The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-11-08

the road knows the fact. The short Of Il
is, that single string Of broken stone
costs about 81 900 mile. ar q,
The same mistake is made in his esti.
mate Of the cost Of spreading stone. p
Well, as this scholar don't do very well
so far over in the book, let's try him OF q
sum in simple addition. -.l.
Mr.. Lunsiord, when on tho stand, sta.
ted that the tolls while he was superin.
tendent were $4,000 q year. Ho was
superintendent three years and eight
months.
Ills total receipts then WCrc-............. Sl21OO
WOArU now told that Mr.. Lunsf6ni, on COM
Ing Into Office, found and paid on debts
amounting iu round numbers tO.....$1lOO
That LnnsiOrl paid for masOnry"....... $500
Tint when no resigned hO turned over
70 Fcrfoi, 800
llc paid out for salaries annually. HIM
self Sl5J, Quo cato keeper $5l9, and
another $SIS, amounting In three
yUars and eight months tO.....,.....,.. 1900
Or in other words he paid out in these
four items every cent he received. Moth.
ing was left for the road bed, the side
roads, the bitches, the culverts, or any.
thing else; nothing spent on them in
nearly four years, according to Mr.. Luns.
ford's own balance sheet. What must
have been the condition Of the road when
it came into Mr.. Ferrel's hands? If Mr..
Lunsford's figures are correct he didn't
spend q cent on the road proper. If he
spent anything then his statements are in
correct. As a matter Of fact, some money
was spent upon the road by Mr.. Lunsford;
and the table prepared to confound Mr..
Ferrel bears the brand OF falsehood on its
face, and conlounds nobody but its pros
jector. Its clear case Of "engineer hoist
with his own petard."
These mathematical diversions are
quite entertaining, and every calculation
in Governor Stantons arithmetical argu.
ment affords field for their enjoyment.
We shall from time to time, as we reach
proper resting places, invite the Board to
see where the gentleman, like the "fero.
cious' and breachy oxen, has attempted
to find "fresh fields and pastures new"
but only gets sometimes "mint and mus.
tardn and sometimes lead.
This investigation has satisfied many of
those who have opposed Mr.. Ferret and
asked his removal, not only that he is
guiltless Of the sins charged to him, but
that he is entitled to a great deal of credit
for the manner in which, under all the
circumstances, he has managed tho road.
Some ofthe people along this road seem
to labor under IN insane idea, that the
road belongs to them Individually. Each
Of them thinks he ought to be superin>
tendent, or if that can't be, that he ought
to superintend the superintendent. That
poor officer has any number of bosses. II
he can't serve two masters, as we are con-
tinually informed, how con he serve such
crowd Of masters rs come here to COM
plain Of him-all Of different minds, too.
He has to satisfy the prayer.meeting piety
Of Bro. Stewart; the sound and sober
judgment of o David Armstrong; the
"professionali learning Of q Lewis Luns.
ford; the modest and disinterested zeal Of
a John D. Maxwell (who only wanted the
road in case Ferrel got something better,
but was positive Ferrel would get nothing
better, J the rare patriotism Of o DR.. Storer
(who uses the road daily in his rounds US
o physician, pays ninety cents n year toll,
and gets mad at anybody who suggests
that the State ought'nt toaskeep up the
road in Triadelphia if citizens are taxed
for the purpose;) and the unselfsh friend.
ship Of the numerous gentlemen who have
been spoken to about being superintend.
ent, &C., and some ofyhom have petitions
out now for their appointment The
superintendent being mortal can't sue.
coed in doing at once all that everybody
wants. Further, there seems 10 be petty
jealousy entertained by the people on one
part of the road against those on another.
Mr.. John D. Maxwell himself tells you
that the part Of the road west Of Triadel.
phia is we'll enough attendedto. His heart
is torn with anguish when he begins To
talk about the Maxwell ditch, the Denni.
son bridge, and the eastern end Of the
road generally. The Board should bear
in mind throughout this case the difficulty
Of pleasing all these exacting people who
all want to be served at once, and of sat.
isfying these conflicting interests.
Mr.. Ferrel is accused in argument Of
charging the road by the day for men en-
ployed by him by the month. Heis said
to have in six months charged for 90 days
labor, at 81 60 per day, Of a man hired at
$25 month. There was nothing said
about this in the testimony, and so far as
we are informed, the facts are incorrectly
stated in the argument. If any evidence
to this effect exists, it has been in tho
power ofthese mentor year, and should
have been put into their charges and ties .
timony: Itwould have been put in ifthey
had thoughtit ofany importance. Taking
the statements oftheir argument 10 be true
though, we see that the road is charged
SlS5 for what would have cost $3.50 il
hired by the month. Hiring men by the
month you must pay them whether you
have work for them or not, and it has
been shown tobe impossible 10 get men
for odd days work.
With respect to the road, let me con-
clude by endorsing the encomium passed
upon it by complainants, when they say:
1.-THE Shepherd farm sells at from 5000 to
$500 per aero because it is near tho road
and easy of access. If it had been the
same distance from the city on any other
road, it would not have sold for 500 per
acre. . ~.
Some accomplishments and their witnes,
SEES arc the men who bought at those
figures. 4ro
need say but little on the subject OF
the oxen. 1t has been fully considered
by my colleague.
Mr.. Ferret has filed six seml-annual
reports, covering the time OF his admin.
istration up TO Oct. l, 1868. Since that
time no report has been died, because
no Circuit Court has been held In Ohio
county at which II could lie presented
for approval. In the three years and
three months oov6red BY those reports
SSl8 has been spent by Ferret for feed
for oxen. say $3.50 psr year. These
figures we take from the evidence for
complainants, and II thay contain err
ror. It Is not In our favor.) To average
the cost OF feed Ia The only fair way 10