The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1895-03-06
VIRGINIA DEBT QUESTION.
Report of the Commissioners from
West Virginia.
IcoNcLuDED.l


territory and population, should be
the principle, if not the only bias
ofan adjustment of the debt. The
Governor of Virginiai in his message
of 1870, and again in 1871, and the
Legislature of thai State, by its
funding bill, seem, however, to
have entirely overlooked the fore
going considerations, and to have
jumped to the conclusion that West
Virginia should pay one third of the
debt.
We see the case differently. On
the one hand, Tor instance, we see
rich cities, commercial marts of all
kinds, navigable rivers, fine harbors,
highly improved and productive
territory, wealthy capitalists and a
well to do people, public institutions
sucha State GapitoI, and extensive
public grounds, an Executive Man
sion, Penitentiary, Armory,
University, two Lunatic Asylums,
Military Institute, Blind Asylum,
valuable miscellaneous and law
library, a large literary fund and
the United States deposit of surplus
revenue. All these resources in ad
dition TO the vast millions invested
in canals and railroads and other
avenues of inland commerce.
On the other hand we see set in
the balance against these rich
resources the territory of West
Virginia, less than one third of the
old State, much of it broken into
barren mountains and hills, no
navigable streams penetrating it
in every direction, no railroad but
the B. 20, no public works or
institutions, her lands mostly cover
ed with unbroken forests and
rewarding industry but grud gingly,
no outlets in the interior for the
little surplus existing, the people
poor and subsistiug by rough work
in the woods and fields, possessed
of no capital wherewith either to
develop their localities or ameliorate
their own condition in life; in fact,
their only wealth being for the most
part their poor soil, their untiring
perseverance and their indomitable
love ofliberty.
Aud yet, moth withstanding great
discrepancy between the condition
and resources of the two States, Yir
ginia assigns one third of her fund
ed and compounded debt to West
Virginia to pay, simply because the
latter has one third of the territory
and one fourth the population form
erly belonging TO the whole State.
And this, too, Notwithstanding her
papers have often proclaimed that
West Virginia was foster child of
the old State, and as such depend
ent upon her bounty This opinion
we shall not stop to discuss, and we
only refer to it as showing the
Inconsistency between the theory
and practice Of our Virginia friends.
Supposing it to be correct, the ex
planation as to how it came about
can never be made creditable to
those who t..vished all their favors
on one section OF The Stale, and
Withheld them from the other, and
the vindicalion of the step taken by
West Virginia during the was in
separating from the old State con
ssts largely OF this traditional
aguinst her And in this conuec
ton il may not be out of place to
notice that the increase of popula
ton in West Virginia during the de
cade from 1860 to 1870 was OF
character to still further vindicate
the step taken, it being about 80
per cent. This large increase illus
trates her onward march since her
separation from her former foster
parent, and tends to suggest how
far in advance Of her present posi-
ton she really might have been had
she received in the past anything
more than the "crumbs that fell
from the rich mans table"
We come now to the conclusion
of our report. Having given our
reasons why we dissent entirely
from the position of Virginia in
reference to the debt, we proceed to
state our own conclusions in regard
to it as follows:
Statement A, as annexed to our
report, shows that the bounded debt
OF Virginia on the first of January,
1861, after all deductions, was S3l,-
779, ,067.32.
The same statement also shows
that all OF said debt was expended
within the present State of Virginia,
with the exception of 81, ,783, ,229 %.
Statement E. shows that s328,
70G % was collected from counties
in West Virginia after January 1st,
1861.
Statement F, shows that the
amount of expenditures for all pur.
poses in West Virginia was s3,343,
929.29.
We are not able to say certainly
what part of this expenditure was
from the proceeds of State bonds,
(and, therefore, part of the State
debD and what part was appropri
ated from the regular receipts ofthe
treasury. We have had access to
no data that could determine the
question. Our letter to the second
Auditor at Richmond sought infor-
nation on this point in vain. But
we have given Virginia the benefit
Of it all as credit on her side ofthe
account, although the resolutions
under which we are acting contem