Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1910-03-25

Our politicians have been lodging thii
question for generation and would ne,
er hear the matter through when pre-.
sented to them. The present republican
machine has Been for years making
sport of the Virginia debt matter but
now that the Supreme Court Of the
United States is about enter judge
ment against the state Of anywhere
from eleven millions to twenty millions
on people are beginning to sit up and
take notice.
AS will be remembered the Supreme
| Court over ruled our demurrer which
WAC equiv alent to saying that we must
pay our equitable share of the debt and
J referred the case to Master Commits
| sioner Little6eld with instructions to
| report on the amount expended by the
state Of Virginia in the counties now
comprising the state of West Virgin.
ia, the comparative area of the two
states the amount Of taxable property
in each and basis on which to esti-
mate the pepuls tion of the two sec
tions.
The commissioner has filed his re-
port and 1t now only remains for the
court to decide on the report and set
the amount of the judgement.
We give in this issue summary Of
the report in special from Washing-
ton and also give and interesting COM
mum ication to the Statesman-Demo
crat from the facile pen Of Hon. jam es
NJ. Macon, of Charlestown, who has
made study Of this debt question for
the past quarter of a century.
Competent lawyers assert that there
can be nothing else fguered out of the
Little6eld report but judgement that
will stagger the state.
Tbi. is certainly the most I'M portant
question the people of the state have
ever been called to face.
The state has spent fully hundred
thousand dollars IN defending this suit
and as the machine does everything
there has been no end of graft. Law
yers without end and lawyers with
and without regulations, have been
employed and even Bill Dawson on re-
tireing from the office Of Governor was
pensioned to the amount of $1,000 a
year as counsel though not a lawyer
at all, a bold bald, fac'd steal. These
gentlemen nov make light of the pos
sbility of the collection of judgement
against the state, and are trying to
the PEG pie into false security.
The state revenues have been wasted
on all sorts of games of plumber,
the state institutions are falling into
decay and no money in the treasury.
With the state In this condition the
people will doubtless feel the full force
of Judgement such as the court is
about to saddle on Jus. The Romney
ReviewIsays:
The history of this important case
is about as follows: When West Viz
gina was severed from the Mother
State the latter owed a debt of some
S33 100000, part OF which Virginia
claimed was expended in buildin Z
roads, bridges, &C., in the counties
comprising Vest Virginia and, she,
therefore urged we should pay on =
third of it. When she finally settled
with her bond holders she issued to
them "certiiicates" to the amount of
about Sl1 10000, setting up this claim
against West Virginia. These certi-
fcates have been hawked about in the
markets, quoted at from two to four
cents on the dollar until the present
suit was brought when they suddenly
advanced to about fifty cents. Along
il the early 70s this State appointed a
commission composed of three proml-
nent citizens to undertake a settle
meut. Virginia was invited te meet
them but declined on the ground that
( she had no interest In the matter; that
it was question between West Vir-
ginia and the certificate holders. The
com mittee IN ade an Investigation and
reported that this state owed about
100000. The certificate holders would
doubtless have gladly settled ON that
basis then but the Finance Comm ittet
of the State Senate took the IN after VI
aud after working it out as they claim
ell, along the lines of the ordinance
under which the State was created
and admitted into the Union aud
which was promise to pay an equita
BILE proportion of the Virginia debt, re-
ported that, in realty there W in
equity due us from Virginia abou
$4,000
Now for more recent events: The
certificate holders being unable to sue
sovereign state as individuals sue
ceeded, about five years ago, in gettin,
tt,rouVh the Niruiuia leOiSIott,ra "a,