Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-02-25
Mass Meeting.
Hemov al Of the County Seat.

The Citizens of Belmont County met in
Mass Meeting in Fancy Hall, 81. Clairsville
Feb. is, 1858. to lake into consideration the
subject of removing the County Seat from
its present location. The Hall was filed to
o~ve'fowing, so that it was with great diff
Guilty your Reporte: secured u seat COM
handing a good view of the living, Mass.
The meeting was organized by ySting the
Hon. DELL AsPrRASr into the Chair, who
took his seat enid very great applause. He
in a very handsome manner thanked the audi.
ence for the honor conferred upon him. and
said that It was an indication Of their co. d
sense aud discriminating judgment.
Mr.. C~oNFORMITY, protested against this
speedy method OF e~lecting a chairman. Ii
was Contrary to the practice Of our modem
Legislative bodies. He believed there should
have been at least three candidates and one
hundred bal!otings, before a Chairman was
chosen. He highly esteemed the right of
voting, and thought it should be INDUCED in
TO The fullest extent.
Tie C~EAIRmAN, said it was nov too late
TO mend the matter. He was firmly fixed in
his seat ard couid not be moved. But rem
tlemen might proceed with the legitimate
objects of the meeting and remove the coun-
ty out OF lis scat, or the sea: out of the
county, he did not care which.
Mr.. RADICAL, said lie could not see what
the county wanted with a seat. He thought
we woult be better eff without it, (cheers.A
He believed it to be All Institution to raise
our axes. "
Mr.. RIcHLAND, was sorry to hear opinions
expressed ngains: our county seat. He re-
minded gentlemen, that were we without
one lawyers would have no place where
they could pitch into each other, and please
their clients without molestatiun. we would
have them running loose through the county
TO the detriment OF peace loving citizens;
our ofice-holders would have no place to
~fa;len; and our loafng community could no
more serve as jury men, and would thus lose
their lees.
Mr.. FcGT, was for letting well enough
aloae. Thc county had a good seat, and it
was time enough 10 move it when it got too
Old t, !lnswer the purpose. lie strongly op-
posed the appropriation OF s i5O, 900 Tor Il
change that would DO 10 good.
Mr.. SHACKLEs, said he was a national.
Dimmy crat, AID as 4 natural consequence
he opposed ever thing northern CHEERS &
conlusioD) He said ST. CiairssiIle was en-
tirely Ico far north to suit him. He de-
manded that we have our county seat Ike
the capitol Of our glorious Republic farther
south, and close to the eastern shore.
(Cheers.)
MIR. SQUArIER, said he was a Doug as
Democrat. He advocated popular sovereign
ty, and thought that all the villages in The
county had equil rights. and that they
should al hive the county seat. (enthusias-
tic applause He suggested the propriety
Of building it on wheels and taking it round
from town to town, (cheers) In this
way we could avoid sectional strife and
favor all sid, 5.
Dir. kNow-NoTnINC, (said to be an attache
of the St. ClarsyiIle Republican Thought
tudl ISbfiC II uhlihS II h"ut NNo
none of their business. He maintained that
none but native born citizens of St. Clair,-
vile, or they VINO have lived 81 years should
be permitted TO vote upon this subject, for
TIE county seat belonged 10 S.. Clairsville,
and that other towns should attend to their
own business and let us alone.
Mr.. PoULTNEyi presented the superior
claims OF Bellai,e, stating that there was
more spare land there for a county seat, thgn
in any other spot in the county. Much very
valuable land was uncultivated and unoccu-
pied within the suburbs. What was but a
few years ago inclosed in 'ertlle fields is
now wing out in the commons. He hoped
the liberal minded people of this county
would stop the decay Of this place ana occn-
py a portion of the waste ground with a
county seat.
Mr.. BENEvoLENcE, spoke OF the wealth
and public spirit OF Bellaire. He declared
that they had no selfish motive whatever in
irving to secure the county seat. 1t was
solely u pure and philanthropbic desire to
benefit other and more remote'parts of the