Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1839-02-20
A PETITION,
The Memorial Of the undersigned citizens
and inhabitants Of the County 81 Berke-
Lam rnsneclfiIILli renre3enfS.


Tha, the County Of Berkeley, IN com
mon, with msny Of the other Counties on
he Northern and North Western frontier
ofihe State. is deeply interested 10 the con,
teniplated location Of the Baltimore ana
Ohio Rail Road through the Counties OF
Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan, and Hanp-
shire. The County OF Berkeley IS so SIT
uated that It's inhabitants cannot direciiy
| m rticipate in the benefits 10 arise Out oil
any other of the schemes for Internal I'M
oroyement, projected by the State or by
the enterprise OF their neigbbors, ana your
memorialists believe it TO be literally trne'
thai not dollar Of the funds set apart Tor
this purpos has ever been expended lor
any work within its borders.
Your memorialists complain not oil this.
They are aware that It IS the necessary
consequences Of their position on the map
of the State, and so far from feeling any
sentiment of Jealousy or AVERSION they
look with pride and with gratillcatlon up
on the Efforts elsewhere for the improve
ment Of the State, and do not grudge, IN
the slightest degree, any JudlcIous oppfoo'
prialions for that purpose, oil the puohc
funds To which they, IN common win theH
fellow-ctizens, have contributed. But
when providence has thrown IN their way
an Improvement, Of almost vital importance
10 them, they will have right to com
nlarn, ifany efforts, arIsngout oilocal, sci.
fish or narrow considerable shall be per-
nilted to arrest or impede It's progress
Your memoralists have learned from
the journals Of the Assembly, that the
Baltimore and Ohio Rad Road Company,
in consequence ofthe extreme difficulty
of passing their Road through or from the
town of Ilarpers Ferry, have applied to
the General Assembly for permission to
enter Virginia at some point above that
place. To the extreme surprise oil your
nemoralists, they observe that memo
rial was presented to your honorable body
on the 9TH of this month, against gran
ting additional privileges to that Compa-
n.y." including, your memoriaIlsts 90 not
doubt, not only the permission asked lor,
but every other fostering aid, however
due, from the honor, the justice, and the
liberaity Of the State, to its plghted faith
I and to the rights and interests OF your
menorialsts, and all the inhabitants, es.
pccialIy, Of the C"Iaties of Berkeley,
Morgan, and Hampshire.
| BY the original charter Of the Compa-
ny, no points tor the location of the Road
we're prescribed. The Company having
made their Road as far as TO tlarpers-
Ferry, or rather to the point on the River
opposite to that place, and being deslrous
to continue il through Virginia, to point
within six miles of Cumberland, in Mary.
land, the Act of April 2l, 1898, was
passed, authorizing a subscription by the
Board of Public Works, to the capital
stock Of the Company. In that Act the
Language is used " between Harpers-Fer-
ry ami Cumberland in the State OF Mary
! land"
our memoralists do not consider that
tins language is, or ought to be impera-
tive upon the Company to make their
/ Road either through or from Harpers-
! Ferry, They consider it merely descrp.
tive, in reference to the special purpose
of the act. While they have just regard
| for the interests Of the inhabitants ofthat
place Gf indeed these are involved IN
the matter, they do not consider that the
Company ought to be bound to do either
that which is impossible, or that which
can only be accomplished at enormous
expense altogether disproportioned to
the benefits which II might otherwise de-
sire to confer upon the inhabitants Of Hair
pers-Ferry. Such they believe to be the
case, arising out Of the localities at Har-
pers-Ferry. And, Interference to the in
terests Of other parts Of the State, your
memoriaIists consider that these are suffi-
ciently provided for by the terms of the
original charter, authorizing other Rail
Road Companies TO connect their Roads
with that OF the Baltimore and Ohio Com
pany.
While addressing themselves to your
honorable body upon this subject, your
memorialsts beg leave respectfully to
submit, thattw of the proyisos or cond-
tons of the subscription, authorized by
the net of April 81 1888, appear to them
TO be rigorous, and of doubtful propriety
or expedlency. They alude TO the pro.
vision that the subscription shall not be
paid, until six months after the Road shall
have been completed to Wheeling, and
the guarantee OF an interest o six per cent
upon the amount. Upon the face of the
law it appears that the subscription was
authorized, in some sort, at least, upon
the recognition Of the o.Efhs principle
| incorporated into our laws, upon the sub.
iect of Internal Improvement. The two
provisions advcrted to seem TO your me-
moralsts 10 be an unjust departure from
this principle. The time for the payment
Of the subscription ought at the utmost TO
be the period Of the completion of the
work, in reference to which the subscrip.
ton is to be made, ant thai completion is