The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-07-22
TAe Capital Removal question,
FArpxorr. Julr %, 1874.

men NlIh whom nave CouNeISeu upon
the subject the capital removal project
should not Be made part or parcel in The
election Of members Of the Legislature
this fall. The people Of our State have
other and more important interests 10 look
after Just now than the renewal Of the
agitation d the removal Of the Capital OF
the StAte. They have had enough Of this
kind Of agitation. Admitting that Q great
many Of our wise and good men all over
the State seriously desire and think that
tho Capital should be located OF some
more central or convenient place than
where II now is, still / cannot zee why
the question ehould enter into popular
election, such Gs d 10 be had on the 18Th
oi October next.
THR PACT Il,
the State IL not now able 10 provide
money 70 build 8 Capital even II Il were
located at some other place than Charles.
ton. There Is no other place outside Of
Wheeling that the Legislature could be
temporarily located. This being the case
-ifChAEleston cannot be reached BY the
many who are snxiously awaiting an
opportunity 10 serve the dear people a.
r!presentAiives-let the next Legislature,
Immediately after assembling and organ
izirg, pass an sct 10 hold It's session in the
city Of Wheeling.
A BETTER AND A WISER PLAN
than this would be to assemble at Charles.
ton, the present seat Of government, and
wait for the people, BY petition, to ask
them TO locate the Capital at some other
more desirable place. This is certainly
desideratum upon the part Of the people
which ought not 10 be overlooked by
those who desire 70 represent them IN the
Legislature. While Il may be that the
Legislature, assembled at Wheeling, did
an unwise act in locating the Capital at
Charleston, it Is nevertheless true that II
did 90, and did so in good faith. The
people al Charleston, presuming upon
this good faith Of the representatives OF
the whole people Of the State, provided
ample accommodations for the the tenn
pofary
MEETING OF THR LEGIsLATURB,
and for the business transactions Of the
several departments Of State, and this too
without any considerable expense 10 the
Stste. They did this, Of course, expect
ing thAt when an appropriation was made
t0.build Capital 1t would be built at
Charleston. And this ia not all. The
hundreds Of people who have
GONE TO CHARLESTON
and purchased property and commenced
business, did 80 with the understanding
that fhav Vyhra 1Orok;pI fharoaa1yoa al Nbo
seat OF government. 20 now attempt 70
remove the Capital would not only look
VScilAting In our people, but would SAVIOR
strongly in the direction OF weakness.
Certainly 1t will not be done; and espe-
ciAlly do hope that NO one will be so
foolish as TO attempt to make it an issue
in the coming fall election. Il has moth
ing whatever 10 do with politics, neither
has it any importance attached to it that
concerns the prosperity Of the whole peo-
pie Of the State. Make 1t an issue, and
the
ERxT LEGISLATURE
will be made up Of q world Of opinions
a. 70 where the Capital should be located
and built Every other delegate, for good
and wise reasons, which he would have
70 explain In q speech, would want the
Capital at his town. In this way another
session would be FILTERED away, without
any result, in Idle talk by foolish men
about where the Capital Of the State
should be. Our people are, and have q
right TO be,
sIcK AND TIRRD
and disguised with this kind Of legis-
listing. They demand to be spared from
this kind OF annoyance in the future.
They claim that there Is now 8 common
feeling among the people in favor Of some
kind OF legislation touching the vital in
terests OF the people Of the State st large.
While the people oil almost any town in
the State would not object TO having the
Capital located in their midst, they gen.
orally prefer that the Legislature should
DO something in the way Of encouraging
the location Of
CAPITAL AND LABOR
with them. A good factory is worth
more 70 any town in the State ihAn 3
dozen Capital buildings. The first in
Vites industry and money; the latter, idle
nesS and the expenditure Of money. In.
dustry makes money: money makes
great State.
But let me return to the subject 10 ques.
ten, and state briefly my objections TO
agiisting the Capital removal project in
the tall elections. Prominent politicians
Of both political parties say that the peo-
pie are needing better legislation-WEnt
better and more wholesome laws before
they can bea
GRBAT, PROSPEROUS PROFILE
Whist Is il they need? Certainly not a
State Capital. They have that. What
then! Is II that they cannot find men
en0ugh-good and wise men-to go TO
thst Capital! Certainly not There are
good and true and wise men enough oil
over the State ready and willing to go to
the present seat Of government and work
honestly and intelllgently for the best in.
tersts ofthe whole people. The mistake
or fault certainly lies with the people in
not finding better class Of represents
tive men TO legislate for them. We are
told, for example, that our
STATE FINANCES
are badly managed and need 70 be care
fully looked after; that our tax law IL OBJ
iecuonSble in many particulars; that our
road law Is simply an abominstion,-that
roads should be made and kept in good
order by taxation on property instead OF
being made and worked BY the laboripg
Glasses Of people who have NO interest in
them; that our
FRRE SCHOOL SYSTEM
Is going into disrepute by neglect and
unlriendly legislation; that the great and
important duty Of electing q United States
Senator depends upon the next Legisla-
ture. These considerations, Of themselves,
are amply sufficient TO convince the judp-
ment olGuy candid thinking man that the
Capital Removal question should not be
mooted In the coming isll election.