Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1900-07-05
Communicated.


desire to make statement with refer
ence to the debt question, which has
been the subject recently of so much
Misrepresentation When the State of
Virginia was divided, her convention.
assembled at Wheeling, passed an or
dinance reading, THE new State shall
take upon itself just proportion Of the
public debt of the Commonwealth of
Virginia, prior to the first day Of Jan
uary. 1861, 10 be ascertained by charg-
ing TO it all the expenditures within the
limits thereof, and a just proportion Of
the ordinary expenses Of the State Gov
eminent. since any part Of said debt was
contracted and deduCting therefrom
the moneys paid into the treasury Of the
Commonwealth from the counties in
cluded within the said new State dur
ing the same period" The declaration
in the Constitution of 1863 was as fol-
lows Section g., Article S-"An equi-
table proportion of the public debt of
Virginia prior to January lst, 1861, shall
be assumed by this State, and the Leg
iSlature shall ascertain the same as soon
as practicable" And the present Con
stitution contains the following provis-
ion: Section 4, Article l0-"No debt
shall be contracted by this State except
to meet casual deficits in the revenue,
to redeem a precious liability Of tie
State ETC." and Section ), Article 10,
provides, THE power of taxation of the
Legislature shall extend to provisions
for the payment of the State debt and
interest thereon, etc." Here are plain
provisions in the fundamental law Of
our State for mode of ascertaining
West Virginia. part Of the old debt and
an explicit direction to ascertain the
same as soon as practicable UnfOrtu-
nately Virginia in making a settlement
with the bond holders in 1871, overlook
ing the Wheeling ordinance, assigned
to West Virginia one-thrd of the debt
issuing what are known as Virginia De-
ferred Certificates for this one-third.
pledging on their face payment lin &C
cordance with such settlement as shall
hereafter be had between the State of
Virginia and West Virginia, and held
the bonds for which they were issued
in trust for the owners. No one at the
time Of the adoption of the two Consti-
tutionS questioned a liability on the
part of West Virginia for share of this
debt She would not have been admit
ted into the Union save for her recog-
milton of an obligation TO assume a just
proportion Of it. The early Governors
of the State each recommended and
urged the Legislature to appoint COM
mittee to meet Virginia and ascertain
the proportion of the old debt to be
borne by the new State. In 1871 a COM
mission called the West Virginia Debt
Commission was appointed by the Leg
islature and proposed to Virginia to as
certain the amount due to West Virgin
ia. Those representing Virginia and
West Virginia disagreed as TO the meth
cd of determining the amount Of West
Nirginias liability, but the West Nir
ginia Commission proceeded to state
the account according 20 the Wheeling
Ordinance and found this State indebt-
ed TO Virginia in the sum of 1901. 900.
At the same time this Commission as
certained the amount expended within
the limits Of the State of West Virginia
on railroads, turnpikeS, bridges, etc,
and placed it at the sum of So, 3l3, 929. 30
In addition large amount was spent
on the Asylum at Weston. Under the
following provision of an Act of Feb
ruary Ord, 1863 BE it ENACTED by the
General Assembly of Virginia that all
the property owned by this Common
wealth within the boundaries of West
Virginia shall pass to West Virginia,
but the State Of West Virginia shall &C
count for the same in the settlement to
be here after made with this Common
wealth, valuable stocks and bonds
were transferred to West Virginia. The
Constitution Of West Virginia of 1868,
provides, Section :, Article 5:
The Legislature may at any time di-
rect a sale of the stocks owned by the
State in the banks and other corpora
tons but the proceeds OF such sale shall
be applied to the liquidation 0tthe pub
tic dcbt.'
The legislation of West Virginia has
directed that the principle Of the pro-
crcds of said property sold shall be care
fully preserved and the interest and
profit only be used for the benefit of the
schools The report Of the West Nir
ginia Debt Commission Of 1871 placed
the value Of the stock owned by irgin
ia i'm the banks at S539, 600 These stocks
with other valuable investments were
disposed of and put in the lrrcduCIble
School Fund of this State. | refer to
the above statements to show this State
ACQUIRED valuable property from the
State of Virginia. Her recent legiSla-
lures declare by formal resolution that
she Will refuse 10 take any action with
reference to her proportion Of the old
debt. and that she is in no way obliga.
ted for any part thereof. The members
of the last Legislature, although acting
under the solemn obligation of an oath
TO support the Constitution of West
virginia subscribed to before they en-
tered upon their duties, became parties
to Il resolution Of bald reputation. The
speaker of that Legislature, voting for
such resolution, recently said in an
interview i'm the Wheeling Register:
1T must not be forgotten that in the
original ordinance between West Nir-
ginia and the mother State II was pro-
vided i'm substance that an adjustment
of Nirginia's debt should be had between
the two States on a basis Of charging
this State with all the improvements
made within her boundaries for which
the debt was created and by crediting
her with the amount she had contribu-
ted TO the Treasury of Virginia, after
deducting her share of the expenses Of
government. The Democratic party has
taken the ground that if there is any
question between Virginia and West
Virginia it can be settled amicably be-
tween them whenever Virginia appoints
a commission and takes proper steps TO
settle. The Democratic party will stand
firm on the ground that no one is inter-
ested in the question but the States Of
Virginia and West Virginia, and the
intermeddling of any owners Of pretend
ed bonds will not be tolerated for mo-
ment."
This same gentleman presided recent
" over the Democratic Convention at
Parkersburg, which passed a resolution
disowning liability for any part OF the
Y. How ;c ,,,ccihla