The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-04-03
.CHARLEST ON.
Work Of the Convention-Report on
COrporaitons-The Section Rela.
ting to Railroads-Rep0rto on Mis-.
cellapeOus Provisions, &c.

The Convention has been engaged
nearly all day in considering the report
Of the Committee OF the Whole on the
subject Of Corporations. Numerous
were made to the report,
the section in relation 10 railroads ex-
citing the principal debate and being
most holly contested. The main pro-
visions OF the report were borrowed
almost verbatim, from the Illinois Con-
and were just as iDapplicable
and unwise in West Virginia as the
different characteristics of the two
States would permit. Illinois is a
prairie State where railroads may be
built cheaply, and was, when this
Constitution was adopted, checkered all
over with railroads upon which the
railroad Kings of the East had laid
covetous eyes and an attempt was
being made to include these roads in
one or the other of the railroad rings
that have so long defied the laws OF
New York. The restrictive features OF
the Illinois Constitution in relation to
these corporations may therefore have
been both necessary and wise in view
of existing circumstances in that
State. But the ENGRAVING OF these
identical propositions upon the Con-
s,itution Of West Virginia was an act
of sheer absurdty. We want all the
railroads we can get, and, unfortunately
our mountains will forever prevent the
building Of many railroads that our
PEOPLE really need and it is not very
likely that West Virginia will need
much protection from "Lcv'atho"s OF
this particular species during the next
hundred years. The Convention to day
modified very materially the more Oh
nox;cus feature, o. the original report
in this respect and although it is still
so stringent as TO be somewhat burden
some upon the railroad companies, it is
not 50 completely prohihitory as was
at first contemplated.
1t was a curious TACT that the del
egatcs from most OF the mountain
counties, where no railroad can ever
penctratc and where Gabriel trump
will be sooner heard than the whistle
Of q locomotive, voted right straight
along for the most rigid and onerous
exactions upon the railroad companies.
It was also a curious fact that every
man who had ever had private
Quarrel or local difficulty with either
the Baltimore and Ohio or the Chesa
peake and Ohio railroad companles
wanted to punish his antagonist by
firing at him q clause in the Constltu-
ton.
You have doubtless heard that
great ashes from little toe-corns grow,
but YOU have seldom seen a better
illustration of the truth Of the old
saving than is afforded by the small
beginning that has resulted in a specific
clause in the proposed Constitution oil
West Virginia. l have been told that
when the line of the Chesapeake and
Ohio railroad was being located, one OF
the employees OF the company having
straycd into the town Of Guyandotte was
guilty of some slight infractlon OF one
of the ordinances Of the town and was ar.
rested and fined therefor. The result OF
this was the location OF depot about
mile and a half from the town, and the
result Of that was an act passed by the
LEGISLATURE last winter and clause in
the new Constitution requiring any
railroad passing within half mile OF
any town or village to locate a depot at
the nearest or most convenient point
for the citizens of such town or village.
The whole matter is now fixed in the
Constitution and Guyandotte is re-
venged.
Mr.. Farnsworth wanted to establish
in the new Constitution some standard
rates of freight and prevent the charg~
ing of higher rate for transportation
over any one hundred miles than over
any other equal or greater distance,
and. in q moment OF enthusiasm, an
amendment was adopted looking to
this end Subsequent reflection showed
the members of Convention that
they had committed an error and they
reconsidered and rejected the piece OF
special legislation they had just before
approved.
The Report on Corporations vas
finally passed upon by the Convention
and sent to the Revisory Committee
about five o'clock this afternoon.
Colonel John Blair Hoge, Of Martins
burg. and James S. Wheat Esq, OF
Wheeling, are entitled to much of the
credit OF having so modified the report
before its final adoption as to deprive it
of its most Objectionable features and
render i, rather more tolerable than it
was at first feared it would be. Mr..
Fitzhugh and Mr.. Knight, of. Kama
wha, Mr.. Brown, Of Preston, Mr..
Byrnc, of Clay, and others, were also
consistent and eloquent and effective
advocates OF greater liberality to these
vast works of internal improvement
than was contemplated in the original
report.
During the discussion Of this subject
in Committee of the Whole, one OF the
members drew a fearful picture of the
railroad companies as 4 monstrous
beast which he called 8" Levi.athan" and
represented as prancing up and down
the the valleys of our most unhappy
State swallowing up thousands OF poor
men" and their interesting families and