The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1865-12-08
The County-seat Question.
lCommunicated.1


EDITOR JOURNAL: hear it rumored that at the
coming session of the State Legislature, IN effort
will be made to have the county seat of Wood
County removed from Perrysburg to Bowling
Green. Whether this be done or whether the eff
fort, if made, be successful or not will depend
mainly upon the people of Wood County. The cit
liens of any division of civil government should al
ways be allowed to regulate their own internal af-
fairs as will best promote the interests of all con
cerned, subject always to the powers that be.
1t is not through desire to meddlc with your
arrangements that the following suggestions are
made; but through consciousness of the facts that
the interests of Wood and Lucas Counties are so
intimately blended that such change made in the
former ud materially affect the interest of the
citizens of the latter, and am frank to say hatl
think such a change would be great inconveni.
ence to the citizens of Toledo and of Lucas Coun'v
generally, and my remarks may therefore, in some
degree be based upon selfish motives The histo-
ry, developm ant and progress of the two counties
have been similar. They have each struggled
against the same obstacles that were found in
bad reputation for heatlfulness, almost uninhab-
table forests, soil that is unfavorable to drainage
and roads that were almost impossible But they
have each in measure overcome these obstacles,
and are now enjoying an envioble progress. Their
interests are closely united. Many of the citizens
of Lucas County, who are property holders in Wood
County, repeatedly have occasion to examine her
records and their interests are or less involved
in her courts.
The close proximity of the two county seats, as
now located, is mater of great convenience to the
citizens of both counties. The of getting to
and from Perrysburg-and therefore to the bust
ness of Wood County---are both ample and pleas
anti and it will be much to the interest of the cit
liens of Perrysburg to retain the county seat at
that place. Now, how will it be With the citizens
of Toledo and of Lucas County, if the proposed
change is made? What will bo the means and ia
cilites of access to the countyseat if located at
Bowling GreenH Let those who know what Black
Swamp mud is, answer. 1t will be located FIVE or
six miles from the nearest point the railroad, and
the only way of getting to it will he by wagon
road over road that is six months of the year al
most impossible; and this, together with the in
convenience that would occur in making connec-
tons with the trains the railroad, would make a
trip from Toledo to the county-seat of Wood Coun-
ty almost equal to the ancient pilgrimage to Mecca
Now, will not the people Of Wood County realize
this before it is too late 2 Should not the county
seat by all means be kept on the line of the rail
road? Will not the people of Wood County make
a careless mistake if they allow it to go down into
the woods
1t may be said this is all very well for the people
of Lucas County. But how is it with the citizens
of Wood County Is not the Northeastern part of
the county the most thickly settled and is not the
greater part of the business of the county there and
along the line Of the road?
The county-seat should at present be located to
suit the business of the county. Is it argued that
it should be removed to promote the development of
certain locality that most needs some central in
eres something to attract enterprise and settlers
/ remark that the seat of government, even in a
county, should be for the accommodation of the
people OF the county, and not as means in the
hands ofa few particular section to add to their
material growth aud prosperity at the cost of the
convenience of those at home and abroad. There
is large tract of land lying south of Bowling Green
that is either sparsey settled has no settlers up
it. Geographically speaking, Bowling Green is
nearer the center of the county, but in that sense
only. The people in the southeast part of the
county may be nearer Bowling Green than they are
Perrysburg, but think investigation of the matter
will prove that to greater part of the farmers in
that section the latter place is full as accessible
while for the more thickly-settled portion of the
county in the northeast and along the line CT the
railroad, Perrysburg is the easiest Of access and
the natural center and farmers in that section Of
the county ssould be ready and willing to work
against the removal of the county seat to a point
extremely difficult Of access and inconvenient both
to themselves and to strangers. Ifthe county seat
should in time be found to be too far north to ac-
cOmmodate the growing Interest aud business of the
county, there is Tontogany, Westfeld and many
other points the line Of the railroad and that will
at all times of the year, be Of easy and quick ac-
cess, and when change is found necessary it
would seem that any one of these points would be
the more natural and proper pacs for it to be To-
Gated. aE Ao E
make these suggestions for the purpose Of at
traeting the attention Of the people TO the subject
and with the hope that if effort is made 10 affect
this change they will be prepared to meetit both
with petition and with their votes; and that
by all means the county-seat of Wood County may
be retained somewhere on the line of the railroad.
think by keeping it there the people of the county
will not only promote their own convenience and
prosperity, but will greatly accommodate their
neighbors. j. ID. FORD.