The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1891-12-11

HI IAnd and f>ssss xissinia.
On Monday the ATTORNEY General 10
MARYLAND appeared in the Tn;ta6
States Supreme Court. at Wash;ngt tS,,,
and fled d bill in which the citizens 81
West Virginia are considerably inter.
ested. The question involved is ono
that has been long in disputes ana 10
that Of the boundary line hetwean fbo
two States. In this. bill the State of
MARYLAND petitions the court ~ ,ssp. .
subpoena to be served ON the officers of
West Virginia. and the Court will die
pose of the motion Monday. Dec. 14tb
The original boundaries Of MARYLAND
as laid down in the charter. were
The fortieth parable, Of north la+;-
tude. a meridian line rnnn;nc south -
the first or most distant fsnptain Of tbo
Potomac: thence proceeding sontbw ar3
to the farther or western bank of that
river, and following that bank To
specified point at the mou.b If tba
river; thence by a straight line across
the bay to Watkins Point and onwarJ
to the ocean. and thence bv the OCEAN
and Delaware bay and river tn the fo,.-
tieth parallel.
The only one of these coursas +b.+
was at all uncertain at the time the
charter was granted was that at tbe
extreme west. The point at which tho
meridian line was to begin had to re
main undetermined until It should bo
found which was the fartbest source or
first fountain of the Potomac: in other
words. which of the branches of that
river took it's rise farthest from ;ts
mouth. When the Question arose which
of the two great branches unite to form,
the Potomac river was the LONGER
commission in 1895 concluded that Tho
North Branch was the longer. Mar.
land not being represented in the con,
mission. In 1853 Frederick. Lord Ra1-
timore, protested against this invasion
Of his territory, and directed Gov H.
ratio Sharpe to look into the matter
and to open correspondence with Lord
Fairfax with a view to a settlement ~
the boundaries between MARYLAND snd
Virginia. Information was ohta;,,ad
to show that the South Branch was the
longer. but the outbreak of the French
and Indian war in 1874 nravanted
further action S''Ss
The Question was unsettled at +bo
outbrealx of the revolution Int :, hau
f;rst constitution adon+ad I'll, 90
1776. VIRGINIA confirmed Marvi. nd,s
claim Tn 17e5 and 1901 comn,;ss;ons
were anno;ntad NV tho two S+a+os -,
adinst the BOUNDARY Int notb;nr os,no
of them or of other comm;ss;ons a f+ars
ward annointed In 1870 what was
known as Michler,s line was 10 he The
definite boundary when rat;fed bv +bo
legislatures Of both States Maryland
ratified the line Nv an act nos Good Neil
6. 1860. but VIRGINIA failed to do co
The civil war and ;ts rasnlts cbannoa
the stains Of the onast;on Tho Stota
of West V;ro;nia was sanaro+ad 49,
VIRGINIA. and in the boundaries Of tho
new State was included The d;snrtaJ
territory The Leo;slatnra Of West
V;ro;nia IN 1853 aufbnr;zod +ba~Co
ernor to appoint q m;ssion 10 asoor-
tain the line between that Sta+a and
MARYLAND. Tn 1885 the MARYLAND T'an-
islatnre reouested the Govar,or ~ os1l
the attention of the West V;ro.;,,;n
authorities to Micbler,s line nrev;en sI,.
The newt YEAR tba Wast
Viroinia Leoislatnre CONFIRMED M;oh
ler,s line. but with conditions +ba+
could NOT he accented NV Marnlond ~
1888 the Question was again -Iafore +ba
r eoislature of MARYLAND and the ot+o,-
ney-general advised that nrocaad;,os
oo.o;s,c+ WE yy;uo.;,; -. 49, - -
Sunreme Court Of the Un;tad States or
that tbe Question ha snbm;tted 70 arb;-
traitors anno;ntad hv tba States
The hijl fled NV At+ornov-Canaral
WHITE is printed. II recites in brief
the lone-pendine controversy between
VIRGINIA (and. since the war West
VirSinia) and MARYLAND about the exact
line which bounds the western limits of
Maryland Il rec;tas fba grantino Of
u y :" 80