The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-01-04
For the 1ntsgs5.,.e.,..
OUR STATE CAPITOL
BY MARLEY lIERRII.L.. !

| semple, anu ere many weeks fhhve Ian
the record of their changes written on
the unchnnging tablets of the past W., w.,
may expect to have questions Gf RiVan.
| tic importance to our young ndit6riv.
ing State brought up, discussed, and
| possibly settled forever. NOtl The laaSt
of these will be the question j of the
location of the State Capitol While
considerable statesmanship tliaeoy.
erable In the former discussid1fbf this
subject, 1t is nevertheless out candid
| opinion that most of the pldlB, theo.
ries and arguments in favd Of the
various situations proposal were
decidedly weak and inferibr and
were piled without pruber re-.
gard for the first and Aast in
terests of the citizens of the State at
large. The many places pro1sed for
the location of the capitol are kll sub
ject to very grave objections fr(m vari-
GUS standpoints.
Glarksburg is already famoui as the
centre of one of the most aristS SeFatical
and rebellious portions OF de New
state. Aud the town of Graltln, over
which our Preston county lTrieuds
make such an ado, can hardly 4ccom-
modatss che altitnpre and % iij Rall-
f6AtlS and Wnntdnst EhhES - ,naE {. d.
respectable headquarters for some kew
" dubbed houlder-strappef, with his
regiment of raw militial Wesineerely
nope the day may never dawn that
shall find the promising young Sate of
west Virginia compelled 4 see
her public buildings shut in
and confined by the black and smoky
hills that surround the blacEet and
smoker town of Grafton. 1t wotld be
foreign to the design of this atticle.
however, to attempt to produCs the
scores of arguments which mty be
brought forward against these, al we'll
n ~
capitol. With these, the people Ore, in
part familiar, and we desire simply to
make u proposition which, although
originating with persons shrOuted in
obScurtty, we hope may be permitted
to meet the eyes of our State fsthers,
and from them receive proper discus
sion and developments, or bt con-
term its native oblivion,
Our plan is the following, which we
submit with the belief that il viii meet
with favorable reception from the
many hundreds OF our citizens who.
while they desire to see our publicbuild
ings an honor to the State, disabprove
of the enormous expenditure of public
moneys, after the fashion in which it is
iavished on most of our State institu-
tions.
Let the Legislature, at its coming ses.
sion, pass bill proyiding for tbe cleo
ton of committee, TO be competed, of
one member from every senatorial dis
trict, whose duty it shall be to visit the
central portions of this State, and from
the best situated and most level tracts
of territory select such site or sites, as
to them shall seem best adapted
10 the founding and development of a
large city. Let it further be the dhtV OF
this committee to report at lenfti 10
the Legislature of this State, coEcern-
ing such site or sites, giving location,
surroundings, probable cost of pur.
chase, and such other items of informa-
ton as may be necessary or desira BILE,
II plurality of sites be reported, let
the Legislature determine on the one
which TO 1t shall seem best adapted to
the purpose proposed, and by proper
acts of legislation provide for the pur.
chase, by the State, of lands forming
such site. In the centre of this let there
be reserved sufficient number of acres
to form a public square, on part OF
which the public buildings may be
erected, while the lands surrounding it
are divided into uniform bnilding lots,
to be disposed of to private parties In
some manner prescribed by the Isegis-
latnre. Let the public buildings need
ed by this STATE be ereCten ~ l7R Iuh hltc.
sIEIIIaErfa stJs ~ sEt o4nes
the perfectlons ne y & Eifil ~
glory of alliher citizens.
The expenditure necessary tof the.
erection of the State buildings may be
met in part by the moneys resulting
from the sale of the building lots, and
by the reservation, for few Yenrs. of
each alternate lot, and proper and eco
nomicAl management, the sums that
shall thus accrue to this State may in
time cover the entire cost of the public
buildings. Tax payers will see at once
the great advantage that would result
from this arrangement, for there can
hardly be IA doubt that the immense
capital OF the State Will be attracted in
a great measure to the Capital City,
and building lots would be eagerly
sought after by parties backed by
the principal capital of the State. Fol-
lowing this plan the Capital may be
laid out uniformly, with broad and
beautiful parallel streets crossing at
right angles, and forming large and
regular squares, on which may be
erected mammoth mercantile estab-
lishments, or beautiful, grand and
equally Imposing private residences;
thus avoiding the cramped, irregular
and unsightly appearance presented
by most of our large cities.'
The tdeas chappears to be so gene
rally received, that the Capital must
seek some one of the commercial CEN
ters OF the State, seems TO us to be en-
.ttrely without foundation in necessity.
Locate the Capitol where it will best
aSSoLAIlouaLe Lne SLaLe In the tuLufe1
that Is, in the center of her
territory, aud let Railways and
public thoroughtares find 1t and open
1t mp to commerce and the travelling
public. No fears can reasonably he en-
Tertaiued that the Capital would be left
isolated, for there are too many Capi-
talists waiting for the golden oppOr-
tunIty, which such an arrangement
would present, OF prOfitably Investing
the large sums which they have accu-
mulated. Railways and public con-
veyanCes would ind the Capital at
once, by the unvarying and certain
operations OF the unrePealed law of
demand and supply, and ere many
years are added to the history Of our
young State. we may boast a beauti-
fully located, uniform, delightful, rich
and powerful State Capital, and public
buildings unsurpassed by those OF any
other State IN the UniOn-all erected
without cost to our taxpayers, simply
by proper, economical and statesman
like management.
We intended In this article merely to
present an outline of our plan, leaving
the many arguments which may bs
produced in our favor for some future
Communication, and we close by InVit-
ing discussion OF our plan from the
many public spirited journals through
out TIE State.
Preston County Journal and Fair
LA.