Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1845-06-12

had arrived when they would have q mar
ket opened for the products of their fertile
lands; that their inexhaussible bodies Of
mineral Coal, now useless and unproduc.
tive, would be placed in requisiiion; that
a new impulse would be given to i:.dus-
Try; that capital would flow into their
country; that their population would be
increased-and that their country, now
comparatively wilderness, would soon
fulfil the high destiny that nature design.
ed for it. They felt that they had per-
formed their duty as loyal citizens to the
Commonwealth; they had freely borne
their share Of the public burdens; they
had contributed, by the agency Of their
representatives in the Legislature, to the
construction ofeyery pubic work design.
ed for the Improvement of other portions
Of tho State, and they never apprehended
for moment iba, the Legislature would
reject measure fraught with such impor-
tant benefits to them, and which would
consequently add greatly 10 the financial
and political power Of the State, by the
increase other wealth and numbers, ard
that too without its costing the State SIN
gle cent, and without the sacrifice Of any
principles of public policy, or doing iujus-
tlce to any other portion of the citizens.
But the reasonable expectations OF the
memoralists were sadly disappointed by
the action OF the Legislature during its
last session; their application was not on.
ly rejected, but it was rejected under cir.
cumstances that have left painful m.
preston 10 the bosoms of the memorial.
lists. They saw that fundamental maxim
of freedom, that government should be es.
tablIshed for the mutual benefit of all the
citizens, overlooked or disgiaced, and for
the first time they learned that portion
OF the people might be interdicted by their
government from the right Of improving
their condition and country by their own
means. This astounding result has i'm
PEELED the citizens, whose rights have
been thus disregarded, if not trampled up
on, to assemble in Convention to delber-
ate upon the course that becomes them TO
adopt in relation to their rights
And whereas, this convention now as
sembled have endeavored to ascertain up
on what principle of public policy, or OF
justice, or of right, their application was
rejected, by the last Legislature under
the belief that it will be in their power, to
show by resort to reason and facts, that
great injustice has been done to them, and
with the hope that their wrongs will be
repaired by the ensuing Legislature:
And whereas, il is true that the Legis-
lature of last winter by its law, au,hori-
zed the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road
Company to extend the road through the
territory Of Virginia to the City Of Vince.
ling, but without penetrating into the in.
terror, so as to extend The benefit of the
| Improvement to the greatest number oil
the citizens of the State, but restricting il
to the outskirts or border of the State, an
act of leglslaton unasked for by the Com.
pany and at the time opposed as well by
the Company as by the representatives OF
the memoralists:-
And Whereas, this Convention has
learned with surprise, that one Of the
strong arguments relied upon IN the Leg
islature and by some Of the members oil
that honorable body, was TO the effsc;
that the application tor the right Of way
by the Company, ought not to be enter.
tanned, because the applicants were for.
eign corporation, and as such ought to
have no privileges extended to 1t within
the territorial limits Of the State, this Con
venlion suppose that such an argument
could not have been urged with sincerity
or effect, before such an enlightened body
as the Legislature OF Virginia. They sup.
pose so because that Legislature did in
fact gran, permission 10 the Company, to
pass through its territory to the CITY oil
Wheeling, and because also, that the
Company derived its corporate authority
from the the concurring and joint legsa-
ton of the States Of Virginia and Mary
land, and even if,he Company derived its
corporate existence from Maryland alone,
yet it was III the power OF the Legislature
Of Virginia to have made it Virginia
corporation, amenable to and under the
control of, the laws of Virginia. This
Convention, therefore, perceives nothing
in the supposed objection arising from the
applicants for the right Of way being a
foreign corporation. The Convention is
therefore, compelled 10 look for other, and
domestic or local causes, as the grounds
upon which the action of the Legislature
reSied:-
And whereas, other lines for trade and
travel have been opened in other parts Of
the State, and to extend the Baltimore
and Ohio Rail Road 10 point on the
Ohio River as low down as the Little
Kanawha River, it was supposed, would
abrIdge the trade and travel upon those
other lines-should such be the fact. this
Convention does not and can never admit
TINT any line of Improvement, that has
been opened or which may be contem-
plated, is entitled to exclusive privileges
to the injury of other and distant portions
Of the State, and especially they ask, shall
it become a principle of Legislative or
State policy that the Northwestern por-
ton of the State shall be denied the right
of opening an outlet 10 their only market
by Their own means, because it may pos
sibly abridge the trade or travel on some
other line OF Improvement within the
-