Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-12-14
FALLS CORRESPONDENCE
'Oueristy "GOes forY "Special.v

QuerlsI'' e iOTD special
NEWTON FALLS, O., Disc. 10, 1870.
EDITOR CHRoNICLE:-In your issue oil
SOth ult., some one, claiming to be a citi-
zen OF Newton Falls, seemed inclined
(as he says to represent our village in
the county paper
In reply, will you allow a citizen to
saw that whatever his inclination may
have been, he managed this time to get
of a string OF misrepresentation and
~falsehOods that must have given a relief
10 his veNed spleen. But as he signs
himself Special it will not be pre-
sumed TO hold him amenable TO the gem
eral rules of truth and honor, in this
instance, and possibly whilst Z" inclined
mentally and morally to this noble work,
he may have been under influences,
inclining his massive brain, and body
too, toward the plane Of the broken side
walk and turbid canal. But, charitably
speaking, it may be our surmises are
wrong maybe he never gets under such
leveling influences.
Now for some facts. Whilst h sur
rounding country produced surplus
grain and lumber, a considerable export
trade was carried on here by canal, and
vet scarcely a boat owner or boat hand
lived in the village, but this trade passed
away at least twenty years ago, and still
many citizens of the village and adjacent
country grew wealthy Independently of
the canal, and some Of these with ample
mean have since moved to other locsli-
ties having greater facilities, by rail.
Special saws, when the canal closed,
lugubriOus croaking resOunded on every
side. The village had apparently re-
ceiVed its death-blow. Property fell in
value. The leading business men left,
and a general spirit Of Generalization
prevailed, &c.n Now, to those of less
visionary minds, s.and less tendency 70
inclination than Special, the facts
appear to be these: In 1867 boats ceased
10 run on the canal. In 1865 this divi-
sion OF it, with others, was abandoned.
From this periOd-lS6S 10 the present,
IS7O-"Speciar' represents II village rs
passing through two epOchs. Many
wears OF dark ages, misery, idleness,
destitution and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the
dawning Of civilization and a better day
few years Of revolution slowly
taking place. Now whilst We freely
admit that railroad villages and mineral
districts have greatly outgrown Us in
population and wealth, We aver that we
know not of the state of facts which he
represents as existing since the closing
OF the canal. On the contrary, all re-
ioiced al the abandonment Of the canal.
No house "to let stood tenantless-nO
''malarial epidemic fever prevailed
and scarcely a solitary case OF the kind
nd human water rats" were thrown
u Of employment-not a msn or boy
TO be found but what could get employ
ment at fair wages and good pay, and
amongst these, not one who
had lived by "chance jobs, "
and stray waits on the canal" Special
saws 'within a few years a revolution Is
slowly taking place." &c. The wonder
is, that il is slow at all. Under h in
spring influence Of her orators and
poets, Athens, became noted for science
and literature, and Rome renowned for
military triumphs, and yet with like
genius amongst us, we max haste slow
IL. Pardon US, dear reader, foa abiding
to topics beyond our ken, for Special
says it was Jupiter who refused to help
the 'lazy WAGNER We thought it
was Hercules-Our spelling book said so.
Now for brevity's sake, dear Special, a
word TO you: Since you and write in
cog, who knows but that we ourselves
are mortal and subject to fits and sp2sms
Of piety, If so, you Will not object to q
word OF eIhortatiOn-Cease not your ef-
forts TO ~civilize and elevate those 'croak-
ing frogs and water rats" around US,
give the careless, sleepyold fOgies timely
admOnition about the proper use OF their
money, and when YOU get their hands
fairly TO the pillow, do not let them look
with vain pride, in view Of the fact
that they have lived and helped others
TO live, that they have for many years
churches, schools, and side
and more recently raised and ex-
pended some fifteen hundred dollars in
prosecution Of a railroad enterprise; and
in regard to village corporations,
insist earnestly that neither you nor l
desire or viii take the Mayoralty Of the
prospective city, that we are not aspiring
men. Finally, i~ndulgent reader, If you
will excuse a frail fellow-mOrtal from
attempting to soar so high as to compre-
bend the "phosphorescent' sublimity OF
a dead cat fish on a canal bank, he will
Specials last paragraph as a model
for aspiring poets. QUERIST.