The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-03-18
WILL SLE|NP TRY
FOR new STATE|?'.
Begins to Look as if Represent
atives Were il, Earnest
81 About Division.
HAS APPROVAL OF PRESIDENT E ''E::I' |
Public, However Not Yet Pre-
pared to Take PROPOSE
ton Seriously. n

tFrom Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, y. c., Marcl, 17.--lt
begins to look as II Representative s 1te1
i we're II, carnestin his talk OF attempting '
70 have a new state erected out OF SOUTH
Western Virginia, and eastern portlons o1
Tennessee and Virginia. Mr. sieinp 70
not now in Washington, but he ls quoted
s sy lie ving obtained the approval OIL INC
President for his scheme. and Oh haS'hs
formed the Intention Of introducing q o'll
next wihter providing for the partlitioh y ny
OF the three States named IN the lhlerese
OF the Republican party. !.
IL a. hard to see what the Congress
Will have to do with the niatter, ~ " ~.
sleInp appears - le,eve that ! he Ma
tio,,ai Legislature. will be all.powerful
ii the matter, OF Fat least. that X VIII
have concurrent voice VIII inc st 'Nlt'
Legislatures In the formation Of new
State There are no preccdents. 40
State dhas ever been divided except ~ VII y
V,1in. and It has never been seriously
a ciairned that the creation III the State
o. West Virginia was legal. The defacto
government of the portion OF the state
b west OF the Alloghnnies was recognized
BY Virginia and the Federal GovernmeH ny.
butgft fis believed by many constitutional
lawyers that the Supreme Court o.@the
United States would have held that the
convention which met a t Wheeling anu
created new State government FOR the ne
Il Stase formed out Of O portion or the
old, was illegal and that Its actions we're
nullsand, VOID. i
Laws Silent.
s:i The laws Federal and State. are silent
on the subject df the partitioning OF
statea. The United States has divided
territories before their admission into tho
Union. bu no attempt of a serious char
ac,ers has ever been made to partition
; State witch was already In the Union,
save. I'm the case Of Virginia. when
. norton, OF the citizens seeded and set up
tho state government OF West Virginia.
n II Is presumed that the people would
4 have TO vote onSthe question Of secession
I Constitutional amendments would have
10 he adopted In the three States OF
Kentucky. Tennessee and Virginia, ac-8
& cording to lawyers. 1t Is possible that n
4 minority OF the people in Mr.. slemp,s
district may wish to have the State dis
yaed so as 4,ot put them into anew
state with their neighbors across the
Kentucky and Tennessee lines, but II is
Il not believed that this n is the fact. It
las been suggest ed that the people Of
the Ninth Virginia District. the First
i and Second Tennessee. and the Eleventh
! Kentucky which itEsis proposed should
form, he new State, would be. better
recoaciled 10 kheir prcsen n 81 te governs
nents were they to change congressman
All four Districts are at present represent
ed BIZ Rcpublca ms. Yts nj asfs
Ut is not believed that even a Re-
publican Congress would consent to the
division OF the States as proposed BY Mr..
semp. More than once " Republican
members have denounced 5-.ie partitioning
+ ofRWest, Virginia. Il III
The public, in fact. Is nots'yet ready
toStake Mr.. slemp seriously when The
proposes to take parts OF three eastern
States and make one new one.