The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-02-06

To the Editor OF the DtsPdfcH'
Really, Mr.. Editor, II appears sometimes
M n Won had the Gift Of rubbing bair I'M
wrong way. and so Of raising Dristies
what else am I 10 make Of the concluding
sentence OF your editorial OF sunday morn
ipg-West Virginia's Debt" what goot
reason can be given for paying West VII
! ginia's debt at the very time that we arr
repudiating our own debit" | know nc
man who better knows the exact meaning
Of words than you do; and therefore
charRe YOU In this instance with say
II ing that the people OF Virginia nav,
refused TO pay q debt; and rs
come within the range OF that censllre,
ask leave to protest and explain. NO one
knows better than yourself that the plea OF
NON est factum I'm an action for debt doe
not mean refusal to pay the debt, Dut tna'
II does mean denial that the debt u que
} As, in the same way, confession ana aVoiu.
snce means that for fraud. or for want OF
authority in the agent, or for other reason,
the obligation gwen is OF no legal force,
no one knows better than yourself that
unOu such pleas as these was the issue
| rendered by men who held, ~ many OF Us
did--and do-that the funding act OF 1871
was passed by fraud; that 1t embraced
items Of war interest and compound in-
tcrest which were illegal and beyond the
original contract, and that IL was in dero-
cation OF the sovereign rights OF the state
OF Virginia and against that fundamental
principle OF English liberty which reserves
the power of taxation to the people. III
was this act OF 1871 that we refused to recoS-
nize as binding; il was the decision OF the
Court of Appeals in Antoni Us. Wright,
whose effect was to legaizc this fraud ana
usurpation. that we disowned. Ana we
object TO decent people, of good manners,
who know better, APPLYING injurious cpl
tbets TO honest and logical conduct. we
Object all the more when In solemn con-
yention OF the best people Of the State the
result OF what you call reputation was ac.
cepted in full, and without one word Of
objection.
WIll you pardon me for saying that do
not think you have been more successful
in fixing the status OF West Virginia rela-
tive to the debt, OF which. according TO my
Judgment, she does not and never did, owe
one cent?
contend that Virginia proper only owes
il by virtue OF Article n, section ~, OF
the Constitution OF 1861, which her citi-
zens adopted under duress rs the alterna.
tive Of continued military rule.
Against the pledges given by "the
States united" in the Federal Constitr-
ton, slavery was abolished and the State
robbed OF one third OF her domain. Ac-
cording to a statement made 10 the bond
holders by Governor Kemper in the earlier
days OF his administration, and never re-
tracted by him, Virginia lost by the war.
in the above injuries and in other ways,
more than one half OF q" her possible
sources of revenue" With the exception
OF a few OF her own citizens. the public
debt was held by those who became her
public enemies or their sympathizers.
And rs they had destroyed our means OF
PAYMENT, upon them rested the response
bilty OF settling with our creditors. The
only people who had even the shadow of
equity against us were our own domestic
and all the claim they could
have had would have been founded on
what underwriters call the general average.
But we insisted upon settlement, and
made thereby what Governor Kemper
called. and proved to our creditors was,
- a stupendous and disastrous mistake"
Only one good thing resulted from their
ons-was assigned to West Virginia; and
hat was not more than q fair proportion.
4 any was due, because the right OF emf
1ent domain over such Il territory-23, 600
square miles OF mines and forests and
and farms and pastures
Vas certainly worth the money.
Whether she should pay. or should |
.hoose to pay. was and is her own matter |
She il sovereign; let her speak for herself |
But her loss in slaves and personal pro- !
lertv, the increased expenditures that a !
separate government has demanded, and |
: the damages to use a comprehensive |
aw term. that have resulted from the vio- |
ent separation from Nirginia-all these are |
worth, one would say, not less than Slj,- !
'00, 900: she may fairly refer her claimants |
o her despoller.
| do not argue these propositions. | |
merely make the points. and publish them |
nd stand by them, as Luther did his nine
y-tiye theses.
But whether they are true or not, there |
: not, hope, the least probability Of Nir-
,inian's referring to any arbitration the
question whether she shall increase her |
lebt. Were it proper under any circum- |
tancess which do not think it is, / am |
ure it would be impossible to find in the |
United States board OF arbtrators who |
re in frame OF mind to decide the ISSUES |
which underlie this whole debt question. |
{ will not be less than fifty years before |
uch issues can be considered impartially |
~
That old common arbitrator Time"
ONE OF THE PEOPLE.