Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-01-22
MAsoN's SYNDICATE
The ButtsrmIIk Scheme to Collect
Deferred Certificates
How the Jefferson Statesmen Ps0-
poses to Cheat the Staie.
Inviting the Old State to Pile up
Her Claims &
And Take a Liberal Whack at the
New Dominion.
A Claim for a Fall Third OF the
Ante BsIIum Debt.
Demanding it by Arbitration tor In
the Federal Courts.
!Special 10 the ReyiSter.


saddle our State with the bulk OF the in
debtedness claimed by the old State at the
end of the war to be due from West Nlr-
ginia, and for which the State OF Virg mia
in lS7l issued certificates which now, with
interest alleged to be due, amounts to
nearly twenty millions of dollars? You
remember tnat in the refanding act passed
by the Virginia Legislature in that year II
was provided that the owners of the ante
bellurc, bonds Of Nirginis, as bonus TO In
Ice them to accept the terms OF the act
.hould be given, in addition to the amount
Of new bonds allowed them by the old
Stale deferred certificates; representing
.ne.third of their entire claim assinst th'
old State. These certificates were oY an
West Virginia Certificates, for the reason
that the Old State claimed that West
Virginia, having gotten one.third Of
the territory was entitled to pay
o1e third Of the debt, and their
payment was only promised in the event
of settlement between the two States
The creditors OF the old State had no faith
in the claim that West Virginia could b
shown to owe any such proportion, or tha
Virginia woulS make herself liable for the
pay ment of the deferred certificates by sub.
mitting this claim to test, and would
Lave infinitely preferred to be allowed a
irifliDg increase in the percentage OF their
new scaled bonos of Virginis, which were
at least available for taxpaying purposes;
but, TO the eyes Of the Virginia tinaECiers
of that period, the other arrangement
seemed to present a better appearance and
offer more advantages, and it was carried
out. The result was precisely what was an.
ticipated. The old State made no effort
to bring about the settlement referred
to, refused TO treat on the subject
with West Virginia Commissioners who
were appointed for that purpose and hav.
ing pushed the deferred certificates into
the bands of her bondholdeTS and gotten
rid II one.third of the claims against her
II. Il. is way, apparently lost ali interest in
that tranch OF the subject.
fhe New Combinations,
Mean while these so.called West Virginia
cert ticates tloated round the country like
tODIeuPTdlS DOuuS, TSSdEutu iuOlC 10 OO'
ie cts of curious interest than tnaEclal
value. At times they were listed on the
stoCkboar st the exchanges and quoted
from two TO six cents on the dollar rs Var
ious rum ors we're started concerning them.
Sometimes they ran up to eleven and
twelve cents when some mysterious and
imrosin project was whispered in conpec-
ton with them. ] remember when the
story vas started that the b. n U. R. r.
was buying them up with q view OF oil.
setting them against West Virginia taxes
and | saw myself some transfers OF them
recorded at Richmond to the CARROTS, pos
,ib!y with the nope OF giving them boom
in the markets.
About this time Jim Mason came down
10 Washington and raised q terrible com
motion about rings and cliques formed to
buy up the certificates and pass bills
through the West Virginia Legi gisiature pro-
viding for their payment. Whether he
scared anybody into hiring him or not, |
all not able to say, but the next thing |
knew he was representing himself as the
.CcreGited agent OF syndicate which he
claimed had gotten possession of the bulk
li these certificates, and has claimed to oC-
cupy that position ever since. lie prt III
the most OF one winter at Wheeling. edu-
cat:n. the Legislature toward the point OF
making an offer on these certificates, and
The organization behind him evidently
thought more help Was needed, for since then
they have put additional men to work.
You may be surprised al the assertion. but
tell YOU to-day that this combination.
with its headquarters in New York and
extending throughout this
country and Europe, has
An Agent in Every County Of West Wa.
at this time, regularly employed to work
up public sentiment in favor of a State ap.
10 pay these certificates. |
ma1e this same assertion not long since to
A sheriff of one of the lower counties Of
the state and he laughed increGulOusly,
Fortunately knew the agent OF tle syndi-
cate in the very town where this Conver-
sation occurred, and in the presence OF the
sheriff | asked this agent il he was not so
employed and had not been for a consid-
cradle period heretofore. He denied it at
first but pressed him hard and he finally
acknowledged that what had sad
10 the sheriff was true. 1t may
look 10 you like q waste of time
10 keep such men employed when there is
no Legislature IN session and for purpose
that must necessarily be long deferred but
there is money enough in the project, il it
be successful, TO justify the employment
Of man in every township OF the State,
and to pay the can Dvassing expenses OF ev
cry member of the Legislature for the next
ten years, il necessary, to accomplish the
result.
working Two States at Once.
These men understand what they are do
irg They are not only getting West Vir-
gina ready, but they are moving in the old
State in an equally industrious way. Ma
sen has been in Richmond ever since the
legislature has been in session there this
winter. He spent the summer travelling
round West Virginia on the tax commits.
sion, and am told his principal business on
that com mission was to fight tde other two
commissioners aud prepare STATIC s aSto
he amount which had been expended in
pecb county by the old State before the
wsr and estimates as to the advantages
present and prospective which such coun
ries bad gained from Old Virginia appro-
priatiops. What the devil the Governor
zver appointed him on the commission for
is Cne of those things no fellow can iGd
ypj, but any how he and the balance Of the
syndicate gang are in Richmond nov and
bty have evidently laid oHta full winters
work. Here is q memorial and bill intro
duced at their request day before yester-
ms morisl, which you will observe has no
sigr atuIes attached, reads as follows:
Memorial.
TO he General Assembly Of Virginia.
The undersigned petitioners respect
fully represent that they are the owners OF
more than three million dollars OF the Vir
sipia per cent. deferred certificates (con-
monty known as West Virginia certi6 saies)
issued 70 the owners Of ante-6elisHs bonds OF
the Common wealth, which bonds were sur
rendered In pursuance of the laws OF this
State, ard represent one-third OF the bonds
so surrendered.
The whole amount of certificates 80 is
sned up to the present time, exclusive OF
those held by the Sinking Fund and the
Literary Furd. as the records Of the Sec
md Auditors Office disclose, Is sl2 9jl,-
COS. "a, of which sll excent Ss9s, ABS 74 were
sd under the funding bill Of ISL.
For more than ten years the owners OF