Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-03-04
rhs National Road aa..il... Again.


About six weeks ago the CHRONICLE
contained an article on the subject o,
| the purchase Of the GAINESVILLE bridge
out OF the National Road Fund, which
contained a statement of what had oc-
CURED upon that subject in the Legisla-
ture. This article was so unanswerable
that the uptown organ of the treasury
thieves, made no attempt to answer il
until fire t0eeks after it was published,
and its answer is SO supremely silly that
we have concluded to publish it entire,
SO that our readers may decide upon its
merits. We first give our article, Of Jan.
q, entire-not as garbled by our neigh
bor-and then the answer of the Ga
zette: .aaE se ~ sr-
Two years ago q bill was smuggled
through the Legislature in the appropri-
alton bill authorizing the Board of Pub
| lie Works to build an iron bridge ever
the canal in the town of GAINESVILLE, at an
expense of 5000, which, was increased
the year following in the same way, by
an addition of $500. The Auditor Of
State refused to draw an order on the
State Treasury for the amount because,
he claimed it was in violation of the
act Of Congress eeding the road to the
State. ~, Z. FL --i-t Eas
Two years ago q bill was introduced
to purchase the bridge over the Mus
kingum river, and pay for it by taking
SO, 600 out Of the tells of the National
paliy through the earnest labors of DIR.
H.. West of this county, who was then
in the Senate. Last winter another bill
was introduced by the Muskingum coun-
ty members, Messrs. Linn, Jewett and
Ball, and on first vote defeated, but on
reconsideration of the vote these gem
tlemen brought the party lash to bear
upon recusant Democrats, one of them
going so far as to accuse its defeat to the
Black Republicans, and calling on DEM
ocratic members not to suffer themselves
to be controlled by Republican influ-
ence. r- -.,.4.-i r.f -t.ls5 s ff- arz A
Under this pressure the bill was pass
ed and we are reaping the result of this
Democratic triumph in the increased
tolls we pay for travelling over a worn
out road. 5z1Is 1g assg= - r-f
This law for the purchase ofthe Mus
kingum River Bridge, is as clearly in
violation of the law ceding the pike to
TIC SLdtc d3 Luc law dQtAOilLAAk tAC
building of the bridge over the canal,
which the Auditor of State refused to
carry into effect, and those of our peo-
pie who are interested in this subject.
should call meeting at once and see
whether something cannot be done by
injunction in the United States District
Court, or in some other way, to prevent
the consumation of this infamous out
rage. If the people of Belmont county
are to be taxed by Democratic Legis-
lature to build free bridges for the city
of GAINESVILLE, it is well enough to know
it, and if we have a remedy by which
we can get rid of such unjust legislation
it is time we were making arrangements
to avail ourselves of that remedy. l-t.
Answer of the Gazette or last week.
Now, look at the fairness and truth
fulness of this sheet. Look at House
Journal of 1857, page 542,, and you will
find that DR.. West not only recommend
ed, but voted to pay for the iron bridge
at GAINESVILLE out of the National Road
Fund. Yet. the Chronicle says that
that bill was smuggled through, By
whom was it smuggled through p Was
il by DR.. West the recommended The
Chronicle says that this purchase was
clear violation of the law of cessiOn.-i
If SO, how comes it that it received the
recommendation of the great unwashed
Black Republican DIR. West, and the
law authorizing its purchase was passed
by Black Republican legislature, but
the Chronicle don 'titell that. The Ed
| itor would make his readers believe the
contrary, for he knows well they would
never believe that a tloil' Legislature
would pass ameasure clearly in violation
of law. Oh no, his denouncing legis-
lative body, they would at ence infer
that it was democratic. He says that
| two years ago the proposition to pur.
chase the other bridge was defeated by
the earnest labors of DIR. West. There
is nothing in the Journal to show that
DR.. West even opposed it. i.l -
The Chronicle further says, that il the
people of Belmont county are to be tax
ed by Democratic Legislature, &C.,
Now, what are the facts? The first
| bridge was Bought by the authority Of
Black Republican Legislature. The
vote Of the same party on the purchase
of che second bridge was twenty three
for and only twelve against 1t. Yet, the
! Chronicle would have its readers believe
| that 1t was Democratic measure and
that the Democratic party alone are re-
sposible for its purchase. -.
/ But this Is only sample of the lying
tof that sheet. Week after week its col
umns are filed with faslehood. That
kind of reading, however, We suppose
suits its patrons best as that ofganiza-
tion is rotton and corrupt from the
crown of its head to the soul Of its feet,
! If there is any credit to be given to the
charges of Republican speakers and
! "-ies7ts-s fs.sil =. -A5go!f.lls ~oh I
/ In exposing this very silly. answer of
the Gazette we shall pay ne attention
to the contemplate slander it contains
of DR.. H. West, as the Doctor very effee-
tually takeseareof himselfand squelches
cut the author ef the slander, in conn
munication in another column. Nor
will we use very much space with any
thing else it, contains, as there is no in
Etelligent reader. who will, not very
readily detect its sophisms and absurdi-
ties.i 1t doesn't deny q single statement
made by us. We affirmed that the
appropriation to build not buy as the
Gazette has it-an iron bridge over the
[canal at GAINESVILLE was smuggled
through the Legislature in the appro-
Ipriation bill. The Gazette does not deny
this, and DR.. West in his communities
tion shaws how the appropriation was,
at his instance, stricken from the bill,
and afterwards inserted in the House
and returned to the Senate just before
the close of the session, too late to be
stricken out or otherwise defeated ex-
7 lcept by the defeat, Of the whole appro-
priation bill. The quibble that I'VE did
not tell the people that this appropria-
ton bill was passed by Black Repub-