Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-03-11
Orr THE PIKE, 9Th March, 1858.

~ 4hI
Mr.. EDITOR: Your Washington town
ship corres pondens, after setting forth TIT
multiplicity of advantages possessed b!
Bella:re over all other parts Of the county
| its prospects for becoming the head OF mar
ket. and his earnest eutresties to the PEG
pie of the county to assist her while in he
infancy; and bouncing upon St. Clairsvill'
because she, with a spindthrlft willingness
will not donate her vitality towards the
augmentation If the embryo city, conclude:
his epistle to you by saying that he is IN
| biased, and unaffected by local interest,"
Certainly he does not presume the people
SO blind as not to see the drift of his eff.
forts, and SO generous as TO forgive his mis-
statements. Fortunately for the county
(but unfortunately for Bellaire) he is not
allowed to look after her interests.
The people of St. Clairsyille have never
declared a preference &c either the Nor
thern or Southern section of the county,
and assuredly they manifest a more general
favor for the people than he OF they who
would devote il to the building up of a par
ticuIar section. What has the county
seat to do with the advancement of a mar
ketl Do our citizens GO 10 court to ex
change bantams or barter beeves! Or
would the rearing of county buildings ad-
vance the price of wheatl To the extent
Of a market we cannot see that Bellaire
would be benefited by a removal. If she
has The facilities of becoming a city, and a
popular mart of commerce, she will as read
lily and as sdvantsgeously employ them
without as with the county seat; and why
no, retain she credit OF nsaiSt@C lairsyiile
when It Gan lie don't at SO little cost. ::
But this is not all. If the Fealth of that
rural village was the only consideration for
retaining it, We would not SO strenuously
oppose a removal. But, sir, as | have aid
befure, we of the North-West have an n
terest equally as deserving of regard as has
the East. The gentleman speaks of avoid
ing the incumbrance of a horse, &c, by To-
eating it on the Rail Road. Let US 10 k a
moment. Klrkwood township not unfrr-
quently has business at court, as has Flush
ing also. Suppose court to be held in Bell
aire, the citizens of these townships must
either ride or drive the whole distance of
thirty miies. or drive to Barnesville or Be-
mont, and there take the cars. unavoidably
mourning an extra expense. The same will
occur with the Southern townships. But
this is not all 1t will be readily observed
the markets-and this il seems ID all the
gentleman clsims--bnt they do enhance the
value OF lands lying in the interior of the
codnty, and we will To our utmost war
against any unnecessary depreciation in
their value. We will not object 10 build
ing a city by means OF our commercial
wealth, in Belmont county. To the con-
trary, we will encourage such a project, but
we cennot conceive that a removal of the
county seat will in anywise effect this end.
That it is premature and untimeiy the gen.
tleman, upon consideration, will certainly
not deny. He must employ some more
convincing argument than that set forth in
your last No. to convince Us to the con-
trary. 1t is d%ifficult to overthrow facts by
bare assertions, and, in the face of truth,
such argument should not be used. The
dear people of the county for whom the
gentlemaH'S wise quotation was intended
will also remember, $50 Orpheus fiddlet
and so danced the brutes'-onty.
Yours, &C., B-PH.