The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1911-03-16
A Malicious SANDER.

A malicious SANDER" is the term
used by the Wheeling Intelligencer
in discussing the following by the
Exponent and as is seen the
Wheeling newspaper used even
stronger terms in its references to
the Exponent:
THE decision of the supreme
court o. the United States to the eff
feet hat West Virginia owes some
thing more than seven million dol
lars of the old Virginia debt, abso-
luteiy sounds the death knell Of the
Republican machine in West vlr-
ginia.
The fact that the case got 70 the
United States supreme court is due.
in the estimation of thousands of
West Virginians, to the manipula-
tlons of certain Republican poll
ticians In West Virginia. aided by
the Vaccinations OF certain Demo-
cratic politicians in the state of
Virginia"
The lnteliigencer's caustic COM
ment is as follows:
AS a sample of unadulterated
lying and demagogery, the above
would be hard to surpass. The
ClarksIburg Exponent knows that
it can not name a single Republican
politician in West Virginia, who has
had any direct connection with the
Virginia debt case, other than as
counsel or as Interested spectators.
1t knows that it cannot produce
particle cf evidence to show that
this case got into the United States
supreme court through the 'manlp-
ulatioas OF certain Republican poll
ticians, Ii knows also that the
large majority CT people in West
Virginia have never for moment
entertained any suspicion of that
kind. Insofar as any West Vir-
ginian las eYer attempted to secure
recognition q, the Virginia debt
claim, efforts along that line have
been limited exclusively to Demo-
Gratis, notably such mena as James NJ.
Mason, Of Charles Town, and to
certain attorneys in the city OF
Charleston.
THE facts are. however, that the
Virginia debt case has been resisted
by both parties in West Virginia.
Recent Republican legislatures have
taken exactly the same position in
regard to the matter that the Demo-
cratic legislatures took for nearly
twenty years. one of the first acts
of legislatures many years ago was
to pass resolution to the effect
that West Virginia did not recognize
any OF the so-called Virginia debt
certificates, and declined to pay one
cent of them. For session after ses-
sion that stereotyped resolution was
adopted, and the records of the ses-
sions between 1850 and 1896 will
show that to be the case Later leg
islatures took the same attitude.
At no time In the last forty years
has any public man in this state
seriously proposed a recognition of
the old Virginia debt certificates,
and as that was the only proposition
advanced by the state of Virginia,
negotiations on the debt question
We're impossible. Whether or not
that fixed policy OF this STATE was a
mistake remains TO be seen. Ger
tainly the effort to make political
capital out of it at this time is in
sincere and unworthy of any honest
or reputable newspaper. Whatever
the result of the Virginia debt case
1t has been fought consistently and
earnestly by the the state of West
Virginia. Its interests have been
well represented and there is no
Bust reason TO criticse the able law
years that directed this case. As to
The ugly and contemplate insinua-
tion thai some West virginias have
sought TO profit by proceeding
against their own state. the Intelli-
gencer does not believe that there
will be any credence given it by any
one, unless some substantial and
convincing facts are presented in
support &c IT