Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-01-14

TO THE
PEOPLE

1LUI LIZ UT DELMON1 NUCAlIs
Shall the county seat OF Belmont county
be removed! Petitions asking the Legs
lature 10 pass an act for its removal. TO be
submitted 10 vote Of the people, for their
approval, are being circulated fer sigma
lures. The undersigned have been az
pointed a Committee to submit seRe views
upon this question We DO not think that
the public interest demands a removal, to
any place, at auy time This seems to US
IS peculiarly an unfavorable time for it.
Some are asking for a removal to Bellaire,
scn.e 10 Bsrnesville, some to Belmont
Other places have been named, but no Pc
tilions are in circulation for any others.
Whist good reason can be given in favor
OF this measured In selecting a site for q
county seat, which involves no pecuniary
sacrifice, We should look TO the territorial
centre, the centre OF population, the facili-
ties of approach from all parts of the
county, the healthfulness of the location,
and the accommodations of the place for
persons in attendance on court.
Our present county seat is not in the
cent of the territory Of the county. It is
nearer the centre of population. 1t has the
adv vantage of the National Road, and COM
nun roads, centering into it, from all parts
OF the county. 1t has plenty Of good. and
commod;ous hotels. ard pleasant streets, d,
oil seasons. and there is no healthier place
in our healthy coun'y. No place has been
less subject 10 epidemic, anG Presidential
4 diseases.
Tie places to which it is proposed to re-
move it ere upon the Rsilroad. This has
It's advi ntSges, but to a large portion OF
the people. to those having the means oil
travel Of their own. and who do not live
convenient TO a Railroad station. it is Of
little adva ntage, where The distance is no,
very considerable.
AT this time, especially, we do think this
s%uhiec: ought not to be pressed. Tie tax
payers are quite sufficiently burtheIed at
present. Within q few years we ha, been
by one means and another, subject to = rate
o: taxation. truly heavy. The recently dis.
covered defalcvtion of a late State Treas.
urer, to the amount of near $500 600, will
make a considerable addition TO cur State
levy necessary. In our county, unexpect.
ly TO many, We have the interest on OIL
Railroad debt to meet, annually, and in a
short tim the principal must be provided
for. The willing. and generally prompt
payment of their taxes by cur people, is
highly gratifying, but any large additions
MT absolutely necessary, must create gre a
dissatisfaction. 1t is not the part of wis,
dom, while these debts are standing agains'
us, to creaie, unnecessarily, other large &c
mands upon the taxpayers of Belmont
county.
To reconcile the people to the expense.
OF removal, they are told that the expense
vii. be met, in part, by individuals. 1t i:
q small matter TO say this, but the people
OF Belmont county, in only about FIVE year,
after being teluded by misrepresentation.
INTO a debt o. SlOO. 900. with an annual in
terest OF $1,000. should net be very credu.
leus in matters OF this kind
If the county seat is removed; the tax.
payers will have to pay for the new public
buildings. We are told that t has beer
asserted that, if there is no removal, we
must soon have a new Court House. Tc
any one who has given any attention to our
Court House, and many of the people o.
the county doubtless have done this, such
an assertion will only excite surprise. The
man who will publicly make such an asser.
ten, IN real earnest, must, at least, be q
bold man Tn truth is that we have good,
commodious, substantial and durable publ,
buildings, sufficiedt to accommodate all the
business of the county. We have no reason
to anticipate any demand upon The Treas.
ury' on account of county buildings, excep,
Tor ordinary repairs. for a long series Of
years. Our Court House is a strong build
ing, it is large enough, comfortable and
CONVENIENT IN winter AMI summer, and if a
new one has to be erected, it would be wei
for the people TO huve it understood that
they are not to be taxed thousands of dol
lars for the purpose Of decorating a less
rcmmodious Court House than he old one
Wh'n We shall have had a few years NOT
experience with cur rail-, ads, and have pa d
a few yeHrs more of interest on our Rail
road debt, and tried the experiment of paw
ing of TIE principal, we shall be quite as
well qualified to determine whether it is ex.
pedient to subject the county to another
heavy debt to err ct new public buildings.
II al ally time it shall be seriously dete-.
mined to remove the county seat, and sub
Jecf the Taxpayers to the heavy expense
which must follow, it will become our duty,
with a view to the accommodation, to look
for a location near the centre of the county
Woule it not be absured to remove tie
county sect. to benefit and accommodate tie
people of a town, anu is immed ate vicinity
without reference to the interests, and &C.
commodation of those who must psy tie
expense! When we were asked to recon-
mend a removal to places so far from the
centre OF the county, as are Bellare and
Barnesville, we cannot fail to see that the
accommodation of the people Of The iRteri,
O. port ons of the C unity, is not the object.
Remove the county seat to Be.laire, and
there are thousands in the County, who, TO
compel the attendance Of witnesses from
their vicinity, must incur IN expense of
three to four dollars. The annual addition :
al charge upon the treasury for travel OF
Jurors and State witnesses would be very
considerable, TO say nothing of the ~increas-
ed expense to suitors in Court.
1t Is thought by some that under our new
Constitution, it can be submitted to the peo-
pie 10 determine whether the county seat
shall be removed to one of any number Of
We do not so understand it. The
Legislature may P SIS an act, perfec, in form.
and which, by its terms, without airy ~alrera-
lion. will operate to remove the County seat
when approved by a vote of the people
The act passed mus, specify one, and only
one place, as Bellaire or Barnesville, or
Belmont, or Lewis's Mill, or Warnocks, or
Glencoe. il cannot be so framed MS 10 give
to the voters chance to choose between
points.
The Legislature NAV pass the art and