The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-03-18
west Virginia Certificates.

somebody must be deeply interested In
huII,ng West Virginia certificates. For
months pas, there havcat Intervals appear
cd In New York and other journals articles
protesting TO tell how the holders OF these
certificates were going TO proceed in order
~ realize upon them. The substance OF all
the articles is that those creditors intend to
arrange for suit In the Supreme Court OF
The limited states between the two States OF
virginia and West Virginia, and OF course
that that court win decide that West Viz
yinia must paw such proportion OF those
certificates and Virginia all the rest. Ana
II is always asserted that West Virginia Is
both able and willing to pay her just share
q, tho debt: that SIZE has never repudiated
debt, and never viii.
What said Governor JACKSON in his iIrst
annual messenger "West Virginia owes
no debt" Whether she owes any part OF
The debt Of Virginia or not. the holders OF
West Virginia certificates may as well
make up their minds that she will never
nay any OF IL. II she were to agree to pay
two millions OF dollars, she would agree TO
nav less than 10 per cent. Of what Virginia
has turned over to her. including The inter
ct. Since assigning one third OF the debt
Of the two stItos TO West Virginia. virgil
MIA has " eliminated thirteen millions OF
thc two thirds she In 1871 promised 10
nav herself; and the Supreme Court OF the
Tinted States decides that there IS no way
10 make her pay even this last. suppose,
then. il were ascertaincd by the Supreme
sbur. Of the United States that Virginia
owes twenty millions Gncluding INTEREST,"
al the twenty-five millions Qncluding inter-
ed which she has assigned to West Virgil
mia, who would profit by the decision
Virginia Will never pay cent OF it-not
cent.
The prospect is no better in West Nr-
rjnia. Her public men declare that she
will pay all she owes; but they all declare,
. ard claim 10 prove, that she owes nothing.
They hold that they cannot in equity be
made to pay debt incurred to build rail-
roads in Virginia. ridiculously untena-
BILE plea, we admit, since il il were good
one no county in Virginia could bc made
10 pay part Of the debt through which at
least one Of the railroads docs not run.
But such is the plea OF West NirSinia's
legislators; and in setting up that plea they
undoubtedly represent truly their coHsti-
fucuts. in word, when a West Nirginian
saws that his State will pay all that she
owes. be never for moment imagnes the
possibility Of paying any tax for that pur-
nose. He simply means that II she owes Il
few thousand dollars, and this can be paid
withou. collecting any taxes for that pur-
pose, she will pay that small amount. That
is all.
But who is TO bring Jhc suit: Virginia
certainly will not. Her present authorities
are the men who induced her people to
eliminate thirteen millions Of her debt
al 1871. Will they bring a suit in order to
get decision that they must pay West Nir-
gnia's twenty-odd millions: To ask the
question is to answer il. Will West Nir-
slnin bring the suitf Why should she !.
Her Governor and other authorities mann
tain that she owes no debt. Does she want
enc put upon her shoulders. Nay, verify.
Evidently the whole affair is mere mat
ser of speculation. There is nothing what
ever in the scheme. IL is the " baseless
fabric OF a vision" II exists only in the
imagiDations Of dupes.