The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-05-15

end) But we shall be told, Of course,
Council will make such stipulation
and all others necessary to protect the
city. Council onghtto, but their refusal to
make any conditions on which we might
vote is enough to excite q doubt, TO say
nothing US to the general propriety Of
voting SO large a sum into the control Of
such body without any check upon the
jobbery which 1t would infallibly give
rise to.
For ourselves, we have to say that
while we have done what we could 10
good faith to encourage the building OF a
railroad and bridge, while we are per.
suaded that such undertakings, Il consum.
mated, would DO worth 10 the city all 1t is
proposed 10 contribute for that purpose,
we have never contemplated advising our
people 10 vote money into the hands Of
any organization proposing 10 undertake
these works, without the clearest evidence
Of good faith on their part, nor until they
could furnish indisputable proof Of their
ability to finish the work undertaken. nor
without the amplest protection against
misrepresentation, failure or fraud. We
have waited patiently till the gentlemen
engaged In the Wheeling & Lake Eric"
scheme and in the Railroad bridge scheme
could get their projects into working
shape; we gave to the public, as they gave
to US, from time 10 time, their reports Of
progress vague and indefinite, 1t must be
confessed they have been) We encour.
aged our people to look favorably on the
undertakings proposed, and encouraged
the belief,as we were encouraged in It, that
they would soon be able to come before
our people with such an exhibit Of their
affairs as would warrant o subscription to
aid them. A vote on such subscription
has been ordered, at their solicitation, and
the day set for 1t Is only fortnight dis.
tant; and yet, we are obliged to say, no
satisfactory exhibit Of the affairs Of these
organizations such as would warrant 70.
ting them 100000 or 100000 has been
made. What do our people know about
this contract, Of which we have
heard SO frequently? What do they
know about the responsibility of the
contractors? What do they know
about the progress along the line in OBJ.
tanning local subscriptions: How much
has been actually subscribed in black and
white, and by whom, and where? What
evidence has been furnished that the
Railway company win or can raise $780,.
900 by an extra mortgage on the road for
subscription to the brldgeG What price
are the mortgage bonds Of the company
to be sold for in the market? And who
knows whether the price contracted to be
paid for building the road may not be
half million or a million too much-the
contract having been made without the
survey or estimates Of an engineerH Who
knows whether the Cleveland & Pitts.
burgh road will subscribe dollar toward
the bridge, or whether it is contemplated
that Wheeling is to carry the whole bur.
den Of building it herselt-and to put
other subscriptions into il to save the
work done with previous ones2 Council
have given us no guarantees against such
a result and no enc knows that they will. |
The Register continues to smuse its
readers with Arguments showing the de.
STABILITY of the road and bridge. Argu.
ments Of that character ore no longer
necessary. Our people are convinced Of
that. But now we have reached stage
further along. We are now asked TO vote
money to certain organizations which pro.
less to be able 10 build the road and
bridge. 1t is reasonable, proper, neces.
sary, that they furnish our people such
evidence OF ability and such protection
against failure or fraud rs will entitle
them to public confidence to the extent Of
the 100000 or 100000 asked for. ri
they can and will do this before the cleo.
tion, we believe the subscriptions will and
ought to be voted. If not, we think they
ought not and we judge they will not be
voted. I..