The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1908-01-30

IKE MS noteu uncle, was man o!
great strength OF intellect, and a
publicist Of high. order ~ T..
Soon after Cheir appointment, the
commission notified the yGovernor, of
Virginia ( Governor. Wahter) Of their
appointment and authority, and re-
paired. to Richmond Governor,
Walker refused to recognize them:
and a few days later; In his message
to the Virginia General Assembly,
proceeded to arraigu the good
faith of the authorities Of this
State and Ito asperse the. good
faith Of the State Of. West Virginia"
(These quotations are from tpp. s
and 10 Of the report ofE the commits
sion made to Governor >Jacob.) Thu
commission not only failed. tGe obtain
recognition of GoVernpry Walker, but
the Second Auditor of WE ginia, re
fused to furnish them with certain
rertinent INFORMATION from the rec
ords of his office. although they Of
fered to, pay, all cost Of obtaining it.
The commission reported that West
Virginia owed Virginia little less
than a, million dollars, but admitted
that these figures were only ap
prCximate.
The Virginia Legislature then
proceeded. in 1871, to- find out the
amount Of the debt, with the inter
est twice compounded (once in 1866
and again, in 1870, and funded two
thirds ofGthe amount so ascertaineG
IN her bonds, and for the other one
third issued the so-called West Wiz
ginia Certificates" whereby, for that
amount Of her old debt, Virginia was
MOTTO be liable until she had a set
Element, with West Virginia."
Hence, it was to her interest never
to have such settlement. - !
Naturally, the refusal Of Governor
Walker and other officers Of Virginia
to- receive our debt commits sioners,
Governor Walkers dispersion Of the
| 5000 faith" of Vests Virginia, and
the. arbitrary setting aside of one
third q i At II the debt as s.it;.exlsted in
1871. :(and. not in 1861 1 as West
Virginia's share, and the issuance Of
the so-called West Virginia Certifi-
Gates" did not strike West Virginia
faWorably;; indeed. they caused
strained relations between the two
States. Virginia set aside one-third
OF the debt to West Virginia, be-
cause, she. said, West Virginia got
cne-third of her population and ter
ritory: West Virginia claimed; that
in SO doing, Virginia repudiated the
ordinance Of the Virginia Convention
Of August, 1861, apd the act Of her
General Assembly Of May ID, 1862,
giving consent to- the formation OF
West Virginia, by which she agreed
to the provision of the constitution
Of West Virginia (section OF article
s, above squote6, In fact Virginia
has repeatedly repudiated that ordi-
nance and has never recognized its
binding force
g.. On the 22nd day Of December,
1873, the finance committee Of the
Wset Virginia State Senate made. a
report on this debt matter, in which
they say that. stating the debt &C
cording to- the ordinance abovee
quoted, West Virginia had overpaid
Virginia to the amount or $525, 900.
This report was Significant, because
the chairman Of the committee and
the author Of the report was the
same Jonathan NJ. Bennett, who had
been the First Auditor! Of Virginia
end q member of the West Virginia
Debt commission Of 1871. Thus 1T
iS that many Of our citizens have
been Of the belief that West Virginia
Is not indebted to Virginia.
West Virginia holds that there Is
contract or compact between tn,
two States touching this matter, ex-
pressed in section 9 Of the Ordi-
nance Of August, 1861, (above quot
ed,) and in section 8 OF article 8
(above quotcd) Of the first constitu-
ton Of West Virginia; that stating
the debt on population and terri
tory, as Virginia did, was a repudi-
alton Of that compact. West Vir-
ginia has always been ready to set
tie according to that compact, that
she refused and refuses to settle on
any other. It is submitted that this
contention Of West Virginia is un
assailablc.
Documents accompanying this mes
sage:
I. Letter Of James W. Paul, Chief
Of Department Of Mines, dated Janu.
Gry 2G, 1908.
2. Copy Of CrIGenCc given by said
Paul before the coroner's inquest held
CT the cxplo ion il mines Nos 6 and
6 Of the Fairmott Coal Company, at
Monongah, Marion county, December
g. 1907.
3. Copy OF Report Of ten Of the Dis
trict Inspector: OF Mines respecting
said explosion.
1. Ccpy Of Ecbort Of r. S. LaRue,
1nnnnri1,1. az liz Lriref Aiininr Tia trict