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

by elther OF the two Houses of the Leg
islature may select.
Believing as I do, therefore, Mr.
Speaker, that this proposition, taking
into consideration the central location
of the place, the advantages it presents
and especially the advantages il will
present in the future, sincerely hope
without indulging in any further re-
makS on this subject at present it will be
the pleasure of this House to Law aside
all personal considerations and take into
consideration the interests of the entire
State as far as this important subject is
concerned.
SPEECH OF MR. SPENCER on BEHALF OF
PARKERsBURG.
Mr.. Spencer said:
Mr. Chairmau-I desire to place in
nomination the city of Parkersburg,
1t will be recolIected told the mem
bers of the last House OF Delegates
when this subject was then under CON
slderatlon, that the Council of the CITY
OF Parkersburg made to the State a
certain ProPosition. Failing as the
Legislature then did to make location,
1t now becomes my duty as well as
pleasure to renew those offers.
The conditions of them are simply
Fthese: They propose to donate to the
State of West Virginia ground aud
money 10 aid in the construction of the
buildings, If it be the pleasure of the
Legislature TO locate the capital there.
They have selected at the outskirts OF
the city beautiful plot containing ten
acres of ground, for which they have
executed their deeds of the State. They
propose to pay to the State S75, 900 to aid
in the construction of the capital.
We do not make this offer TO "buy the
capital" as suggested by some gentle
man. We are not so egotistical as to
suppose that We have more money TO
expend than any other portion of the
State. 1t is because they are desirous
| to have the capitol located in their
midst, that they are willing to do this
much fairly and honestly TO obtain it.
II 1t be the pleasure of the Legislature
| OF West Virginia TO honor the people of
PaEkersburg with the capital, it would
| relieve the State so far as the expendi-
| ture of money is concerned, for the cap
itol, for the next twenty-five years.
| Seventy-hve thousand dollars, if pro-
| perly used, would construct building
! three or four times as large and commo-
| dlous as that now occupied for State
! capital. This money could be used in
| constructing one wing of the main capi-
tali and if the building be properly de-
signed, when the State found itself re-
lieyed from the other expenditures
which it is now obliged to make and
which it is anticipated it must make for
many years, it could go on and build
the whole building, and the whole
structure be as complete and perfect in
| all It's parts as If made at once. II
| S75, 600 would build one wing, If the
! centre building took twice as much
the capitol would cost $500, 600, which
! would erect very respectable capitol
building. Other things being equal, in
the situation in which the Stale now
/ finds itself-with high taxation, with
immense expenditures called for from
one quarter and another-SlS0, 900 to put
the Hospital for the Insane in proper
| condition. and TO pay for the support OF
| the patients at Williamsburg and
Staunton Va; $4,000 being called for
| the penltentiaryi various appropria-
| tions being called for the Agricultural
College and for building up the waste
| places OF the State, made so by the war;
to say nothing about meeting our Just
share of the public debt of Virginia, for
that is II matter which now begins to
force itself on the attention of the peO-
| ple-I think the offer made by the city
of Parkersburg is at least worthy of
| consideration. In regard TO the adjust
ment OF this debt with Virginia, know
it is generally said and hoped-and 1
| hope among the rest-that in the adj
| justment of thai matter the State will
have little or nothing to pay; but in
great matters like this we have Deen
wofully disappointed, and may be
again. If the result should be that we
| have to assume one-half or even one
| fourth OF that debt, the State would
/ have to put itself on the strictest econ
omy and husband its resources, if it did
not almost sink the State. Hence with
these considerations before US we put
our offer simply as IL is, and would re-
| spectfully ask of this body fair and
| Just consideration.
And when L say, ''other things being
equal" 1 mean, if Parkersburg is as
accessible as other parts of the State.
/ Accessibility, and not centraIity, Is the
question which should occupy the
minds of this body A point may be
very central and yet ranges of noun
| tain intervene, or unnavigable waters,
or broken, rough and sterile country,
or a country destitute ofmeans of COM
/ munication or conveyance, may make
| il inaccessible. The accessibility of a
point is determined by the lines OF
travel that converge to or radiate from
| IL. In that particular, sir, we claim
that our city stands at least as fair as
any other portion OF the State. The
| counties bordering on the Ohio river
| send some seventeen delegates who can
reach Parkersburg by sleamboatino one
| day. The counties on the Baltimore
| and Ohio Railroad, together with those
| teen in number can reach Parkersburg
| in one day-thirty-three delegates. The
| counties which lie near or adjacent to
that road within four, five sor six
I hours rlue OF the rOau, mlth also SIX,
| eight or ten delegates, can also reach
Parkersburg in one day-making, Mr..
| Speaker, some forty-two delegates
| only a majority of the delegates, but
| absolutely two-thirds, and very nearly
three -fourths who could reach Parkers-
| burg in one day. This is one consider
i alton that we hope will weigh with the
| members of this House.
! We do not, however, Mr.. Chairman,
! expect to perish at ParkeTsburg, il we
| should not get the Capital. II ii be the
| pleasure of the Legislature 10 locate it
| somewhere else, we expect to be satis-
| fed. as
Situated as our little city is, on the
Parkersburg branch, sixty-one miles
/ nearer-as Mr.. Garrett says in his last
address to the stockholders-sixty-
miles nearer than any other route from
Baltimore to Cincinnati; several more
4 miles nearer than any other route from
Cincinnati to Washington, and will be
4 one hundred and twenty miles nearer
Il when the road from Point of Rocks to
4 Washington is constructed situated
as that city IS at the junction of The
Little kanawha and Ohio rivers-hav-
i ing the TWO great fertile valleys drained
by those two rivers, as its commercial
base-with all these lines of trade and
travel concentrating in it and pouring
into it the wealth of so many different
regions, we do not hesitate to say that
7 our city will soon, If il does not already
rival the first city in the State. We
expect to make the Little kanawha
i river navigable for steamboats, TO Brax-
ton county. We expect II bring out
, from that county the coal, the
lumber, the iron and the oil
, and with these build up manufactures
+ s.Sry ~