The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-31
Voice Of the People

Neunitc virginia and West yirEinIa.
10 the Editor of Tho Times Dispatch:
Sir'-Now that tho Legislature is
ABOUT TO convene / wish to call to
pubic attention an important matter,
the opportunity to carry out which
"iti mover occur again. 1t is known
mt the supreme Court OF the United
otutes mas decided that West Virginia
yves virginia over S7.0O0.UOO, and
mat Wheh the interest Is computed on
mat amount for the more than fifty
years which have elapsed since the
DIVISION OF the State that IL will
,r ,uhe the amount several times seven
ullllions Now let the Legislature of
virginia AT It's coming session prepare
strong appeal TO West Virginia 10
ieunite with Virginia and make out OF
o ose Swo ono OF the greatest and grand
g SS otates In the Union. Let Inem Tell
west virginia In the appeal that winch
rs true: tnnt wnIlc West Virginia rs
d Iule state, and one OF when It's peo-
I've can be proud, 1t can never DO a
SIeat state. being but llttio more than
nalt the size Oh Virginia, and the
smallest State in the Union except
the advantage over West Virginia in
mat they are maritime States, whilst
est virginia is purely inland But IL
Inc. vno t"o virsinias are reunited they
would FORM u State which would be
larger in territory than most OF tho
States In the Union. and considerabIv
M sairser Inan any other cast of the
the two States combined had by the
last census more than 3,l25,uUQ people,
d h Judging from their increase should
numDer exceeded by but few ctnors
ana placing 1t among the larger Amer.
lean States
" Then, again, in the line of minerals
West Virginia already exceeds every
olnGr state except Pennsylvania In
coal and has vast deal OF other
mineral wealth; and Virginia is also
dlterent kinds than any other State
Putting the two together. there would
DC State which would be In the
very. front rank IN that respect In
tthing would also take piace. for West
virginia has great deal OF line land
IN her kanawha Valley. her Ohio River
bottoms and IN other parts of the
State. Virginia has in her beautiful
Shenandoah and other rich valleys,
h ht splendid Piedmont section. her
an immense deal OF fine farming land
In fact there is not ono of her hun
drcd counties which does not contain
some good land And as TO naviEable
the Chesapeake Bay and Hampton
Roads, which is the finest harbor on
the Atlantic coast; the Potomac. the
Rappahannock. the York. the James
and others in Virginia; the kanawha
and the Ohio In West Virginia, the re-
united states would easily stand ahead
continent. All OF these facts, together
with others. which would go 10 snow
what great and grand State the two
pirginias together would make. should
be put In the appeal. And there are
some other things which might be
put in. Thus. West Virginians could
still call themselves West Virginians,
II they wished to, as they would live
in the Western part OF Virginia. And
as II SO happens that In Virginia
Governor cannot succeed himself. 81
ment might be made to the Virginia
Constitution that the Governor of the
reunited States should be taken one
term from what is now Virginia and
the next term from what IL now West
Virginia. and that the Lieutenant.
Governor should always come from the
opposite section to the Governor And
even with regard 10 the two United
States Senators, the State OF Maryland
once had it in It's State Constitution.
and II may be there now for aught
from the Eastern Shore and the other
from the Western Shore Of that State
Virginia might arrange 1t the same
way with West Virginia, that one OF
them should always come from what
is now Virginia and the other from
what is now West Virginia. AS for
the Congressman. there would in any
event BIO districts In each section &C
cording TO it's population just as Is the
case now
Let the Legislature then take this
matter up III it's Forthcoming session
and see what can be done. 1t may
be that nothing can be done, but even
Ii that should turn out to be the case,
no harm Will result. and ii IL should
be the means of causing the two
States 10 rcunitc 1t would be the
grandest thing that any Lcsislat ure
has done for years, or VIII probably
ever again have chance to do.
l.. w. w.