The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-12-23
The Railroad up the River
Its Value to Wheeling and
Ohio County.
The Reasons Why we Ought
to Help Build It.
The History and Present Sta
tus Of the Enterprise.
The Philosophy Of Railroad Building
Generally.
An Interesting and Convincing Ar
gumeat.
TON SCOTT SAYS THE ROAD WILL PAY,


NIGHT.
At the railroad meeting at the Cour
House in this city, last Wednesday even
ing, Prof W. X. PENDLEToN, Presi
dent of Bethany College, following 70
marks by Gov. Stanton, Capt. Cochran
and Joel Wood, who had spoken In be
half Of the projected railroads into Ohio
spoke as follows:
Mn. PRESIDENT Like the gentleman
who has Just taken his seat, Dir. Woods
too can say am not citizen of Wheel
ing; but the interest Of Wheeling Is our
interest, and | think that our interest is
also the interest Of the city OF Wheeling
do not think these roads should be
looked upon Us rivals, but that they should
all be considered as OF importance to this
city sufficient 10 excite an interest that
will induce the city TO do her best 10 get
them.
1t is q well established proposition
amongst men who have paid attention to
railroads that any well settled country,
fertile as this In agriculture and rich In
Of ten miles tributary 10 u road will justify
the making of that road, and roads need
not DO considered as rivals of each
other unless they be so close as to lack
that breadth Of country between them.
The road which l feel particu.
larly interested in because Of re.
latiOn which | sustain 70 II,
does not come into any sort Of COmpeli'
ton with the two roads which have been
presented before you all. | feel diff.
dence in addressing Wheeling audience
upon any matter connected with their
material interests, because II Is 10 be pre-.
sumed they understand these matters bet.
ter than we do, and would not have it
supposed that | have called this meeting
under the presumption that | have any
superior wisdom In this matter TO set be.
lore you this evening. Passing through
the city on another business altogether ]
was informed il was proposed TO have this
meeting and was requested, If convenient,
To he here | cheeriully consented, am
here and am gratihed, fellow citizens, that
you are disposed to hear what | may have
10 say on this subject only regret that
| have not been able TO gather facts and
statistics such US would satisfy you In the
discussion Of question like this, us |
would desire TO do. have not been able
To gather such facts In the city, and though
have many such at home they arc not at
command here and having no eSpeCta.
iiOn whatever Of meeting like this when
lett home | am here before you tonight
just to say in general way what occurs
u me.
With reference to the road up the river
II has this great advantage: ii can be con.
structed at comparatively very small cost,
and when constructed II can bG run NJ
comparatively very small cost. | mean
To say II will be easy TO make and easy to
keep up when made. The estimates
which have been made on this road, and
the bids which have been received for the
construction Of the road, are such rs to
give us assurance OF It's cost. And even
Il this were not SO, VIC know enough as To
what II isprOpOsGd TO lay upon this cOun'
~ to see that the burden will be u very
light one. Two hundred and twenty-five
thousand dollars, TO be laid on taxable
property of $4,000 600 or $l7O00,00O,
you can readily see Is under $l.4O TO tho
800, and II this county and city proposed
To pay the whole OF II at once 1t would
nOtbe an intOlerablc burden but II in
stead Of that they should propose to pay
1t In five years 1t Is n small calculation to
see It would be little over 30 cents on
the 800 that tho subscription would re-.
quire you to raise. Now, when a road
costs but little In its cOnstruCtion, Of course
the probability Of It's being a profitable
investment Is very much greater. That
this road will 10 o paying road there can
therefore DO very little doubt. The Baltl.
more & Ohio road, perhaps, has cost from
two u three times as much per mile rs
this road will cost And yet that road
pays n fair per cent on tho Investment
The road on the other side Of the river
probably cost about as much as this road
will cost. That road, | understand, pays
a fair per cent also on It's Investment
Can we doubt, therefore, comparing this
proposed road with these two already
running roads, that this road also will be
paying Investment. If II is, what risk
does the county Of Ohio or city Of Wheel
Ing run In making the subscription? If
the road will pay reasonable per cent
on the Investment you make In the road,
you can pay for its construction with Dor.
rowed money and pay the loan by the
sale Of your stock, and II will never cost
you really dollar further than the use
Of your credit whilst the road IL In
construction and until its profits can he
returned, and until its stock comes Into
market Now, Is II asking the people Of
this city and county anything tlnrCasOna.
bic 10 propose to them to aid the con.
structiOn Of q work whiCk asks really but
little more than the use Of your credit for
lew years In order that Il may
be constructed and that you may get the
benefit II? For you readily see Il this
road Il to be constructed on subsctip.
ton TO be paid in five years, say, In equal
instalments, II will amount, even II you
should have TO collect the taxes, Ia. but
little over thirty cents on the $780, and u
the road, as there Is every reason TO think
II will, should turn out to be paying
road, then, II you should have to pay the
money, II can be returned to you in the
sale Of your stock, so that you will have
the road and in the end be ut no expense
or but small expense, that Of using your
credit in the meantime 10 assist In build.
ing 1t,
but IL this road can bc made al really M
expense In the end to tho city, ought II
not to be nader Are there not advsr.
taees to accrue to the city from the con.
struction of this road which would Justify
you in this small expense even II 1t should
never DO returned TO you in tho value o.
the stock which would be yours by virtue
OF your supscriptionH Are there not adj
vantagcs accruing from this road to this
city which would justify this expense, Il
there were no other considerations In re.
1urn but those advantages ? We think 80
In the first place, the city Of Wheeling is
more poorly supplied with railroads than
any city of equal commercial enterprise,
wealth and pOpulation known to ME In