Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-05-04
Senators Still Caucus
ing, but no Results Reached,
And a Break in the Deadlock Yet
Improbable.
The Floods In the Mississippi
River Still Increasing.
Fatal Effects Of a Soda Fountain
Explosion in Memphis.
THE SENATE.
Report Of Proceedings Of the Sen
ate in Extraordinary Session.

Report OF Proceedings or the sen
ate in Extraordinary Session.
WASHINGTON, May 3.-The Vice
President laid before the Senate the
unfinished business, being the reso-
luton for the election of Senate
officers.
Mr.. Davis, of West Virginia, then
took the floor with speech upon the
debt question between the Virgin1as,
promising his remarks with an exs
preston of regret that the speeches
made by the Senators from Virginia
and Ohio (Messrs. Malone and Sher-
many should have compelled him to
discuss in this chamber what he con
sidered to be purely local matter
The debt question in West Virginia
had never been made political one
and he regretted that Republican
Senators should make statements re-
fecting upon the action of the Dem
ocrats of that State on that ques-
ton. Little or nothing had been done
looking to al adjustment of the d. Dt
question between Virg MIA and West
Virginia until 1871. In the early
parS of that year the legislature of
West Virginia had, upon his motion,
agreed to the resolution for the ap~
pointment of a committee to treat
upon that subject Those 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 yexed debt
question. In 1871 Virginia ha'
passed what was known as The fund
ing bill, which had arbitrarily set
aside two>thirds of the debt to the
old State and one third to
the new State. The governor
of Virginia had uniformly, since the
passage of that act, held that they
had no power to answer The calls of
West Virginia for settlement of the
debt question. The commissioners
appointed by the State of West Vir-
glnia had reported the following
facts: that nine>tenths of the inn
! provements for which the debt had
been created had been located within
the State If Virginia, and that con-
tanned 41,O0O square miles; West
Virginia but 10000; that at the lime
of the separation Virginia contained
q population of 1,122,000; West Vir-
ginia, 374, ,O00-less than one-fourth;
that the taxable property in Virginia
had amounted to $3,9O0,000; in West
Virginia to but $647, ,O00-less than
one-sixth. In view of these facts,
could 1t be contended that West Vir-
gina was responsible for one>third
of the debt? Continuing, he said,
that while the debt of tue Virginias
was large, it was not very considera-
ble-less than $40 90 per capita
while the debt of the United States
was double that. He predicted that
Virginia, with her present prosper
ity, could and would pay her debt in
/ the future. Both of the Virginias
would pay their debts, and he re-
gretted very much that his friend
from Massachusetts (Mr. Dawes)
should encourage party in an old
State that does not want to pay its
debt at all.
! After a short debate on the ques>
ton of the debt of Virginia the
Sanate adjourned until to morrow.