The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-11-19
TIE CAPITAL QUESTI0S-IM"E.
DIATE ACTION DEMANDED.

Charleston, the ACT tut 'ho' P"'f
having passed the Legislature on the
10Th, OF February 1869, Since that
time there has been no important i'm
provement in the accessibility OF the
Mace, and the inconvenience OF the
location seems to increase on account OF
che increasing amount OF business to be
transacted by the people at the State
capital. True. the Chesapeake and
Ohio railroad ia in process OF compile
tion, but even when finished it will open
10 but few counties, and they not the
most populous. an easy and convenient
road to Charleston. To the vast ma
snrity of the State the new railroad will
afford no accommodation whatever and
--rll render Charleston no more accessl-
bic than it is now or was twenty years
aro. The building of railroad running
North. and South through the State ard
intersecting both the Baltimore and
Ohio and the Chesapeake and Ohio
roads would remove good portion OF
she difficulty under which the people
.,rs laboring, but that contamination
rrems very far distant indeed and there
j. no human probability that, under the
post favorable circumstances, such
-,qd can be constructed during the next
five years.
The question then is, will the people
OF West Virginia continue to submit
20 the inconvenience they are now suit
fering, in the very remote hope that at
r,me time in'the future they may be
Nle to reach Charleston with less ditti-
,rlty and expense than nov? The OBJ
t,ruc,ions occasioned by low water in
TIE summer and ice in the winter have
already, on two or three important &C
resions, rendered the State Capital al
most entirely inaccessible to three
tourths OF the people OF the State and
seriously interierei with the proper
transaction OF the public business. Is
ere any probability that these diff
allies will be remedied during the en-
,uing five years? If not, then would 1t
pot be better to seek out some temporary
location that. for the present at least,
"a more easily accessible, and let the
State business be transacted there until
Charleston hes achieved the advantage
she hopes to attain, or until the further
development of the State renders it more
ssy to determine where the permanent
location should be?
One Of the chief disadvantages at
tending the present location is the diff
Guilty experienced by the people IN
making their wishes known to the
members of the Legislature, and thus
securing the passage Of beneficial laws
or preventing the adoption of hurt'ul
ones. If member from any one OF
.ne-half the counties in the State
wishes to consult his constituents who
may be deeply interested in a bill under
consideration, he cannot, under the
most favorable circumstances, expect to
receive a reply by letter in less than a
week, and experience during the past
two winters has shown that a much
longer time than this is usually re-
arired. By the time the people OF the
State learn from the newspapers what
ia being done in the Legislature, it is
too late to demonstrate or instruct,
action has already been had and the
subject is beyond control. Fer all
practical purposes the Legislature
might as well be shut up IN jury room
and all intercourse between them and
the people outside strictly forbidden
While the work OF framing a code Of
',ws for the government OF the State is
ICING on. No appeal OF the people to
the Legislature or of The Legislature to
the people can be heard, because there
- between them "a great gull fixed
which cannot be passed in the time
necessary to give effect to their will.
Feeling very keenly themselves the
disadvantage of permitting legislation
to 60 on in the dark, the people Of
'yheeling are anxious to cooperate
With their fellow-citizens in other por.
tons of the State in an effort TO remedy
tie evil. 1t has been suggested in
various quarters that it would be better
for the present to have the seat Of gov
ernment returned to this city where all
the facilities for the transaction Of
public business that Charleston or any
other point in the State erpect to have at
some time in the future, may be imme
lately enjoyed, In order to ascertain
THAT our people were willing to do in
aid of the project, several prominent
and public spirited citizens have been
Engaged during the past few days in
csnvsssing the city in relation to the
matter, and, as the result OF their inqui'
ries, propose to renew substantially the
cffer made to the State by the citizens
of Wheelingin February, 1869. Its,
.riurnish suitable buildings for the Leg.
stature, Court of Appeals and State