The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-01-24
WHEELING JANUARY a. 1866

| follows: "The whole Interest of the
! State in minor improvements, includ-
ing TurnPikes, Plank Roads and
productipe is S149, ,13S, ,50-yielding in all
an annual revenue of 50, ,09s, 90, or 7-1000
/ of per cent. on the iUloLe f1lVeStnleHt IN
such 1O0rkS. Your committee have rea-
sons for believing that in many of the
small improvements conducted on what
| is called the Two and three-f fifths princi-
pie, there,is no investment of private
capital whatever. The contractors
sometimes subscribe the 2-5. The 3-5
4 are then drawn from the State. The
contractors secure the constructing of
the Improvement at such figure, that
the States money is suthc Client not only
to pay for all the work done, but to pay
q handsome profit TO those who handle
| it,o and recommend the State to sell
| and get rid of its entire interest, refer
ring to the course that had been taken
by other States to their great .adyan-
tage. ni,.f .t-, .tl,tsl ,,sii =
yention that framed and people that
ratified our State Constitution, Intend
ed to put an end to this ruinous policy
and forever divorce the State Govern
ment from all enterprises of this kind,
and confine its action to its appropriate
duties of making and administering
wholesome laws; and hence, by the Sth
\
ing the credit of the State to, or assur-
ing any existing liability OF, any coun-
ty, city, town, or corporation, or sub
scribing to the stock of any Internal
Improvement Company, unless 1t shall
pay its subscription in cash down, or
provide for its payment the ensuing
| year. -,Iif5l.i.. ,I..,l ir= 55 as.;l1
Now, our people are not willing to be
taxed this year, nor next, to raise
| money to be thrown away upon these
| works that have never paid the mother
State a cent, bnt bankrupted her, as
they will the new State If she NEEDLES
| with them for any other purpose but 70
as soon as possible. The 18th Section,
| Sth Article, of the Constitution author
ICES the Legislature to, direct sale, at
| any time, of its stocks. In most OF the
Turnpike Companies it is probably, as
the report states, that the private stock
holders have paid nothing, and unless
the Stale shall undertake to still carry
them along, the charters will become
| forfeited and the counties and towns
| will take and keep them in repair
\ as free roads and at half the e8-
/ pense it costs the State. They have
been built at State expense, and
| done all they ever Will IN her hands,
towards developing and settling the
country. Local enterprise alone can
make them further serYiceable in this
respect. The great lines OF travel are,
OF. are to be, railroads, and mud turn
| pixies have become neighborhood con-
yeniences, and should, be kept up and
maintained by the local population, and
this burden of maintaining roads should
be general and not partial. And If any
/ turnpike has not, by this time, induced
settlers enough along its line to keep ii
in repair, it never Will. There may be
some exceptional cases where the
war destroyed necessary public struc-
/ lures which the local population are
unable to replace, or sections that have
not received a fair share of public favor.
If any such cases are clearly made out,
let the State give the special aid, and in
the manner Contemplated by the con-
\ stitution, and not revive an effete sys-
tenn that had saddled the old State with
a debt of S44, ,0OO, 600 in 1860, and which
| every other State in the Union has long
4 since renounced. Respectfully,
g. PARKER,
wELLsBURG, Jan. %, 1866.