The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-01-29
MARYLAND MEANS BUSINESS.

MARYLAND MEANS BUSINESS.
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Following is the text of the bill
in chancery filed by Attorney-G Cen
eral Whyte in the suit of the State
Of Maryland against the State of
West Virginia:
To the honorable Chief Justice and
Associate Justices of the Su-
preme Court Of the United
States:
The State of Maryland, by WILL
lam Pinkney White, it's Attorney
General, brings this, its bill against
NE State Of West Virgins, and re-
spectfully complaining, shows unto
this Honorable Court that, hereto
fore, on the goth Of June, 1882,
Charles l, King Of England, etc, ,
granted unto Cecilius, Baron Of
Baltimore, o charter, giving to him
dominion over the territories de-
scribed in il, and made him Cover
nor Of the Colony, afterwards
planted there, with succession to
his heirs-at-lsw. Under this char
ter, possession was taken by the
grantee, and jurisdiction exercised
hereunder until the Revolution,
when Maryland became Sovereign
State and o member Of the Ameri-
can Union, and all the rights, pro-
prietary as well as political, pre-
viously granted under the charter,
became vested in the State of Mary
land.
Virginia, by her FIRST Constitu-
ton as Q free State, (June 30,
1776,) disclaimed all rights Of
property, jurisdiction and govern
ment over the territories, contained
within the charters of Maryland
and other colonies, in these words,
viz:
"The territories contained with
in the charters erecting the colonies
Of Maryland, Pennsylvania, North
and South Carolina, are hereby
ceded, released and forever con-
firmed to the people Of the people
Of those colonies respectively with
ell the rights Of property, jurisdic-
ton and government, and all other
rights Whatsoever which might, at
any time heretofore, have been
claimed BY Virginia, except the free
navigation and use Of the rivers
Potomac and Pokemoke, with the
property Of the Virginia shores or
strands bordering on either Of the
said rivers. and all improvements
which have been or shall be made
thereon.
The first Constitutional Conven-
ton Of Maryland, October, 1776,)
adopted the following resolution:
"Resolved, U unanimously, that it
is the opinion of this Convention
that the State of Virginia hath not
any right or title to any Of the ter
ritory, bays, rivers or waters includ-
ed in the charter granted by his
Majesty Charles l, to Cecilius Cal
vert,> Baron of Baltimore.
That both the State of Maryland
and Virginia thus admitted that
they were bound by the Kings
charter to Lord Baltimore, and
confessed it to be the only original
measure descriptive of their terri
tory.
The State of Maryland further
represents unto your Honors that
the original boundaries of the
Province of Maryland are clearly
laid down in the aforesaid charter,
which created it. These are the
fortieth parallel of north latitude;
a meridian line running south to
the first or most distant fountain
of the Potomac, ("adverum me-
ridianum print Fonts fuminis de
Patowomack,") thence proceeding
("deinde vergendo versus meridi-
em") to the further or western
bank of that river, and following
that bank to specified point at
the mouth of the river, where it
debouches into the Chesapeake;
thence by a straight line across the
bay to Watkins Point and onward
to the ocean, and thence by the
ocean and Delaware bay and river
to the fortieth parallel.
All of which appears from q
copy of the original charter filed as
part of this bill, commencing at
page Of the Appendix hereto.
At the time of and after the
Revolution. Maryland claimed her
western boundary under the char
ter, which had never been revoked
or broken, and this claim has never
been in any way waived, yielded or
compromised. This claim has been
to the South Branch of the Poto-
man M tho farfhaat onurca NJ tho