Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-02-19
MASON'S MUSS.
The Row Kicked Up by "0ur Err
ratio James"
Dissemination Of Richmond Solons
to Participate in 1t.
They Consider the Syndicate Agent
aPestiferous Crank.
Views of Virginia Newspaper Men
on His Project.
The Programme in the Old and
New Dominions.
Special 10 the Register.

ceived here from Rlchmonu 10 not inu'
cate that Mr.. Mason's syndicate is making
much progress in its efforts to induce the
old State au horities to 60 into the busi'
ness of helping holders of deferred certiti'
Gates collect them through arbitration with,
or suit against the State OF West Virginia.
1 telegraphed you day or two since OF
Col. Faulkner's intention to proceed to the
Capital OF the Old Dominion and bring
Mason up with round turn, but unless
the Berkeley statesman makes haste with
his self constituted mission he will be apt
to find his proposed victim already sus-
pended when he arrives there. Recent ar
rivals from Richmond report 1.-The erratlc
James," as Governor Jackson terms his
late tax Commissioner, already sized up
by our Virginia cousins as pestiterous
crank, whom il were well for the ancient
commonwealth 10 let severely a'one.
dislike exceedingly to chronicle this esti;
mate of our buttermilk Demosihenes and
hope that he. may be able to remove such
dssgreeable impressions, but record tnem
az part of his present financial campaign.
AstO the Prospect
OF the passage Ol Ulll aSheu ioi ny tAe
syndicate from the Virginia Legislature
there seems 70 be but little chance OF It's
enactment ss now drawn. The measure
asked for has been pretty fully set forth In
these dispatches. 1t asks that Virginia on
being satisfied that the bulk of the deferred
certificates are in the hands of the syndi-
cate shall lend the use of her name to bring
about an arbitration o suit, and In consld-
Grafton thereof shall be released by the
bolders of such certificates from further
liability on their account. This looks
liberal on first inspection. | would very
willingly lend the use Of my name to my
creditors to sue people who owe me II SUCH
creditors would agree to cancel my obllSa-
tions. But il must be remembered that
not only the whole Of the deferred GER
tificstes become due and payable by Nir-
ginia whenever a settlement with West
Virginia is had, but that in addition to this
a large amount OF the old States indebted
ness yet remains unfunded, some OF her
creditors declining 10 come in under her
funding act Of ISL largely by reason OF
their lack OF faith in
The Alleged Liability Of West Virginia
for, ,one-thiid of the old States indebted
hess, and their consequent unwillingness
To give up one-third of their claims in ex-
change for so called West Virginia certif
Gates. Furthermore. there is a we'll defined
impression among leaders of the present
dominant party in Virginia, that it would
not be safe for them at this time to reopen
any controversies connected with State in
debtedness. In previous contests over this
subject they were invariably foored by
their political opponents, aud have been in
power too short period to risk being
again turned out in the cold. The Rich
mond Dispatch, which represents the Demo
cratic leaders of The Legislature, evidently
.skes this view of the situation. Replying
20 General Wickham, who seems to be the
main supporter OF Mason's bill in the Vir.
ginia Senate, that paper says that the fifteen
millions of dollars of debt turned over by
Virginia to West Virginia in 1871 was ten
times as much as anybody in West Virginia
that we know of admits that the latter State
owned. Certainly, however, no arbitrators
could be expected to decide that that was
A Fair Division Of the Debt.
Nor would the Supreme Court Of the
United States. In all human probability,
the arhitrators would decide that the two
States were to pay in proportion to the as
seSsed value of he property in the two
States at the time OF the partition. Under
the award Virginia would have to pay
about four-hfths of the debt. In other
words she ought in 1871 to have assumed
thirty-six millions of it instead OF thirty.
OF course, then, she now owes those six
millions as OF lS7l-now grown to be more
than ten millions-in addition to the
twenty millions that she has agreed to pay
under the Riddleberger bill.
We have assumed that West Virginia
ought 10 pay one fifth of the debt as it
stood in 1871, because she owned one fifth
of all the property of the TWO States as OF
1861,
When the Partition Took Place.
But West Virginians do not propose to
settle on that basis. They propose to
| charge 10 each State all the appropriations
| of money expended within its borders
thus .urniug over to Virginia nearly all of
| the debt because, 80 they claim, nearly all
| the money was expended in Eirginia-up.
| on the James river canal, railroads, etc.
West Virginia, they say, received scarcely
| any Of the money.
Shall we settle with West Virginia, and
| then repudiate whatever proportion OF the
| debt We have assigned to her which our
srbitrators may decide Virginia ought to
| psy? Surely not. General Wickham
means that Virginia
Must Not Only Settle, But Pay.
He expects her to pay whatever proportion
the arbitrators may say she ought to pay
| Of the fifteen millions turned over to West
Virginia in ISL How? ItCannot be done
except by additional taxation.
| But why 60 back thirteen years TO find
| an unsettled obligation? II Virginia has
| one million or ten millions of dollars to
spare, she ought preferably to pay it to the
men who hold her bonds of 1871 or 1879
What good reason can be given for paying
| West Virginis's debt at the very time that
| We are repu6iatiDg our own debit?
| In q subst quent issue OF the same paper
the editor remarks that ait is not at ali
necessary for US to say anything about
| General WiCkhsm; but We must continue
| to fight The scheue. OR complaint is that
! any bill Of the SO,t should have been intro
duced. 1t will enable spectators id West
| Virginia certificates 70 make money out OF
| such specuIatious, though we here in Nir-
gipis, General Wickham being one, know
that
Virginia Will Never Pay One Dime
Of the debt assigned to West Virginia in
1871. Nor do We expect West Virginia to
| DO it We have known for long time that
such scheme Was on foot. The West vir.
sipia papers fully described it some time
| ago. We were rather jocularly requested
Dot long ago by friend from Valley
county to allow the scheme to pass I'm.
| challenged. We knew that some bill of
| the kind was to come before the Legisla-
ture. We expected that somebody would
| be here to push the scheme. We repeat
therefore, that il does not in the least de
| gree matter what sort OF bill is before the
Legislature touching this matter. One bill
is almost as good as another so far as are
concerned the purposes Of the gentlemen
who propose to.
Reopen the Debt Question.
We again warn the General Assembly
against this scheme. Twelve millions OF
dollars of certificates are involved.
The bill recites what Virginia promised
relative to this matter Ia the funding acts
of 1871 and 1879. Bat what Of that promise
Why 60 to West Virginia to hunt up obi
gations2 The same acts promised TO pay
the sum Of thirteen millions OF dollars OF
| yireinia's debt that has since been
eliminated" Why not keep this pledge
| Is our pledge to the holders Of West Vir
ginia certificates OF superior dignity t.
and of greater binding force than oui
pledge to oar own creditors ot 1871 ID
| 1872 m.-. .. ..'.
! Ii. is claimed tha. ths bill proposes t