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 it is, is complete and perfect.
The deeds for the lot are made, and the
title of it is in the State of West Vir-
ginia- 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
will be no grumbling about the title to
the ground, and if the city of Parkers-
burg is worth seventy-five thousand
dollars, and the State locates the capital
there, the money is bound to be paid.
have here these deeds, and a copy of
the ordinance of the city, which l 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.. PINNELL, FOR BUCK
HARMON.
Mr.. PinneII said:
| Mr.. Chairman-I rise for the purpose
OF putting in nomination for a perma-
nent seat of government for the State
| the town of Buckhnnnon, 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 1 believe,
sir, in the last twelve or eighteen months
| she has been the theme of both orators
and poets. In making this nomination
| desire tc throw myself for time upon
| the indulgence of this House while
| shall submit for their candid consider
| alton few of the reasons that shall
| govern my action on the question now
pending before this body. am free to
to admit that 1 consider the question
| under consideration as fraught with
more interests to the State than any 9TH
er-yea, I believe sir, all other questions
| that will be offered for the action of
this body during the present sitting.
| If / am correct in this opinion, then we
are warranted to give this subject all
that careful consideration its impor-
lance demands, free from every section
| al, political or personal bias. L know
some gentlemen, however anxious they
may be for the location of this
| Capital, affect to think it a matter
of small importance TO 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. 1
say for the town of Nazareth Buck
hannonl "goId 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 to give us the:per-
manent seat of government. If we
would act on the same principle that
| governs communities in the selection of
seats ofjustice for their counties. O. the
| location of churches, or school houses,
! the first thing would be to cast our
| eyes around us for a survey of the ter
ritorial area of our young Common
wealth. West Virginia contains an
| area approXimating %, 600 square miles
! of territory. The whole State was
| sixty-one thousand some hundreds, If
| you take your stand at Hancock in the
| Northwestern boundary, and lst your
eyes across to Wayne, the Southwest
! ern boundary, you will find the dis
! lance 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 a conclusion where to locate
this institution, it 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 76,44I. Let US
see where we shall find this population
distributed. We find n large portion
in Northwestern Virginia in the cOun-
| ties along the Ohio, along the Baltimore
and Ohio r. r., in the Eastern por-
ton of the State and in South
western ' az the interior OF the state
being sparsely populated, compared
with the other sections. The next ques-
ton is why this seemingly unequal
distribution. Do we receive an answer
from the fact that those sections of the
State possess better soil ormore 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 Improvement 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
Cumberland 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 immigration; and it is attributable to
| this fact that Northwestern Virginia
now has 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
/
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. It
will compare with any other in mate
rial interests. Southwestern Virginia
has been built up by the prospect Orthe
| speedy completion of the Covington and
Ohio Railroad, and the mineral waters
that have invited persons from all
quarters of the earth. --a= r-a
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 to the interior OF The State.
From Clarksburg on the Baltimore and
| Ohio Railroad, to Lewisburg, in my ma
tive county, to the -Covington and Ohio
Railroad, il is 1T5 miles, over territory
that will compare favorably with any
other portion of the State. And yet de-
| prived of railroads it is sparseIy popu-
lated and those lands but very imper-
fectly cultivated.
| What has all this to do with the set
/ Element of the capital? 1 contend that
can show that if the capital is located
town of Buckhannon, it Will result in
the speedy construction of the great
| 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 1 have
/ not visited their rooms, nor bored
them on this capital question
ut all. say that last winter
these gentlemen that were here,
| know very well that these hired news
I ~.