Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-03-27
The city OF wheeling and the Panhandle
Railroad.

Railroad.
To the Editor Of the Richmond South:
An editorial in the Enquirer of Tuesday
morning, commenting upon communication IN
that paper on the subject of the Panhandle
Railroad scheme, is certainly deserving of Sc
rious consideration on the part of not only the
citizens of Wheeling, but all Northwestern Nir-
ginia. If the unmistakabIc inference to be
drawn from the Enquirer's article should be
adopted as the policy governing the actions
the Legislature, then not only we of Wheeling,
and the Northwest, but all honorable citizens
throughout the State, must pronounce 1t a most
iIliberal and unjust policy
In discussing this question, the Inquirer
seems 10 ignore entirely the interests of the city
of Wheeling, as explained and advocated by her
Notwithstanding rather to place the mat
ter in different shape by throwing Wheeling
entirely aside until Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
are accommodated with five (?) miles of railroa'
through the Old Dominion, and bridge acroe
the Ohio river After this, the magnanimity
the Enquirer would give us-what? Why
Just what we can get-which is nothing. | a
sert what know to be true, when ! say thu
the very hour which chronicles the passage
the Panhandle scheme, (Which, by the way,
destined to continued deieat) will also recor
the irredeemabie death of both the Charter
road and the Greensburg connection OF th
Hempfield.
cities OF Pittsburg and Philadelphia have ne
even a remote idea of attempting a cOnectio
with Wheeling, provided they can secure ;
charter for the proposed bridge at Steubenyill,
with the right of way through theState. WOult
PittSburg complete the CHARTERS Road, requiI
ing not less than 81 100000, for the purpose
shortening her route to the South and West 81
miles, when that expenditure would be rathe
contributing to the interests of Wheeling thai
herself, and after having, by an open vote
her citizens, boldly repudated all her railTOa'
debts? Necer Would Philadelphia and th'
Pennsylvania Railroad Company incur an eX
pense of 100000 in completing the Hemp
field Road to Greensburg in order to shorter
their route TO the West, and so little as to be Q
no practical benefit to them? Certainly not
Then, how is our investment in the Hemptield
Road to be made available: BY granting the
Steubenville and Indiana Road a charter condi
tionally, and forcing the completion of the
Hemptield to Greensburg, or the CHARTERS Val
ley Road to Washington! No, gentlemen; after
you have taken from us our natural advantages
and deSpOiled our enterprising men; dividing
the best interests of your only manufacturing
city in the West between the cities of Steuben
vile and PittsbuTg, thereby enriching those two
points at the expense of millions to Wheeling
after all this has been done, we can gain nothing
by Northern connection.
The Enquirer has been, and no doubt limo
Gently, led into gross error in stating that eli
thcr the CHARTERS Valley or Hempfield roads are
now in course of construction. On the contra
ry, there is no prospect of n resumption of work
on either of them, so long as there remains thC
faintest hope or ghost of chance that the Pan
handle scheme can be carried out
But the strangest part of the EnQUirer'S ar
gument is that the granting of this right Of way
Joi8 nOtufcct the interests 81 Eastern EiTgiRid
forsooth, it matters not for Wheeling whether
her interests suffer or notl But can you strike
down even as small city as she, and not aifec
the interests of the State? l think not
Which of our cities has done more towards
building up and enriching the State than Wheel
ing? Which, among them all, has asked for OF
received less assistance through the Treasury
than she Not one. On the contrary, the cit
liens of Wheeling, instead of crying Give
give" have nobly put theiR own shoulders tC
the wheel, and the result is now, that after .
long series of years of the Severest competition
with the manufacturers of the great iron city Of
the West, Pittsburgh, she is beginning to rise and
take her stand as a lcadng manufacturing city
ranking second, only, in the whole Union, in the
iron business-irst in the quality of nails, being
acknowledged the best made in either America
or Europe of which we produce over one thou
sand kegs per day. In the article of fine flint
glass ware, Wheeling stands without rival on
this side of the Atlantic.
Having thus grown up unprotected, unaSsiSt-
Ell anu lSOiaIeui aS II were, oellS cut OH Og
natural barrier from easy intercourse with the
stronger portion of the State; surrounded, al
most, by those whose prejudices and feelings
are ever against us and the instutions>ST our
State how car we but feel that the LegiSla-
ture of our own State, to which we have right
to look for protection, is treating us with unjus-
tifiable indifference when it would rob us of our
advantages with which to enrich the cities OF
Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pttsburg and other
points altogether foreign to our State interests
Has Wheeling ever proved dislOyal to the
State? No. The interests of the whole State
are her interests, and she has right to feel that
hers should likewise become the interests Of the
State, and receive that fostering care which the
State alone can afford. a
RESUMPTION OF SPECIE PAYMENTS BY vaGrNIA
BANKs.-AmOng the Legislative proceedings