The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-02-11
MARYLAND VS.. HER SISTER
STATE, WEST VIRGINIA
Suit to Determine Boundary Line To
Be Heard Soon.

Va q Al ~ OCOuA bl1N Al@clN w G4INAo
of the Potomac river, in the far
Western part of the Stote. This
shit was begun in 1891, when the
late Senator Whyte was the At
torney General of Maryland. 1t
was dragged along until the pres
ent time, but Mr.. Straus expects
to argue it before the Supreme
Court of the United States either
in the spring or fall, probably the
latter, OF this year.
This boundary question has been
bone of contention for almost
two centuries. Maryland and Viz
ginia argued over the proposition
many years. When West Vir.
glnla separated from the parent
State the wrangle was transferred
to it, There are 29,44o acres in
46 square miles. On such an area
are many farms, opposite Garrett
county, Maryland, is Preston
county, West Virginia. Not
few farmers have adopted the pol
icy of stoutly contending that they
are residents of West Virginia
when approached by the tax col
lector of Maryland. They are
equally sure of their citizenship
in Maryland when they are APP
preached by the tax collector of
West Virginia. Crimes have been
committed in this territory in
which the jurisdiction of the coun-
ty courts, whether in Maryland or
West Virginia, were successfully
questioned. Altogether no little
confusion has resulted from the
existence of a sort of no man 5
land.
Differences of opinion seem to
have arisen because of the inability
to definitely determine the source
of the Potomac. This river like
most others, has quite a modest
beginning, and whether it should
be considered as starting from the
Potomac spring, lying to the west,
or Michler spring, lying to the
east, has occasioned the whole dis
pute.
When King Charles granted
Lord Baltimore a charter to a tract
of land in the New World he laid
down as its bounds meridian to
the first fountain of the river
Pottowmack, thence verging to-
ward the south unto the further
bank of the said river and follow
ing the same on the west and
south to a certain place called
Cinquak. -
Maryland claims that the Mich
Ter spring is not the proper start
ing point for river like the Pot
towmack," for not infrequently it
drys up completely, where as the
Potomac spring to the west pours
forth never-ceasing stream of
pure water.
Early in the Nineteenth Cen
fury certain Fairfax planted
stone above the MiChler spring,
and henceforth Virginia was dis
posed to regard the Fairfax stone
as the limits of Maryland's terri
tory to the west. 1t is contended,
however, that Fairfax had no
authority from the people of Mary
land to plant stone and that this
particular stone was never accept
ed by the State as marking the
limits and bounds of any of its
territory. West Virginia inherit
ed the stone and contention, and
it has stuck to each with great
ConstanCy.
The late Senator Whyte pushed
the case along. Maryland had
engineers in the field, who made
reports substantiating the States
side of the case, and historical as
sociations, including the Maryland
Historical Society, produced docu-
ments to show that Maryland had
charter right to all the lands
she was claiming. Witnesses
were produced, old records I'M
earthed and cases cited in which
justice went astray. All the facts