Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-01-08
Communicated


There appears in the Intelligencer of
Thursday last an editorial purporting
to be reply to an article of a pre-
ceding date published in the Register
charging that Messrs. Elkins, White,
&C., would be found ultimately urging
q settlement of the claims Of the
holders of the West Virginia ESQ.,
called deferred certificates by this
State. The Intelligencer says in sub
stance that so far from its being the
"object of the leaders of the Republican
party in this State to saddle s20,O00,O00
Of the debt Of Virginia on West Vir-
ginia, exactly the reverse is the truth;
that during the last Legislature one of
the most prominent Democrats in the
State was at the head of a syndicate
that attempted to seduce the Legisla-
tors in regard to this matter. If IT
CAN EVER BE DEFINITELY AS
CERTAINED THAT WEST VIR-
GINA PROPERLY OWES ANY
THING TO THE MOTHER, STATE
THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE
OBLIGATION WILL BE MET IN A
SPIRIT OF FAIRNESS AND HON
ESTY."
We have capitalized one paragraph
OF the editorial because it is in just this
mode of adroit and plausible presenta-
ton of what seems to be a fair propo-
sition that the greatest danger to the
taxpayers of the State lies. Those ia
miliar with recent legislative proceed
ings will remember that in the session
of 1897, when both branches Of the Leg
islature were strongly Republican, a
joint resolution was introduced into
and passed the House early in the ses-
sion, which declared it to be the sense
of the Legislature of West Virginia
that this State owed no part of the
West Virginia deferred certificates or
other outstanding evidences Of Vir-
ginia's Indebtedness, and that no part
of the same should be assumed by that
Legislature. This resolution was sent
over to the Senate, and was there
chung up for nearly three weeks
without action. In fact so Indifferent
we're the Republican Senators to its
passage that some of the more astute
of that party's leaders in the State be-
gan to grow apprehensive that it would
not be taken up by the Senate at all,
and that it's failure to pass it would
rightly be construed to mean that the
Republican party favored the assump-
ton Of these certificates by the State.
Indeed it was charged at the time that
the resolution was purposely held up
because there was large and inauen
tial lobby at Charleston which was
seeking to saddle" this debt on West
Virginia, and which lobby was power
full enough by reason of the influential
Republican politicians connected with
it to prevent unfavorable action by the
Senate. The argument then addressed
to Senators was that an examination
into the merits OF the claim of the Vir-
ginia bondholders ought to be had, and
that if sit can be definitely ascertained
that West Virginia properly owes any
thing to the mother State, there is no
doubt but that such obligation should
be met in spirit of fairness and hon
esty."
But a pressure from Republican lead
ers who were not in the lobby and who
feared the failure CT such declaration
by the Senate ould fearfully prejudice
the standing of the party in the State,
fnally proved effective, and the Senate
passed the resolution.
Enough was developed then, how