The Washington times., 1906-03-08
OLD DOMINION NOW
WANTS MONEY BACK
Virginia Brings Proceed
ingS In Supreme Court.
CIVIL WAR AFTERMATH
Action to Require West Virginia to Pay
Part of the Debt of
War
CIVIL WAR AFTERMATH

NEW YORK. March S.-AnnounCe-
ment which came at the outset of the
week that the State of Virginia had
begun proceedings in the. United States
Supreme Court TO compel West Vfr-
ginia 10 recognize a. part OF the debt
outstanding before the outbreak Of the
civil war, brings TO notice again a very
ancient and highly interesting dispute,
the origin Of which dates back to 1851,
In fact, historically. a date as early
as 1916 might be taken for a starting
point, for 1t was in that year that Vir-
ginia laid out n scheme of public i'm
prOvements to develop communication
with the western counties now embrac-
ed in the State Of West Virginia. as a
result Of which the old Commonwealth
incurred the heavy burden of debt
which vexed it for years thereafter.
Result of War.
Everybody knows that the State of
West Virginia came into existence as
result of the civil war, through the
citizens of the western part of the
original Commonwealth OF Virginia op-
posing the ordinance Of accession
| adopted on April Il, 1861. by which
Virginia withdrew from the Union.
At this late date, however, very few
recall that when the citizens of the
western counties of Virginia. who were
/ Union synpathizers, called their meet
| ing at Clarksburg to protest against Sc
! cession, they had apparently no inten-
| tion of setting up an Independent State
In the bill filed by the attorneys OF
| Virginia in the Supreme Court the
amount of the debt of Virginia on jan
/ uaTy l. 1861, is stated to have been
/ about the sum of SS3, ,o00. COO" That was
| forty-five years ago, and the debt bore
| interest at the rate of per cent When
/ the civil war closed the finances Of all
| The Southern States were in chaotic con-
4 dition.
! Virginia had defaulted upon most OF
/ its debt during the war. except for some
/ tr!f1ing sums paid 10 English bondhold-
] ers and some amounts paid to her own
1 citizens in Confederate money.
| Something had to be done in the way
! OF adjusting this defaulted debt in order
| 10 provide the means of meeting the eX-
/ penSeS or the government and for eX-
ternal improvement and development
West Virginia's Burden.
Naturally, the question of West Vir-
| ginia assuming part of the burden
arose. The estimates made by Vir-
! ginia were in effect that of territory
the counties forming the new State OF
| West Virginia constituted about one
] third the total area Of the State, and
| that the population comprised about
| cne-fifth. but Of the white citizens OF
| the entire State who alone prior to the
: war enjoyed citizenship. it was found
| that about one-third had resided in the
| western counties included in. the new
| territory Of West Virginia.
Repeated efforts made by Virginia tC
| ascertain by negotiation with West
| Virginia the proper proportion of the
| debt that it should assume havins
| failed, the State of Virginia, in 1870
when undertaking to adjust her owr
! debt, assumed that one-third of tine
| total debt was proper proportion foI
| West Virginia to assume.
| All other efforts having failed to eff
| feet an adjustment. ii was decided &c
appeal to the United States Supreme
| Court for the privilege for Virginia tC
sue West Virginia to recover some por-
: tion of the ancient debt.