The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-01-12
West virginia's Debt.

rtw,Il rather surprise our West virgil
MIA friends to find out at this late day that
they are the only genuine unadui'era.eu
renud,ators. and that General MALONE IN
tends 10 pay all OF yirginia's debt cxcep.
what her daughter Justly owes. Inc iac'
Is that the daughter thinks she was badly
treated when fifteen millions OF tne oeo'
were assigned to her, seeing mat ac-
core;nc TO her mode OF reckoning,
she owed only one million or less
The daughter claims that all the assets
went TO Virginia, and that these assets are
still In Virginia, OF, rather, that Virginia
still holds on to all the railroads, asylums,
canals, statues, &C., &c. to pay Tor WHICH
the money now owing was borrowed, ana
that when West Virginia is credited with
all for which she Is entitled to credit she
owes. instead Of fifteen millions In 1871
now grown TO twcnty-four millions in 1882,
NOT more than one million in all.
But according to the claims now pun
forth bv at least some Of the Readiusters
West Virginia not only owes the twenty
four millions Of dollars dye by her under
the assignment OF 1871, but much more.
Here are two paragraphs, copied from the
Cincinnati Commercial, which are in sub
stance exactly the same as paragraphs
which have appeared in hundreds OF other
northern Journals. We quote:
"Geueral Malone has prepared a bill for
nrcseptation in the Virginia Legislature for
settlement OF the State debt. which he has
figured out at S2l ,035,377, including inter-
est. The bill il based upon the principle
that West Virginia should pay one-third OF
the total debt and corresponding share OF
interest"
"The [Mahonel bill is based upon the
principle that in public debts the indebted
ness follows the territory, and that there
fore West Virginia, set off from Virginia
and made an independent State, ought in
Justice 10 bear its proportion OF that part
Of the State debt which was contracted be-
fore the separation, and OF the interest,
whether paid by Virginia or unpaid, which
has accrued since the separation, West Viz
ginia having paid nothing since it became
q State
How carefully the northern mind is tu-
torod to believe that the Debt-Payers OF
Virginia desire to make this State pay the
whole debt. whereas the fact is that they
themselves assigned to West Virginia ten
wears ago much more than the latter's
share. according to the testimony Of every
West Virginian we ever heard speak on
the subject, or whose views on the subject
we ever read.
Read, too, We West Virginians, what the
Roadiuster organ in this city says:
Moreover, the division OF 1871 allowed
West Virginia credit for one third of all
the redemptions and payments OF principal
and interest made by this State from the
period that the territory comprised in West
Virginia practically ceased TO be Il part OF
Virginia to 1871, and when all, or nearly
all. such payments and redemptions should
have been exclusively credited TO this State
upon her two thirds Of the debt OF 1861"
Here is the same idea that enough Of the
debt has not been assigned to West Nir-
GINA, though, as we have said, the fifteen
millions assigned to her in 1871 have grown
TO twenty-four millions. Here is richness
for YOU. We leave it to ARCHIE CAMPBELL,
Governor MATTHEWS, Senators CAMDEN and
DAVIS, and General MAHoNE's friends in
West Virginia, to settle this little matter
amongst themselves. Certainly nothing
could be more unjust than the attempt to
prove that West Virginia owes any part of
the debt not assigned to her in 1871. AS
we have said, she claims that she owes even
now not more than million of dollars.