The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-11-15
ylrxlnia. west virginia and Other
Debts.

yirSinia's West virginia and other
Debts.
A great deal has been said about repudia-
lion and repudistionists in Virginia, and a
great deal Of outside sympathy has been
withheld from the Malone party because
OF the part it played in the matter Of the
reimbursement OF the State debt And the
dear Bourbous themselves have been very
much scandalized to know that any Vir-
gtnian could bring himself down to that
level OF bad faith. The Louisville Courier.
Journal wants the Bourbon Funders to
chew that they are better than the other
party, and in this it pue the matter to them
very plumpIy
II tho Virginia Democrats really haYe
majority III tho next Virginia Legislature
duty Of the most imperative character rests
upon them. That duty Is to formally invai'
idAtc the action OF the Democratic Conye1'
lion which declared few months $50 that
the party accepted the Riddleberger act as o
final settlement OF Virginia's debt. Until
this Democrats do tLas, and proceed 10 settle
honestly with the bondholders, the faint OF
reputation will rest upon them as It does
uoOn the Republican Laeadjusser p party In
Virginia. ....
Whe.eupon the Richmond DispaIch re-
marks:
That IS to say, they ouGAt 10 be guilty OF a
dishonorable act. sach advice Will not De
taken in Virginia. We would DO looIs indeed
II, after The voters have at two elections de-
clared emphatically that they will not pay
the debt ss nSCertatned by the funding bill OF
1871, we should i4islfy our pledges made at
LynohbuFg, deceive the people, show the
voters that they were defFauded out OF their
suiIrages, and disgrace ourselves the world
over. We should be doubiy damned. The
public outside OF Virginia do not understand
our situation. Let us explain It.
Virginia owed Si50O0.0OO In 1871. She
turned over $40 OO0,0.0 OF It 10 West Vir:
ginia. (Wo use round numhets.) None OF
this latter sum has been psid-not doiler.
Princlpel and interest, Il now amounts to
$a6, 600 QUO. West Virginia does not &C.
knowledge that she owes any Of II. II she
ever PAYS dollar OF it we shall be dtap-
, pointed. She cOuldn't pay much OF 1t II she
were dlsposed 30 TO do. But let US suppose
that she will pay ishO will never do itl ten
millions. Are we IN Virginia 70 Fay. the
Other $4,000 Psaaw! Such talk Is
idle. but II We don't, isn't that reputation
In The tOirier.JeHrEdFs opinion?
But that Is not oil. VItgin!a's own share,
as assumed by her In 1871, was, as we have
said, $50 900 600. We calculate that 1t Is now
between thirty five and forty millions, as
Virginia has paid only twelve to fifteen mil
lions OF dollars OF interest on 1t. How can
Virginia pay such debI2 :,
Tae whole story 10 that Virginia must dis
own If you like the word responsibility for
West VirgiGia's third, though It Is legally
her debt, and good deal OF II morally hers.
She must also repndiate Tor disownl htteen or
more millions OF the twC.thIrds she took 10
heIself-it for no other reason, because the
people have twice Bolemnly dscided at The
ballot box that they will not pay the whole,
and there 10 no constitutional way that We
know OF TO make Htate pay her debts.
Well, now, men and brethren, what ts tho
diiIofencs between refusing TO pay twenty
millions and refusing TO psy thirteen mil
liOns? II we arc compelled to repudlate
millions and millions Of the debt, we need
net hesitate to say that we draw the line at
the Rlddeberger bill. There is great
temptation 10 "let 1t all Slide" but we resist
1t. We will pay the twenty millions prom
ised In that settlement.
But the Riddleberger bill Is Readjuster
measure, and the Bourbons have been
damning everything that is Readjuster.
The Lynchburg "pledges" were made,
however, in recognition Of tho fact upon
which the ISrELLloENcRI has insisted,
namely, that there is no debt paying party
in Virginia. Tho creditors Of virginia
yictrix" will be glad to know that in spite
OF the great temptation to "iet it all slide"
she will abide the result Of the settlement
which The Bourbon Funders denounced as
reputation Of sacred obligations.
What the Di,patch says about the mil
lions roundly turned over to West Virginia
is highly interesting TO US in this neck OF
woods. 1t goes further than anything that
has yet come from that side. DESTROYS Of
making good case for themselves in the
way OF Reputation, our Virginia friends
are willing to admit that there is not even
moral obligation resting upon West Viz.
GINA to pay the millions turned over TO
her. 1t ia not that they love Cr.ar less,
but Rome more. 1t has long been
understood that Virginia desires no
settlement with West Virginia, for
II 1t we're ascerlained that Sl0,OOO,0OO or
100000 is our neutrality-suspicious., and II
q settlement we're made on that basis, Vir.
ginia would at once be in for the remainder
Of the 100000 with interest. Virginia
has been too successful in juggling her
Slate debt to be caught in such trap as
that.
The moral tone OF the Dispatch article is
not high. We miss those teryid appeals to
the honor OF Virginlans which We were
wont to hear. 1t seems that Bourbon Viz
glnia has decided to abandon to it's fate the
good faith OF the State, while 1t goes about
among the negroes seeking honor with the