Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1897-02-27
FRosTBURG, MD. FEBRUARY 81, 1897
The West Virginia Debt.

Is the Frostburg JOURNAL quite sure that
it knows all about the West Virginia debit
Kevser wv Va.) Echo.
No.
Is it absolutely positive that if West
Virginia does not pay it will be the worst case
of reputation on record?-Ibid.
Yes at least one of the worst.
Is it sure that eventually West Virginia
must settle?-Ibd.
No.
Can it tell us who will coerce the sovereign
State of West Virginia into paying debts that
it does not owe? We would like to know,
you know.-LbM.
Not correctly stated
1t is clear, however, that when Estate
sovereignty affords a refuge for re-
pudiators they do not mind hiding be-
hind it, but when a Force Bill is nee
essary to keep party in power State
sovereignty is derided as something
that was destroyed by the same war
that made West Virginia "a sovereign
State.'
And while it is about it, will the JOURNAL
please tell us how it knows that the Echo
claimed to have discovered that West
Virginia owed no part Of Nrginas ante-war
debt" Has the Echo ever made any posi-
tive assertions upon that point?
"Posltive' is a thoughtful qualifica-
ton, but somewhere near the middle
of last March the Echo not only did not
itself believe "that West Virginia
should pay seven millions, or even
seven hundred of dollars on the debt
of the old State" but that there is
mot man in either State Hor0ughy
informed on the subject who believes
it. The Echo continued the JOURNAL
italiczing the 'positive" term:
We thought quite otherwise until we looked
into the matter, but such examination as we
could make conviuced us that nobody has any
equitable claim upon West Virginia for any
part of the ante war debt.
The JOURNAL is in a quandary. 1t
wants to hold the Echo to its conclusion,
but the next sentence shows that its
examinations was too superficial to
justify any determination at all
We are quite confident of another thing:
the matter cannot be definitely settled until
the mother State wants to settle it, a condi-
ton which has never yet existed and it is not
likely to exist in the present generation.
If the Echo's examination" had
reached the Constitution of Virginia
it would have found provision in
that instrument reQuiring "the mother
State" to seeh settlements provision
which she has obeyed by the appoint
ment on three occasions of commissions,
the last about the time the Echo print
ed its article, and body still Or
gained and ready for business.
The question arises-if the Echo
could be so mistaken concerning fact
current, what is the "examinationn
worth that ''convinced" it And if It
takes Thorough" information on the
subject to reach conclusion favorable
to reputation, how can the same re-
suit be reached by one who has evident
ly, not to say co fessedly, skinned
the surface only?
1t seems to be clear, therefore, that
the average West Virginia idea is
just or unjust, honest or dishonest
we don't owe and we won't pay.
That is the short as we'll as the long
of it.
To make this comment complete the
JOURNAL must reply to the following
paragraph:
The JOURNAL should be little careful not
to insinuate evil about its neighbors BY the
way, if Maryland should get the slice of West
Virginia which it is claiming would the jour
NAL be in favor of Maryland assuming part
of the old Virginia debt proportional to the
stolen slice of territory
The JOURNAL stands uncovered be-
fore the Echo as censor of bad man
ners and proceeds to say that if there
is a piece of encountered property
anywhere in the wide world that Mary
land wants she will take it with all it's
liabilities. In fact, she will do as
West Virginia did at Wheeling in
1S63-confess judgment, and unlike
West VIRGINIA ever Since-nay If