Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-04-14
WEST VIRGINIA NEITHER A BE
PUDIATROR NOR A READJUs-
TER.

PUDIATRoR MOB A READJus-
TER.
We publish, this morning, the speech
made BY Senator CAMDEN, in the Senate
on Monday last, in refutation OF certain
charges made by MALONE, HAwLEY'
SHERMAN and others, in regard to the at
titude of West Virginia toward the debt
Of the mother State.
TIE whole history OF this matter Is 80
fully and clearly set before the country
by Senator CAADgs, that it will go very
far toward discussing the minds oil the
public OF the impression that West Viz
0inia occupies the same boat with any
Of those factions in the old State which
propose to repudiate or "readjust any
part OF her liability on this account, or
that she has ever heretofore occupied
any such position.
The sole ground upon which any
charge or suspicion Of bad faith on the
part OF West Virginia, has been predl-
Gated, is that the Convention which
framed the Constitution OF 1872, refused
10 incorporate in it the same provision
relating to the Virginia debt as was con-
tanned in the Constitution OF 1858.
The Convention OF 1872 had no
thought OF repudiatiug any liability
which this State might be shown to
have for the Virginia debt; but 1t re-
ysrded that clause Of the Constitution
OF 1865 as superfious; it regarded 1t as
likely to o misleading; and it thought
il entirely unnecessary to recognize IN
the Constitution liability, the amount
OF which had not been ascertained, and
which the Constitution could not
make more binding upon the State
by any express recognition OF it in that
instrument. II thought il more dis
Greet, therefore, to simply give the Leg
islature authority to pay any'debtw which
might be found TO be due from the State,
and that much il did.
That this was the true intent and
purpose OF the convention OF 1872; that
it was a mere question OF policy upon
which the debt clause OF the constitu-
ton of 1868 was rejected, and that there
was no sentiment of reputation in or
out OF the convention, is abundantly
proven by the debates in the convention
and contemporaneous publications and
expressions OF the press upon this sub
/ Jet.
In referring TO the files OF the REGIS
TER of March :, 1872, We find letter adj
dressed TO the REGISTER by member Of
the convention then in session, and who
was also member OF this committee hav
lag this debt question under colsidera-
ton, who wrote in reply to acharge then
made by the IateIiigCncer-and which 1t
has continued to follow up from that
time to this-that the rejection OF the
debt clause meant reputation. The
writer says:
CHARLESTON, w. Va, March 1.
The Wheeling h,ieiiigslcsr Of the 9Th
ult. has lust reached us, in which L per-
ceive the editors Of that paper strenu-
ously maintain that tine Convention by
it's action has virtually Tepudiated the
liability OF this State for its equitable
proportion OF the public debt OF Nir-
gjnia. There is no foundation for this
idea. am sure there is not a single
man in the Convention who would
for moment adyocote any such
irea. There were few men in the
Convention, such "a Messrs. Wiley,
Wheat and Fitzhugh, who took into
their heads that il was their duty to re-
affirm the eighth section OF the eighth
article of the present Constitution on
that subject. There were other men,
such as Messrs. Faulkner, Jackson, OF
Wood, Raymond and several others,
who thought there was no duty upon
the part OF this Convention to repeat
and reaffirm that provision, and that
there were substantial objections to it's
repetition in that language under the
circumstances of our present contro-
versy with Virginia, but there was not a
member upon the floor, unless, indeed,
it might be theoretically argued from the
remarks Of Mr.. Wood, of Barbour, who
did not in the strongest terms concode
our obligation to pay an equitable pro-
portion OF that debt, and our readiness
TO do so whenever it should be ascer-
tanned by fair and satisfactory settle
ment.
Very respectfully,