Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-03-04
CoMMUNIcATIoN.
The zan.sville Bridge Q.e.tis.


Correspondence Of the Belmont Chronicle.
Mr.. EDITOR: An article editorial in
the last Gazette might perhaps claim a
passing notice. 1t certainly would not
if the people of the county knew the
editor as well as we do in town. -
1t is pretty hard to understand how
any person can get up an article of such
length, without one single truth in it,
but it is even true with this article
Even he could not give the right ref
erence to the journal. He says by ref
erenee to House Journal, page 542, was
not a member of the House, how then
could / vote there in the House. .ae:3
The history of this swindle is about
this: A petition was presented in 1856,
from the Commissioners of Muskingum
County, asking appropriation of 5000
to build an iron bridge over the Canal
in GAINESVILLE. This was referred to the
committee on Public Works ofthe House,
they, the committee, reported in fa-
vor of introducing clause into the gem
ersl appropriation bill; this was done
and the appropriation bill passed by the
House and sent TO the Senate. In the
Senate this clause was stricken cut in
committee of tho Whole on my motion,
mo record is kept in the journal, Of the
action of the committee of the Whole)
and agreed to by the Senate without ia
king the yeas and nays. .H'
/ The House refused TO agree to the Sem
ate amendment. A committee of con-
ferauce was appointed, and agreed to
retain the appropriation. Hf =,
If the matter had been disconnected
with the appropriation bill itcould never
have been passed. G+ .x't i-
In the session of 1887, the same course
was adopted-and clause for So, 500 was
again introduced into the general ap-
preparation bill by the House, and
smugled through the House in the same
manner as before. 1t came to the Sem
ate and was again stricken out. The
House again refused to agree to the Sem
ate amendment. W Hsain N ~
! A committee of conference was ap-I
pointed on my motion again, this time
modified the whole appropriation of
both sessions and leaving the matter
discretionary with the Board of Public
Works, to build the bridge when they
thought fit, and to use ether material
than iron, if they considered it, best
This agreed to in committee of con-
ference, ss could do no better, having
learned from the Secretary of the Board
that the Board were opposed to the
whole matter. 5-..t -. CR5slA 1
Ivoted against this appropriation in
every form it came up. r-Ia .'7"1i /
But when it was finally agreed upon
in committee of conference, andI had
got it in the best shape could getit, /
voted for the final passage of the gen.
eral appropriation bill. A Democrat?
said to me last week that he would have
voted against the appropriation bill un-
less this was stricken out. As matter
of course he would have done 80 with
or without stricking it out, as every
democratic in the Senate did, except
Mr.. Linn. 1t is their policy to throw
every hindrance in the way ayoflegislation,
as they had done during the prosecution
of the rebellion. They would have crow.
as loud and as long as they did when the
Union army would meet with Temporary
defeat. -''f.n M, -
Few understand the Importance of the.
passage or defeat of the general appro-
priation bill. The whole machinery of
the State Government would stop on its
non-passage. The whole inmates of the
Pennitentiary would have to be let loose
on society. One housand of the unfor-.
tunate insane would have to be sent
home, many of them without place to
60, except to rot in their own filth in
some county infirmary or Jail The
blind sent home the deaf let loose, and
gain subsistence as they could. The
poor idiot too, must be sen: off and none
to care for him; all the public works
be neglected; even the National Road
would be left to itself, as no funds can
be used without appropriation, If those
Republican Senators that were direct
lily interested in the National Road had
voted against the bill, 1t would have
been defeated. But. we thought more of
our State and Its institutions then to be
led to do such wrong, even II the ma
Ijority had done Us and our constituents
a wrong-the wrong was small compared
1 to the evil that would have resulted In
the defeat of the general appropriation
bill. 7-f' ~ 20 or F'-'ii.2 ii'
= used every exertion to defeat 1t In
1.-THE Senate, but succeeded bnt partially,
on account or the 'roadi Eeips in part
represented by Democrats, and they
voted for and favored this appropriatisn