The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-06-03
The Railroad ElectIons...subscrip.
lions Voted.

The Railroad ElectIons..-Subscrip-
lions Voted.
The elect Ons Saturday in this city re-
suited in tie success, by large majOrities,
of the proposition to authorize subscrip'
tons by the city Of 100000 to the Wheel
ing & Lake Eric Railway Company, and
100000 TO the Company proposing to
build railway bridge over the Ohio al
this point. The proposition to authorize
subscription by tho county Of 100000
to tho Bridge Company also received 9
large majority in the city, so large that II
may overbalance tho adverse majority In
the rest of the county. Just how thai
may DO we ore not yet advised; but the
city has authorized Subscriptions to
amount of 100000 and the county has
probably authorized 100000 more
Those who believed these subscriptions
onght not to be voted, as matters stood,
have largely themselves to blame for their
defeat. They utterly neglected the prime
requisite Of success in all popular cleo.
tlons-organization. They embraced and
embodied the best men and best business
Judgment in the city; and with little
organized effort could easily have polled
hundreds of votes that were polled by the
other side. There seems to have been
such reliance on the prudence and good
sense OF our people-iortifed and in
structcd, as it was supposed to be, by the
disastrous experience Of other times-that
all the ordinary machinery for successful
work on election day, or previous to 1t,
was neglected. The votes that decided
the question were those Of persons COM
paratively uniformed and Indifferent as
10 the real questions at issue. Hundreds
of these were seized by the WILSON par
ty and carried to the polls by them, who
II proper explanations had been made
to them would have voted the other way,
Oithe meansand agencies employed blythe
WILSON party, it can avail nothing now
to speak in detail. Those who organized
1t had such an incentive as usually makes
men work with energy. They had a
thorough organization in all the Wards Of
the city; and all the agencies ever EN-
ployed in the most heated political CON
tests were used lavishly and without scru,
pie, even down to tho voting of boys who
were not legal voters.
We do not particularly complain Of
thesethings. We are only seeking to &C.
count for the result. Our side could easily
have won if they had begun as soon and
resorted to the same agencies as WILSON.
But so far as concerns the mere matter
Of success or defeat, neither counts a
feathers weight against the consciousness
Of an honest cndeAvor to do right We
would not exchange places today, con-
scious as we are OF an honorable effort to
protect the interests Of this community,
with the adversaries who crow so loudly
and insultingly over their victory, pur-
chased as they know it to be by unworthy
means.
We see nothing in this result to modify
the opinions already expressed. The city
has been made TO take risks that might
and ought to have been avoided. Those
laugh best who laugh last. Time will
show whether these subscriptions will Sc
cure Wheeling bridge over the Ohio and
railroad to Toledo. We sincerely hope
they may, and if they do none will BIZ
more rejoiced than ourselves. We trust
that tho anticipations and promises o
those who differed with us, and who were
able, by whatever means, to get the yer
dict, may be realized.
1t may be taken for granted, after this
"vote Of conGdence" in Council, and judg,
ing from the zeal of several members Of
that body, that there will be little delay
or hesitation in making the subscriptions,
It may be, however, that tho searching
discussion our opposition has brought out
will have the effect, If no other, Of con.
straining Council to proceed with caution
and to protect the city by the best securi.
tyit is possible to obtain, insufficient as
that may be. II our course shall have
contributed anything to that result, we
shall all tho more cheerlully accept defeat
for the sake of the good whereof that de,
feat Is the price.