The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-03-09
correspondence Cincinnati OolIIflier'
's- WEST VIRGINIA.
CHARLESTON, March l, 1871

Charleston the capital of West Vir-
pinia is an old place, very old place
Charleston is respectable, too. Indeed
before the railroad became certainty
and before the location of the capital,
the town came very near dying OF
chronic responsibility. ! like Charles
ton. | may say that my admiration
for the town and people is intense if
not enthusiastic.
As one approaches this thriving,
growing little city, he is amazed at the
appearance Of that part Of it next the
river. He is confronted by a grotesque
and immodest array Of back doors,
back porches, back houses and kitch-
ems, perched on the edge OF, or over
banging the bank, the whole presenting
an aspect suggestive Of dysentery and
convenience rather than comellness.
Your first impression is, therefore, far
from favorable, but when you have
reached the top of the hill you are
quite bewildered by the tbrongs of peo-
pie who brush past you with an air OF
business. AS soon as you recover, II
given to meditation, you wonder what
all these people are doing, and IT some
of them are not like Chaucers lawyer
"who ever seemeth buster than he il"
but Won must not forget that this is the
capital ola State great in mineral wealth
and of great expectations.
When the good old town awakened
from her Rip Van Wrinkle slumber, and
first began to realize her Importance and
to feel that she was called to take her
place among the metropolitan cities OF
the country, she was dazzled by the re-
Election of her own greatness. She was
aroused. She determined to shake Oft
the drowsiness from her old shriveled
colicy body; to wash her face and be
somebody. Outside capital, 80 timld
and cautious, after lowering while to
reconnoiter, came flying in and built her
nest The almost inevitable result will
be that her nest will be feathered, and
the hidden, untold wealth Of the great
Kanawha Valley will be brought out.
These vast fields Of coal, inferior in
ouality,to none in the markets, and so
easy Of access that the great wonder is
.they have been suffered to be undisturbed
so long, can not repose in idleness much
longer. 1t is fact, not widely known,
perhaps, that coal can be mined here at
less expense than in almost. any other coal
region, and shipped to market at times
when both Pittsburgh and Pomeroy are
shut out by low water. The Pittsburgh
coal is not superior to this in any par
ticular, though dealers have always
asked cent more per bushel. When
Pittsburgh dealers can make money on
their coal Kanawha dealers ought to
gather it in in great "gobs. There are
now in active and successful operation
number Of coal companies along the
river, others getting ready. and others
still in embryo. Let Pittsburgh look
70 her laurels. Iron ore is found here
too, in paying quantities. The supply
of salt water is inexhaustible. For the
life Of me / cannot see why Charleston
should not be great manufacturing
town, and predict that it will be before
many years.
Charleston boasts et Chamber OF
Commerce, four banks, four papers Gall
weekly, besides two religious organs,
and six churches. | have never yet
been able to count the saloons, or the
lawyers. There is about one lawyer
and a half to every two hundred in
habitants. Some of them take rank
among the best in the State.
The Capitol building, without being
pretentious, is a good one, neat and
commodious. The Legislative tapers
will be blown out tomorrow night,
leaving the dear people to grope along
in darkness. The session has been a
success-an entire, unmodified success.
Party lines have been generally drawn
pretty tight One tribute | must pay
this Legislature. ! believe the men,
bers are mostly honest, and that they
have voted from honest convictions.
No doubt some OF them have film Of
prejudice over their eyes, but in these
times of wholesale corruption and
shameless fraud, when you can say OF
a public functionary that you believe
he does what he believes to be right,
YOU are saying good deal, and there
l. q GOOD deal OF comfort in saving it.