Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-02-25

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statements to the voters Of Belmont county upon
the question of removing the county seat from
St. Clairsville to Bellaire-
On the 2sth of March, 1851, an address wa:
written by an individual not unknown TO the
people Of his c unity by the name Of John IL
Sullivan. This address was extensively eircu-
lated. placed in the hands Of nearly every votel
in Belmont. for the purpose Of convincing them
of the great advantage TO be derived by subscrl'
bling to the capital stock Of the Central ohia
Rail Road.
A few weeks since, an address, pIrporting Il
have been written by certain gentlemen, was pup
lisbea in the Democratic Era, of Bellaire; that
address looks very much as if it might have
been written by the same John H. Sullivan, and
only eadorssd by the gentlemen whose names are
thereto affixed. We design quoting to some ex-
tent from each of those addresses, for the pur-
pose of showing that this last production was
written BY Sulliran-that there was scarcely an
item of truth contained in the Rail Road SUD
s%cription ~efusion, and that the same sophistry
is again being practiced, for the purpose OF de-
ceiYing the people Of Belmont county.
Sullivan told you in his Rail Road address
that-"The cost of preparing the road icr the
rail will probably be about S45O,o0o. Depot
buildings say $4,000, and the rail and laying
SAY S25O,O90, or S750.000 in the aggregate
The rhos of this urge amount 'couH be iH'aaed'dte-
Py placed upon the tar lst Of the county, and be su'-
sect 10 ta1ation as other property"
Whilst advocating the interests OF the han
Road Companv, he saws that S750,00O would be
Immediately placed upon the tax list, the esl-
dent effect OF which would be TO decrease the
amount oftax paid by each individual, because
there wouid.be a larger amount of property upon
the tax duplicate, to pay a certain tax. Tins
all looks very reasonable: through this and oth-
er Representations the people Of Belmont county
arc induced to subscribe 100000 to the Road.
The RAD Roa9<sppertyis piased upon the tax
Duplicate, not TO sae amount Of SI5S,oe0, bat ac-
cording to the sworn statement OF MI. wing,
Secretary of the Board, the sum ut S5i2,93o-
What is the resniI. instead ofpaying taxes upon
that amount, aud thus lessenirg the tax OF the
people of the county, they do not pay a single
dollar Of taxes. There is now charged against
them upon the tx duplicate, and UNPAID, the
sum Of 81, 9i3, "a, delinquent taxes. me roaa
cannot be sold, and this valuable acquisition OF
Rail Road property does not put a single cent
into our Treasury, but the 500, 900 we snbscri-
bed Is not SO easily disposed of. That sum with
I per cent interest must be paid in the next four
years, making abolt $4,000. or S29,z99 per
wear. W do not get the benefit OF SULLIVAN ;
$3.50, 900, yet we will sensibly feel the oppression
Of the additional tax of Sll7 900.
Sullivan in his Bellaire address says:
Butt it is further understood that a branch
rail road between Morristown and the Central
sRoad. has been proposed, which A responsible
contractor offers to build for about 1000. This
expenditure the interests of Union, Flushing,
ami Kirkw6ol. wolid undou5te lily be justified
in making. and when the Branch shall be built
1t will constitute these three townships praeti-
sealIv Rail Road Wnships, separating them from
st. ClairsYiile, and placing them on the Bellaire
scale"
Sullivan having in his mind the success of his
stupepdous hoax upon the rail road subscription,
says that it is proposed to build a rall road from
Moctis;oxn 10 the c.. o. K. r. A responsible
bidaer agrees to build it for SO, 900; Union,
Flushing and KirkwoOd, would be justified IN
making the expenditure Could any man IN his
senses keea from seeing that Sullivan wrote both
Of those addresses. Flushed with the success OF
his former cunning, he now proposes to gently
soothe the feeling OF discomfort IN those town
ships. by another raj road, only costing $1,000,
and we suppose that also when built VIII 60 upon
the tax duplicate. Could anything be more
SWALLOW? Does he think the people OF those
Townships are children, To be thus lured by his
sophistry? Having So prom nently before them
The sos, 900 which they were induced TO sub
scribe by the snphistical reasoning Of this same
gentleman, we apPrelell that they cannot be
thus caught, in - rail- 4 net. To convince any
one thar sullivan wrote both Of those addresses,
il requires but the reading o! each. In addition,
whe the Independent Republican charged it
ul-on him, the Democrats Era, virtually admit
ted it. by not denying It. The Editor knows who
wrote the aIlress-yet he will not say that Sal
AN1h u4A AU@ way ~ 49, AN~B A-'AS 80" @O
f.ancicr IN the back ground! Are the people Of
pellaire afraid OF losing prestige even by his
name! Are they afraid that the people OF the
county will justly look with doubt and misgving
upon anything emanating from Sullivan? Do
they feel that the first thought in perusing 1t
| would bs-"beware of deception
Sullivan saws in his Rail Road address:
ave cannot think the estimate of % per cent
for the future profits of the Z. o. L. r. an ex-
'Lravagant sne."
Let Is se how near Mr.. Suliivaais prediction
.epproximatei u S<si. Instead OF yielding %
per ee4s profit, the storkiiself cannot he sold at
any price: it IS Lteyiiig wor h leSs- Yet atlLhe
| time Sullivan desired 10 procure the subscrip-
ton of$l00, 200 from the county he told you 1t
was not Uxtravagant To estimate the profits at %
per cent. Time has shown tie utter tallacy ofthe
assertion; It's Hakeducss is now apparent. But
the object that brought it into existence has been
attaiued; the SIGg. 900 has been su5scribed-lnd
instead Of being benefited by the % per cent
profit, the stock is Of no value whatever.
sullivan in his Bcliaire address denies that
additional charge for Jurors and State witness
es would be considerably greater if the county
seat was removed to Bellaire; but saysi If 1t IS
true, it would not be greater than the annual
expenditures upon the present Court House.
That st. Clairsyiile is nearer the centre OF the
county and the centre of population, than Bell
aire, is a proposition so self evident, that 1t only
| requires the simple statement to show Its truth,
and we are able to establish its truth, by undeni-
able figures at any time. Then take for instance,
the townships west and north OF st. ClalrSvllle;
the remaining townships will be found upon an
average, to be about the same distance from ST.
Clairsville that they are from Bellaire. Every
Juror and State witness is entitled TO mileage,
at the rate Of5 cents per mile Inc ullerehce
in the distance between those townships and
Be,laire and st. ClairSville would be just the DIS
lance from ST. Clairsville to Bellaire, which in
1. $500. Ill -..-, :. I Z nnflps Than 90. h
State witness and Juror would be entitled TO So
cehts more fees in going to Beliaire than ST.
Gainesville. Say that the number IN attendance
from those townships at each term oil the Court
would be lO0-there are three terms OF the Court
of Common Pleas a We tr, that would make 800
for the year; the SIS cents additional mileage to
each one woul Id amount in the aggregate TO the
sum of SI55 Der year: and not for one year only,
but for all time to come. This money comes out
of the County Treasury; the people have TO foot
the bill. But this is not all. The Sheriff Is en-
titled to extra mileage for serving these Jurors
and Witnesses. That is an additional lite n, and
comes from the same source. Parties litigant
have to pass through the same ordeal-they must
paw the same additional mileage, which will
amount to at least $3.50 per year, maklng-not
| including the Skcritf's extra mileage, not making
allowance for the District Court, or for special
| terms of the Court of the Court Of Common Pleas
the sum of $500, which Sullivan mOdestly asks
| the people OF ltlis Couuty toloy Nue sSni "ANoi
after wear, that Bellaire may reap the benefit
| therefrom-that his town lots may become more
valuable.
Sullivan saws that the annual expenditure upon
the present Court House, will equal this addi-
tional tax upon the people. But how does he
propose to remedy that evil? He proposes that
The people shall pay this extra mileage, and
shall also erect a Court House for the benefit OF
Bellaire, Notwithstanding the present already
oppressive taxation.
They tell YOU that the Court House and Public
Buildings will only cost some $l4, 900. l am in
f rined by a credible person that the Court
House IN Wheeling cost $4,000. We know that
our own Court House and Public Buildings cost
some S64, 600. Taking these facts into consider
| alton, aud at the same time with all due respect
10 the estimate of Mr.. Haines, We say that build
ing a Court House for SS,O0O, and the necessary
Public Buildings for So 900 is a ~palpable absur-
| ditv upon its face, and that Mr.. Haines is labor
in: under a most erroneous impression
Mr. Editor, l do not like to presume too far
unon YOUR PATIENCE, and as this commu-
| ~nication has already become more extended than