The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1911-03-23
Declares Captain Sperry
Who Ably Discusses
the Question.
E GUILTY f EAT u.R E
of the Case is Emphasized
BY a Leading Local
Attorney
Attorney
my NJ. q. sperty.l

mere - more or less discussion
going the rounds OF the press, tn,
main object OF which is to create ;
sentiment in favor of attempting t;
INDUCE the federal government t.
assume the payment of whateyel
part OF the debt OF old Virginia and
be adjudged against the state Of
West Virginia, AT first glance nc
suIbstantial reason appears why the
Federal government should assume
this liability to the relic OF par.
ticu!ar state. A more careful study
of the situation, however. taken in
sufrounding the creation of the state
OF West Virginia disclosed a substan.
tial equity in the claim that the fed
efal government should come to the
rescue and pay this money.
When West Virginia was called
into existence. and assumed its place
among the states OF the Union, the
government owned no lands within
the territory OF the new state, aud
made no contribution whatever to-
ward the expense of instituting and
maintaining for time the new
member OF the Union. 1t has been
the settled policy of the federal gov
eminent, upon the admission of new
states into the Union. to set aside
great quantities of the public do
main, and turn the came over to the
new state, for the purpose of rails
Ing funds for maintaining the state
institutions and for educational pur-
poses. The lands dedicated TO the
new state Of Oklahoma by the fed
eral government have proven OF
sufficient value to entirely maintain
the splendid free school system of
that STATE without any local or state
levies, In many other states the
gifts OF the federal government,
upon the admission OF the state to
the Union, have been nearly as val
liable as in the case of Oklahoma.
In the case OF West Virginia, the
state of Virginia before the division
had parted with the title to prac-
tically all of the lands lying within
what now constitutes West virginia.
1t had received the proceeds of the
sales OF these millions of acres OF
land, and had applied the proceeds
arising from this source, as well as
practically all OF the money for
which the Virginia de5t was created.
towards works OF development and
public Improvements, practically all
OF which are located within what
now constitutes the state of Virginia.
West Virginia received. and will re-
ceive, practically nothing in return
for these expenditures and for the
money which 1t is new called upon
to pay the creditors of Virginia.
West Virginia started on the ex-
pertinent of state government, as a
member Of the Federal Union, with.
out any resources except the power
OF taxation. and If the federal gov
eminent should now pay the claim
which the supreme court Of the
United States has decided to ,be a
debt of West Virginia, the greater
part of the other states could not
complain, because at the time OF
their admission into the Union they
received equal or greater benefits
from the federal government.
West Virginia's Creation.
AS has been said, the state OF West
Virginia was created as a war
measure. The Importance Of this
statement is not generally under
stood, and the greater necessity of
the measure at the time 1t was taken
Is no longer apparent, owing to the
result OF the Civil war. At the time
of the creation of West Virginia a
most serious problem confronted the
statesmen and thinkers OF the
North. 1t was not theory, but a
full-grown condition that they had
to solve. Take a map OF the United
States and glance at the position of
Virginia when 1t Included what is
known as West Virginia. You will
observe a great sovereign state,
whose wide domains spread from
the Atlantic ocean Between Maryland
and North Carolina in a northwest
err direction to point on the Ohio
river about sixty miles below Pitts
burg. Virginia extended from the
Atlantic ocean to within less than
one hundred miles OF the Great
Lakes. When the war between the