The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-01-28

point in this State. We don't expect to
make our cause by abusing any other
point. Our offer, so far as it goes,
small as II is, IS complete and perfect.
The deeds for the lot are made, and the
title OF it is in the State of West Vir-
giuia- The city of Parkersburg is
bound for the seventy-five thousand
dollars. An ordinance of the city
promising that to the State on these
conditions. have had in the files OF
the House since last session. There
viii be no grumbling about the title TO
the ground, and if the city of Parkers-
| burg is worth seventy-tive thousand
| dollars, and the State locates the capital
there, the money is bound to be paid.
have here these deeds, and copy of
the ordinance of the city, which 1 ask
the indulgence of the House to have
read.
The papers referred to by the gentle
man were read by the clerk.
SPEECH OF MR.. PINSELL, FOR BUCK
| HASSoS.
Mr.. PinneN said:
Mr.. Chairman-I rise for the purpose
\ OF putting in nomination for perma-
/ neDt seat of government for the State
| the town of Buckhannon, in the coun-
| ty of Upshur-a place believe pretty
well known by almost every member
of this House, either from personal OBJ
servation or history, because believe,
sir, in the last twelve or eighteen months
she has been the theme of both orators
and poets. In making this nomination l
| desire &c throw myself for time upon
the indulgence of this House while
| shall submit for their candid consider
| alton n few of the reasons that shall
| govern NV action on the question now
| pending before this body. am free to
TO admit that l consider the question
\ under consideration as fraught with
| more interests to the State than any 9TH
| er-yea, I believe sill, all other questions
| that will be offered for the action of
| this body during the present sitting.
\ If 1 am correct in this opinion, then we
| are warranted to give this subject all
that careful consideration its impor-
| tance demands, free from every section
al, political or personal bias. know
| some gentlemen, however anxious they
may be for the location of this
| of small importance 10 the gem
eral interests of the State; at the
| same: time they contradict their
assertions by offering their hundreds OF
| thousands of dollars tn purchase it.
| say for the town of Nazareth (Buck-
| hannonl "gold and silver have we
! none" We offer nothing but what the
| God Of nature has endowed us with,
\ and we think that, when properly con-
| sidered, is sufficient 10 give us the.per-
\ manent seat of government. If we
| would act on the same principle that
| governs communities in the selection OF
seats of justice for their counties, o the
| location of churches, or school houses,
| the hrst thing would be to cast our
| eyes around us for survey of the ter
ritorial area of our young Common
/ wealth. West Virginia contains an
area approximating 25,OO0 square miles
! of territory. The whole State was
sixty-one thousand some hundreds, II
| you take your stand ut Hancock in the
y Northwestern boundary, and clst your
! eyes across to Wayne, the Southwest
ern boundary, you will find the dis
tance over four hundred miles. Or from
the Ohio in Peasants county to Pendle-
ton, on the Eastern boundary, it is
about two hundred and fifty miles,
The next thing, Sir, after we look to the
surface of our territory, in order TO
| govern and influence our action in
coming to conclusion where to locate
this Institution, il would be proper for
us to take into consideration the popu-
lation of the State and its distribution
According to the census of 1860 the
counties composing West Virginia con-
tanned population of $40, AL. Let us
see where we shall find this population
distributed. We find large portion
in Northwestern Virginia in the coun-
ties along the Ohio, along the Baltimore
anu SIlO IG-8 III lut EldSLeTu TOT-
tion OF the State and in South
western Va, the interior of the State
being sparsely populated, compared
with the other sections. The next cues
ton is why this seemingly unequal
distribution. Do we receive an answer
from the fact that those sections of the
State possess better soil or more abound
with minerals or timber? Nay, verify;
because it will be found by reference TO
facts that all the minerals that are found
richly lavished in the State, are found
in the greatest abundance in those
counties, where there seems TO be but n
sparse population. Then why this un-
equal distribution of population? 1t is
from the internal Improvements advan-
tages possessed by those sections over
the interior. 1 ask what was the popu-
lation of this tier of counties stretching
eastward along the railroad towards
umberland before the iron horse push
ed his way to the great Ohio? They
were, sir, familiarity speaking, like an
gels visits, few and far between. But
with the putting engine came the tide
of immigrationi and il is attributable to
this fact that Northwestern Virginia
now has a greater population, accord
ing TO territory, than any other part of
the State. The same argument holds
good with reference to the eastern por-
ton of our State, along the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad. Take your steam
boat and pass down the Ohio and see
the fertility of the farms and the growth
of the agricultural interest, and ask
why all this? Because the great Ohio
furnishes to the citizens living on that
border, water transportation for the
products of their soil. Go across TO
my own native section of the State. 1t
will compare with any other in mate
rial interests. Southwestern Virginia
has been built up by the prospect Sftbe
speedy completion of the Covington and
Ohio Railroad, and the mineral waters
that have invited persons from all
l quarters of the earth. % s--
If Internal Improvement has popula-
ted the different sections of our State,
| we ask if prudence and reason do not
suggest the propriety of applying the
same balm 10 the interior OF the State.
/ From Clarksburg on the Baltimore aud
Ohio Railroad, to Lewisburg, in NV ma
tive county, to the Covington and Ohio
Railroad, IL is lT5 miles, over territory
that will compare favorabIy with any
other portion of the State. And yet de-
| prived of railroads it is sparsely popu-
lated and those lands but very imper-
| fectly cultivated.
| What has all this to do with the set
I tlement of the capital? 1 contend that
/ 1 can show that if the capital is located
/ at or near the centre of the State, in the
/ the speedy construction of the great
I Central Railroad. But some gentle
men-and have not Kept myself post
/ ed-because the gentlemen of this
House, for every one of whom have
/ the highest regard, know that have
/ not visited their rooms, nor bored
them on this capital question
at all. 1 say that last winter
these gentlemen that were here,
= -,