The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-03-06
TLtEPaOAE NUMBERS
3 ROsns...... SO cOantlau ROon..... go
THE INTELLIGENcER,
WHEELING. MARCH 0, 1900.
A cornsa ReHiYed.

The expressions of Governor Atlkin-
son regarding the Virginia debt and the
portion arbitrarily assigned to West
Virginia by the Old Dominion. pro-
yoked by the recent action OF the Viz
GINA legislature, recalls the statements
that are going the rounds of the DEM
ocratic state press that Senator Elkins
IL interested in the settlPment Of the
question. Nothing could be farther
from the truth. The senator himself
has given the report an emphatic de-
NAL, but it appears that this has made
the Democratic press more viclously ac-
tive in giving the story further circula,'
tion. 1t is a part of the policy of the
Democratic party in this state about
election time to accuse some prominent
Republican and the party in general
with being connected with some scheme
to force West Virginia to settle with
the mother state on the basis of the
West Virginia certificates, issued by
Virginia, without authority Of this
state. 1t is stock story with the
Democracy, and has been used too Of
ten to create any alarm at this time. AS
a sar.ple Of these Misrepresentation.
we quote the following from that
rancorously partisan publication, the
No roe Waterman:
ut will be remembered that in the
West Virginia legislatures Of 1895 and
1897, both Republican, soms mysterious
influence was pressing for a settlement
OF West vI.ginia's alleged share Of the
Virginia debt, and 1t was freely stated
at the time that the hidden hand back
of the scheme was the hand OF Senator
ElkIns. But thu legislators took fright,
and the matter was dropped
The editor of the Waterman knows
there is, no truth in that statement.
Every time the Virginia debt matter
has been hroached to the Legislature Its
cause has been cared for in the lobby
by prominent Democrats OF the eastern
PAN Handle, who profess to represent
syndicate of the eastern holders Of the
West Virginia certificates. The Repub-
llcan party or no individual member Of
1t ever advocated the payment of the
debt on the basis of that Virginia has
fixed. 1t has. however. declared, Just
as any honest business man would do,
and which the Democratic party has
never done, that II 1t is found that this
state legally owes any portion of the
mother states debt. that provision
ought to oo made for Its payment. The
feeling that pervades the Republican
party is the same as that expressed by
Governor Atkinson, in his interview
with the Charleston correspondent of
the Intelllgencer. The governor, on
that occasion said:
"It, aftes a careful investigation Of
all the expenditures which went to In
crease the $45.OOO,OOO debt of Virginia.
and the taking into consideration how
and where the public funds were ex-
pended, 1t can be shown that West Vir-
ginia owes any equitable part Of the
debt, have no doubt that our people
will agree to pay the same. It was.
however, evident to all Intelligent West
VIrginIans, that the old state had no
right to issue West Virginia certificates
under any circumstances, nor would
they admit that simply because West
Virginia cmbodics about one-thIrd of
the territory OF the state, that she
should. therefore. pay onr-third of the
debt. Feeling, as now do. that West
Virginia docs not owe. legitimatelH any
part of the Virginia debt. which
amounts to anything. certainly would
not recommend the Legislature to pay
any part OF said debt"