that at
the time Of the separation the coun-
ties now embraced in the State Of
Virginia contained a population Of
1,122 900, and the counties now en-
braced in the State Of West Vir-
ginia, 1000; that the taxable prop
erty in Virginia had amounted to
$1,000, 900; in West Virginia to but
$647, 900, less than one-sixth. In
view Of these facts, could it be con-
tended that West Virginia was re-
sponsible for one third the debt 2"