St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-07-03
A NOVEL DEMAND.


through Mr.. WEST, its minister, has for
mally called the attention of the president
to the Reputation of the public debt of the
state of Virginia as affecting a large num-
Der Of citizens of England, holders of Vir-
ginia bonds, and requiring action by the
English government to secure, protect and
enforce their rights. This is the first in
stance in the history of the country where
the general government has been called
upon by foreign power TO look after the
reputation of state debt. 1t involves
legal and constitutional questions that will
be far reaching in their character 1t is
not made public what the English govern
ment expects of the United States in the
matter, but the inference is that it is in the
nature of demand upon the national gov
eminent TO make good to the English hold
ers of Virginia bonds the amount due by
reason of Virginia defalcation. The
nadjusted portion of the ante-bel-
lum debt of Virginia is the one
third which was arbitrarily appor-
toned to West Virginia for payment.
amounting to about ST, 900, O0G. and which
the latter state declines to assume. The
view probably taken by the English gov
eminent is that the United States, having
created West Virginia out of Virginia as a
war act, and having fixed on West Vir-
ginia the burden of paying an indeterminate
portion of old Virginia's debt, has the
power to fix on some positive method in
determining her ratio. Mr.. BLAINE dis
cusSes this subject in his work, Twenty
Years in Congress, and there presents the
doctrine that the United States is morally
bound to make good the amount of indebt-
edness which has been apportioned to West
Virginia. 1t is possible that this sugges-
ton made by Mr.. BLAINE has influenced
the English government, i'm its desire to pro-
tect It's own citizens, to make this demand
on the United States government. This
opinion is confirmed by the fact that leading
Nrginians who are known TO be intimate
with Mr.. BLAINE are standing in with the
English government in pushing this matter
upon the attention of the president. 4 we'll
known New York banker, in a recent inter
view with the Washington correspondent of
the Chicago Tribune, said: II do not know
that l am at liberty to give the names of
the leaders in the new movement. though
they are mostly men engaged in large enter
prlseS for the development of the mineral
resources of the valley of the Shenandoah.
III. c. PARSONS, the owner OF the hotel and
resort at Natural Bridge, is one of them.
He is interested in railroads and mining.
lie is fair representative of the Northern
men who believe there is wealth to be
gained in the development of the natural
advantages of the South. Between
$50, 000, 900 and $50, 0O0. 900 Of North
ern capital has been planted in this part Of
Virginia since the war. The great section
of country in the mountain ranges stretch
ing on down through Tennessee into Ala
bama has surprising wealth of minerals
which railroads and furnaces and factories
are required to develop and utilize. The
Northern men who have started on this de-
yelOpment have become alarmed at the con-
dition into which Virginia has been forced.
and are looking around for the remedy. As
the first step they have been advised to Sc
cure from congress the fixing of the ratio of
debt to be paid by the two states. l under
stand that Mr.. BLAINE, whose fertility in
eXpedients of craftsmanship is acl1nowl-
edged on every hand, advised Mr.. PARSONS
to this step, and that in consultation with
other Virginians 1t has been decided upon. -
1t is said in the same connection that a
convention is soon to be called i'm Virginia
for the purpose Of memorializing the gen
eral government to indemnify that state in
part for its ACKNOWLEDGMENT. The memo
4. 4 L L. I
Virginia was rich and powerful she Loyalty
ceded to the federal government all the
northwestern territory. Now that she is
poor she asks for aid on the score of neees-
sity.