The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-01-01
A NOTE OF OPPOSITION.


cation calling upon the voters Of the
County to oppose by their votes on next
ednesday. the subscription to the pro-
posed railroad up the river. 1t is but
right that both sides Of the question
should be seen, and that the opponents
as well as The friends CT the proposition
should have fair chance Of making
themselves heard. We have published
a number of letters from friends OF the
project, and have repeatedly expressed
our own views in relation to the mat.
ter, and we nows~ask attention to the
opinions of-the first and only man in
this community who has publicly pro-
neunced his opposition to the railroad,
He probably represents others; how
many we are unable to say, but we
hope they are few, for, should his views
prevail, there will be very little chance
for the future progress Of the city OF
Wheeling. . or
He asks whether the Board of Su-
pervisors will have legal right TO
make a subscription in behalf OF the
county to the capital stock OF a railroad
after three-ffths of the voters have
pronounced in its favor. To which we
answer that they will, most assuredly,
have that right, 1t is true that In
Ohio no corporate subscriptions are
allowed, but there seems to be very
little doubt that the Constitutions al
Convention shortly to be held in Ohio
will give to cities and counties the same
authority to make such subscriptions
as is now exercised here. And we
differ with our correspondent as to the
rightluluess of the system. Such enter
prises as that now under consideration
are designed 10 promote the common
good. They may, and generally
do benefit some persons more than
others, but there is no individual in the
community, no matter how humble,
who will not be benefited to some ex-
tent, in one way or another, by the
building of a railroad to this city.
These things require the outlay OF more
money than private capitalists in our
own midst can usually spare from other
operations. The county, accordingly,
have a better credit than any individual
or company of private citizens, borrows
the money wherever it can be had and
makes the investment. The community
at large reaps the benefit, and, in any
enterprise of so much promise as the
railroad now in question, there Is no
reasonable probability Of the county
treasury suffering any material loss.
There is no more pernicious or mis-
taken notion than that which our cor
respondent seems to have imbibed' that
what is for the benefit of one man must
necessarily be to the detriment OF an
other. 1t is not true. And so far
from the increase in the value OF "Short
creek farms" resulting to the injury OF
laboring men in this city,..it is easy to
show that the reverse is really the case.
II those farms are made twice as valu-
able as now they will pay twice as
much tax, and the burden Of taxpayers
in the city will be correspondingly re-
duced. Besides, every laboring man in
the city, the hod-carriers, bricklayers'
carpenters, plasterers, shoemakers,
tailors, rolling mill men, and all whom
our correspondent calls upon to oppose
this subscription know that whatever
stimulates trade and business &C
tivity in the community increases the
demand for their services and enables
them to get better price for their Ia
Dor. The building of this railroad will
cause the building Of many new depots,
mills and dwelling houses, upon which
the hod carriers, bricklayers, carpenters
and plasterers may find employment.
The operatives employed will need the
services of the shoemakers and tailors
and the new furnaces and rolling mills
which will certainly be erected if the
road is built, will furnish work for all
the coal diggers and iron workers, for
we assure our friends that there is just
as good coal to be found on this side Of
the river as on that. In truth, the
laboring men of the city have, Of all
classes, the deepest interest in the con-
struction OF the road, and should work
most earnestly aud unitedly in its be-
hall 1t will cost them less and yield
them greater advantage than any other
class of our people, and we are sur
prised at our correspondent, who is
usually a man Of clear views, falling
into such error as to oppose the rail-
road
Hon. C. J. FAULKNER has prepared
draft of new Constitution to be sub
mitted to the Convention, partial
synopsis of the provisions of which we
copy this morning from the Berkeley