Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1911-03-24
ias Virginia Debt

- '"S'' @iN Suth oh Inc supreme
court dee.@.cn in Tie Virginia debt
case. The old debt question has been
before the people SO long; so many
legislatures, political conventions.
'tatesmen and newspapers have de-
Jared that we owe none Of the old
tate debt that il came to be looked
lpon almost as a myth like the sea
serpent or the pot of morey at the end
u the rainbow. They had grown into
state oi mind liBe The jersey farmer
Fho visited The circus, and after view
ng be .ercnedsry for an Lour or so
turned away IN di'gujsi, exclaiminc,
HI, there is no such animal.v
To his class of West Vlrgiuians, and
i le1gesone, the supreme court de.
:ision came like the tra6 itional elan of
thunder from the clear sky, But there
IRE others both in and out Of the ate
who have kept in close touch with the
debt question and who have studied
every move and every proposition sug.
costing settlement a. well as those
who were back of these moves arr
propositions either in the open or be.
bind the scenes. These people are
patriotic citizens; loyal West Virgin
iaus who spent their time and money
in keeping next TO every phase of the
question ir order to protect the inter
ests of the state and to block any move
to saddle an eXorbitant and unjust bur
den upon the people of the state.
The class of people who were lulled
into sweet repose by the :onsoling con-
clusion that the state would never be
called upon to pay any Of the old state
debt, and the class that, alert and
watchful, feared that at some time
some move-dangeroas and destructive
to West Nirginla's interests would be
made, did not include all the citizens
of the state. There has always been,
and is today, another class of citizens,
and we may very truthfully add, a
very respectable class of citizens, who
were and are interested in the debt
question, but iii a very different man.
ner. This last class includes those
enterprising and thrifty cItlz Us. states
men, lawyers, newspapers men and
others who are financially interested
in saddling upon their own state, be it
said to their shame, a large obligation
to Virginia, or more correctly speaking
to the holders of the so-called West
Virginia certificates. The larger this
class can make that obligation the
better it will suit their purpose, fer the
larger the debt lUaGed upon West Vir
giniathe larger will be the remuneration
of this class ofou enterprising citizens.
We have given some slight clue to
the identity Of these people when we
say "lawyers, statesmen, news paper
men,' and OF course we mean the term
statesmen to include politicians, for
all politicians imagine themselves
statesmen. The agitation for the pay
ment Of the West Virginia certificates
has been going on ever since they were
issued, nearly fifty years ago, and
passed into the hands of Wall street
SPECTATORS. The spectators at once
began to form connections inside the
state and to lay lines 10 force, or bring
about in some way, the payment of
these certificates. These connections
and the location of the lines laid nave
been kept religiousiy secret so far as
possible. But "the devil will ont"
Citizens Of West Virginia are largely
interested in West Virginia certificates
we mean financially interested. If
a list of those interested could be pub
lishe1 it would stir the people of the
state as they have never been stirred
before. Men prominent in the state
who are at pres ent bowling against
the supreme court decision and against
the payment of the debt, have West
Virginia certificates on their person or
in their strong boxes or money paid
them by the certificates holders in
heir pockets.
AT the psychological moment they
will pioUsly, sauctimoniously aud
ALPHABETICALLY swing around and plead
for the payment of the so-Called debt
in order to prot ct the good name, the
honor and integrity of "our dear little
Mountain State The campaign to
foist upon West Virginia this unjust
and outrageous burden has been plau-
ned by mester minds. No other great
Wall street coup was ever more ably
or skllfully planned than was this
| Every move has been made only after
the~most thorough preparation by men
emil enent in whatever line of Work
was required.
There is good ground for the sus-
| picion that attor Ieys chosen to defend
| the case oa behalf of West Virginia
| .,,a,e eoIcntad II poJ abgntutaiV dictat.