The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-12-23

| eQualleu by any OI1eE Guy CcAWluly uO'
surpassed BY any other city, in the West
should have cities Of yesterday TO rise up
and oulstrip her in the way OF population
and commercial greatness. II il had moi
been for the Ohio river and the old Ma
tional Road what would the cityOt Wheel
ing be? But now these facilities are in
adequate to the wants Of the city. Does
not every rejecting man know llAl
her future growth and prosperity
are materially hindcred for The, want ol
railroad facilities. She's in need OF them'
Every department Of her industry HeI
most important industries, are cElppleu
for the want of facilities OF communlca'
lion With Ihe outcr world Really Wheel
inc has no railroad. She is four or i've
miles practically from the through line OF
The Baltimore Il Ohio road; and she is,
mon any railroad estimate OF distance OF
time, four or five miles from the Cleveland
& Pittsburgh road. Itcosts thepassengeI
as much TO get to Bridgeport as To run
four or five miles, as it takes Us much
time to get there-Rnd time Is precious
valuable as money in this Rge-as II would
take time to run on railroad ten OF
twelve miles. And therefore so lar as
time is concerned, you are fifteen OF
twenty miles Of railroad time from thai
depot, and so far as money isiConcerned,
an expense equal to four or i've miles Of
railroad expense But when you come &c
the heavier items Of freight you are much
farther from the road than that, estimat
ing distances as distance is estimated now
BY time or railroads. We do not say how
many miles it Is but how many hours and
minutes OIL It Is, how much precious time
Of which life % made, and which Is money
to the business man, is consumed in get
ting to It, and how much extra expense
Is consumed in getting things freighted.
Now, l am told il costs TO get ton of iron
from Martinsville across 10 the Top Mills
about 10 cents. That kind oil freight
costs about 2 cents a ton Tper mile on the
railroad You discover therefore the ex.
pense Of getting It over that short distance
Is equal To the expense Of getting 1t 30
miles on railroad. Perhaps It will cost q
dollar TO get this heavy kind Of freight TO
the lower mills, and that Is equal to 30
miles Of railroad tonnage. And though
we call that railroad running 10 the
city Of Wheeling, you see that so far as
the expense Of this heavy tonnage Is con.
cerned II Is 80 so miles from Wheeling,
and so far rs convenience and expense oil
the traveller Is concerned, from . to Is miles,
tor We must measure distances by time In
this age. That is one Of the secrets OF
the advantages which flow to people
from rapid communication over u country,
that il annihiatcs distance and brings
points that were reached by days and
even weeks Of travel, in Olden days, al.
most into the immediate vicinity Of one
another.
There Is, therefore, you perceive, in this
point Of view, great reason for having
railroad that will bring these cOmmOdi.
ties which are the staple Of your manu-.
Iactured products, the raw material on
which you work, on your side Of the
river, right to the doors OF the furnaces
and manufactures where they are used,
and where you work upon them the
changes that will add to them the value
OF human labor and return 10 you the
profits that result from the combination
OF labor and OF capital Now, the road
down the river will not only relieve you
of this 30 or 40 or 30 miles OF extra OK
pcnse OF railroad carriage, but II brings
The citizen of Wheeling 90 miles nearer
Pittsburgh than he Is when he gets to
Bridgeport; and II you add the time and
expense In getting over there, II brings
you much nCarcr-it makes The difference
between tho two roads In miles and time
much greater.
/ suppose need not say anything fur.
thcr than has been said ahOnt tho advAn-
tages of competition. Men Of business
here understand that well. They know
how railroads competing with one All.
other will put down frGights, and they
know well how these sOulless corpora.
tons will put up the ireighls when there
Is no competition. We need competition.
This road up the river brings you by the
bridge 1T StcubcnYillc into connection
with the extension Of the Panhandle road
east and west, and establishes competi.
tiOn with the Central Ohio road, estab.
fishes competition cast with the Dalti.
more IL Ohio road, and 80 far as any nd.
vantage may result from competition to
those who employ railroads TO work for
them, II will work TO your interest In that
particular II Is most important par.
ticular. You cannot tell exactly how
much II amounts to, but every man of
business feels II is desirable to be
relieved from the power of mo.
nopolies, and 10 bring tho grasping
and avaricious spirit that characterizes
these organizations to bear one against the
other for the protection Of those who do
business with them. 1t Is dlfllcultto esti.
mate 10 dollars and cents precisely what
these will do; because IL Is one OF those
peculiar influences that operates on the
principles Of human nature, which you
can never measure exactly. You do not
know exactly ~ what extent Is will go.
II goes 10 far In some instances as almost
to ruin the competitors themselves. Even
stage coach lines will compete with one
another 10 carry passengers at charges
almost rulnous to their own interests.
Such u year or two ago WINS the competi.
ton between two steamboat lines from
Cincinnatito Louisville, that gentleman
In the city OF Louisville-a gentleman Of
leisure, who had nothing else TO do but
TO live and pay his expenses, found II
cheaper actually To travel steadily on the
boats up and down the river than TO board
ut the llOtels-such was the competition
This Is tho effect Of competition, and the
more Of II you can have the better for
you. And that this road will compete
with other roads In directions important
to this city Is beyond all question.
Now, again. This road will develop
most important natural resources In this
country. Gov. Stanton said he conceived
II TO be Of more Importance, perhaps, TO
the county than 10 the city. l do not
separate the interests Of the city and coun.
ty. / do not sec how you can make the
road important 10 the county without
making II important to the city-how II
can profit the county without proiiting
the city. II II devel0pe tho mineral 70.
sources Of the county II will be because