The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1911-01-27
WHAT PART OF DEBT
SHOULD sTAHRIoH
~. virginia BEAR?
kNoTTY LEGAL PROBLEM PUT
UP TO THE SUPREME
COURT,
AMOUNT THIRTY.THREE MILLION
Old Dominion state Wants Younger
Neiqhbor to Pay Her share--Argu-
ment Opened In Eloquent Speech
by Holmes Conrad, OF Virginia.

by Holmes Conrad, OF Virginia.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 21.-The stag
gering arithmatecai problem, compli.
Gated by question of international law
of how much of the $33,0O0,O0O debt
of the old State of Virginia, West
Virginia should bear, was laid today
before the Supreme Court Of the Unit
ed States for Its solution.
Recognizing the intricacy Of the
problem and the Importance OF the
outcome. the Court consented to de-
vote practically all of its time until
next Thursday to hearing Of argu-
ments in the case. This is more time
than has been given to any ether
case argued before the Supreme Court
of the United States in many years.
The debt of Virginia at the time
that West Virginia was organized Is
recognized as about $33,000,000 Many
more millions has been added to that
sum as interest. The commonwealth
of Virginia seeks to have West Vir-
ginia bear about one-third of the debt
West Virginia denies her liability for
one cent To settle the controversy,
it may be necessary for the Supreme
Court to review the expenditures and
receipts of the State of Virginia since
1925, and figure out from that exam
ination the liabilities. ge,
The bitterness of the contest which
has been manifest for years was re-
flected today by the earnestness Of
Holmes Conrad, of Virginia, in Cpen-
ing the argument. He was the
spokesman for holders Of $15,000,00
worth of certificates representing a
part OF the debt. In the present liti-
cation the certificate holders are urg-
ing that West Virginia be required
to pay the debt represented by the
certificates.
Mr.. Conrad only had time to lay
before the court a part of the founda-
ton for the contest He took the
court back to the days Of 1925 when
Virginia inaugurated system of con-
structing roads, canals and railways,
from the Atlantic to the
Ohio river. That, he said, was the
time OF the origin Of the public debt
of Virginia as it existed in 1861.
He told of virginia's struggles to
bear the debt, to induce West Virgin.
la to bear its share, and finally to find
relief from the burden by issuing new
bonds for two-thirds of the debt and
giving certificates to the old bond.
holders for the other third. This was
done with the understanding, Mr.. Con-
rad said, that the State of Virginia
would be liable for the other third
If West Virginia did not pay 1t. He
acknowledged that virginia's liability
for the other third was disputed land
also Virginia's right to sue West vir-
ginia for the third. He claimed that
Virginia had a right to sue as
trustee"
Just before court adjourned he said
two plans would be advocated for the
settlement of the account. One he
as the international law
PLAN" and the other the Wheeling
ordinance plan" He approved the
former.
The commonwealth Of Virginia in
1905 began an action In the Spreme
Court to have an accounting with
West Virginia to determine the lat
ter's equitable share of the indebt-
edness of the old commonwealth
prior to the civil war and just before
West Virginia was organized as a sep
arate State Virginia claimed that the
amounted to more than
b33,OOO,0
West Virginia objected to the suit,
but the Supreme Court sustained the
of Virginia on this point
and finally appointed special master
'ormer Representative Charles E. Lit
.lefeld, of Maine, to take the testi-
nony, evidently with view to settle
nent. Mr.. Littledeld reported, but
both sides took exception to his re-
port. Today the case was set for ar
yument Of these exceptions.