Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-06-15
VIRGINIA is
SUSTAINED.

The Supreme Court Of the Unite:
States yesterday sustained the con
tention of Virginia that West Vlr
ginia should pay her just proportion
of the debt of the mother common
wealth, which the offspring has bee,
contesting during the past half cen
tury. According to the opinion hand
ed down, West Virginia must pay
S12,393,929. so. The court was un-
animous in this opinion, and this wall
be an end to all further controversy
AS the courts mandate must be o.
eyed, West Virginia faces serious
problem in raising this amount IN
an unfortunate period Of her tlnan-
cial history.
The interest is nearly double the
amount of the original debt. The
court directed the interest to be count
ed at the rate of four per cent. on the
nrincipal from January /, 1861, to
July /, 1891, amounting to So'l47'-
O59.1S, and at the rate of three pei
cent, from July l, 1891, to July y
1915, amounting to $3,OS5,2o4.O4. by
order of the court interest Will run
after July / at the rate Of five per
cent per annum.
The history of this new contro-
versy is well known. When West Hlr-
o;nia separated from Virginia at the
outbreak of the civil war, each state
assumed an equitable proportion
Of the debt Of Virginia. The west
Virginia Constitution provided FOR the
eventual payment of West Virginia d"
norton of the debt, but no practical
stems were ever taken. When VIZ
,rinia readjusted her debt about Il
quarter of century ago, she gave
70 her bond-holders for the proper
4;o, of the bond Of the debt when
West Virginia had assumed, cer'iI'-
Gates and she pledged her honor 10
use good office to bring about SET,
Element of the Gebs. Negotiations
were undertaken between the TWO
states from tim TO time, nut noun
mo definite ever resulted.
Efforts to adjust this matter WIN
West Virginia were. begun IN 'n'
Virginia Legislature in 1867 Se'e-
RAJ months before the mother state
was readmittcd into the unlon' Nep-
ro.ort,t;ves of the old and new stale
have met at times, but nothing de-
finite to agree into anything 1ang'-
bIc Litigation followed, and tne
c,so r,,n it's course from court u
court in which Virginia's contenVlo"
generally been upheld until 1t hna'!!
coached the tribunal Of last resort
The Supreme Court rendered an oPin,
10, some time ago upholding the o'o
commonwealth. but left the mattel
IF interest to be settled by the TWO
contestants. Every attempt to 90 80
,ocomnlished this purpose, howeVeS'
,,,orod e, miscarriage, until the dis
,,,,+o over interest had to be declo-
81 hy The Supreme Court. This III
h,,nal has now ended this matter eE
,nportioning to West Virginia he'
sbarc of the obligations.
Truth is again stranger than hct'oh'
Dickens in his preface TO hIeaN
House shows that certain cases drag
ged their slow length along IN the
cbancery courts of England tor nat
8 century, and that estates were eat%''
nm IN costs before having been ''h"'S
decided as was the case IN JafnoSc
a,d J,rndvce. It looked a re" year.
aao as if the end of the age "ou''
.e,oe with the case of Virginia W
wcst Virginia still on the DOCKET
Rut all things come to him VINO "'''':
and Virginia has at last been 1us''
fed in her dispute with her offspring