The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-12-23
For the Register. J

The MCAdun1tZCu ktouu
burg TO Gnuiey Bridge.
To the Editors of the Intelligencer:
SIRs Your structures upon letter
written by VIM. E. Arnold, Esq, ad-
dressed to Governor Stevenson, and
published in your daily paper of the
18th inst, asking his friendly interpo-
sition, in behalf of State aid to.
build McAdamized road from Clarks-
burg to Gauley Bridge, is in our opin-
ion untenable and unjust to the friends of
the enterprise.
Partisan and selfish legislation has
been the blight and curse Of our young
State. The proscriptive laws which
now disgrace our statute books, as will be
adjudged by the most extreme Radical,
when passion and hate shall have been
entombed and reason resumes her sway,
should never have been enacted.
The reason you assign why Jefferson
or Wood or Ohio or Marshall or Marion
would not be willing TO see tho public
money taken from the State Treasury
aud expended in building a McAdam-
lied road from Clarksburg to Ganley
bridge are selfish and sectional, and not
such as accord with the views and SON
timents of the true patriot and enlight-
ened statesman.
The Kilkenny cat fight over the loca-
ton of the State Capital for the last
three years, and which is likely to be
fought over again this winter, is burn
ing shame and disgrace to our State
legislation, aud deserves to be branded
as a SELFISH POLITICAL FARCE.
The explanation of the rapidly in-
Creasing population and growing wealth
OF the great States of the mighty West
is TO DO found in the liberal and enlight.
ened policy which HIS prevailed in their
State Legislatures.
Leading lines of communication aud
travel are absolute essentials in the en-
hghtenment and progress and improve,
ment and wealth of the people of every
well organized and well regulated
government. No intelligent man now
doubts or disputes the advantage to
this State of the two great leading lines
the Baltimore and Chesapeake and
Ohio railroads, running the entire
length of the State from east to west.
They in fact constitute the two main
arteries as in the hHman body, infusing
life and health into the State and when
the Chesapeake shall have been COM
pleted to the mouth Of the Big Sandy,
Will be the mainsprings of wealth by
which TO build her golden future. And
to make these two great lines of travel
and trade still more remuneratiye and
an advantage to the State, connecting
reads running from north to south
should be made. The road now propos-
ed to be McAdamized from Clarksburg
to Gauley Bridge, is the only central
road running through the State from
north to south which connects the Balti-
more and Chesapeake and Ohio roads.
Hence its superior merit for State aid.
Persons controlled by selfish and local
interests, always find objections to every
scheme, not Immediately beneficial to
them. The citizens of the city of Wheel.
ing should not forget that in their srug
gle to build up the city by internal i'm.
provements they had the guaranty of
$4,000 of her bonds and the payment Of
the interest by the State; neither should
those wealthy counties of Jefferson,
Berkeley, Wood, Ohio, Marshall and
Marion he unmindful of the McAdam-
lzed roads built for them by the monies
taken from the common treasury, when
the old and new State, were one and
intact.
Your objections to the proposed
scheme are not new they are tbe argn.
ments of selfish men, who live in Old
settled parts of the State, on fine roads
built by the Government and onts;ds
capitalists, aud now being we'll To do
have no sympathy or interests for tht;r
less fortunate neighbors in the back
counties, where government and forei on
aid have never paid their visit.
Notwithstanding that unfortunate
clause IN our State Constitution pro-
hibiting State epdorsation and loans to
works of internal improvement, we be-
lieye by economy and wise legislation il
is perfectly consistent for the Lecisla-
ture TO appropriate money to works of
internal improvement without increas-
Ing the State taxes one cent. How is il
possible Tor the people of this State
ever to be able to pay their Just share of
the public debt of Virginia, land espe.
clally thoss who have been crpsbsd
and stripped of their property and their
political prIvlleges,) without wise and
statesmanllke legi>lat ouf The in
ducements held out by the more liberal
legislation of the States of the great
West and the national Government are
too tempting. in contrast with the mol.
icy heretofore pursued by our Leeisla.
ture, to longer hold our best populstion
without change for the better.
The true friends of the new State
cant to build 1t up. They are not gov
erned by sectional and selfish motives.
or the retention of political power. but
are prompted by feelings of manly, pat
riorio Stale pride.
The extraordinary waste of the public
monies by defaulting officers and the
gndccountaole sums said to be expanded
In the mipistratiou Of the govern-
ment will no longer be allowed r. he
eorered up by public officials. The tims
mas come when the people expect a
searching exhibit TO be made of the
taxes they pay the Sberiffs and 9TH
solicitors. They believe there j, some
Ihlng rotten In Denmark aud demand a
cleaning out of the Augean stables