The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-07-21

THE people OF ONO county Will pc
called upon to vote to-day upon the queS-
ton rs To whether or not they are willing
70 incur further debt of $500, 900 in aid
of the Pitts burgh, Wheeling and Ken
tucky railroad. The tickets to be voted
involve two questions; the first l. whether
the additional subscription shall be
made, and upon this the voter
saws YES" or "no;' the second
ia As to whether the County Com
missioners NAV have authority 10 transfer
the stock in this road now held by the
county, and upon this the voter says
'yes' or mo
Those who vote against any fur
ther subscription will probably vote
also in favor of transferring the
present stock; and those in favor of tn"
investment Of S3OO.OO0 more will doubt
less oppose the transfer of tn" stock
which the county now holds in this
enter prise.
The advocates of the additional sub
scription SAY that when the road Is COM
pletod as they expect it may be with the
money now sought, it will be solely the
property of the county and may he man
AGED in that interest. while, if it should
mass into other hands, the Interests OF
this CITY and county would be made
second to those of the capitalists owning
the work.
Upon the other hand, the opponents
of additional subscription alIege that the
sum asked for will not complete the road,
and that, in the event of the failure "i
the proposed railroad to pay the interest
ON IFS Indebtedness, it would be All an
nual charge upon the county treasury
and NAV have to be virtually gwen
away in the end under forced sale or the
foreclosure of n mortgage. They are
generally willing to give the road away
now. without any further subscription,
and will therefore vote no ON the qucS-
ton of subscription and YES a regards
transfer.
1t is to he regretted that 81 little pub
lie interest has been aroused in relation
To the matter. 1t is one ofvcry great I'M
portance and vet it is scarcely probable
that moro than one third of the legal
voters of the county will visit the polls
to-day and express their wish in
this regard. The election of constable
or of school commissioner often calls
ont a larger vote than is likely to be- cast
to-day. and yet the question I" be- dccidrd
is one that directly affects every tax
payer in the county.
Under the Constitution, the SuhScrlp-
ton must be authorized by three titthr
ofthe voters voting at this special cleo
ton. 4 bare majority will not suffice
But il must be remembered that in this
AS in all similar cases, the advocates OF
the measure are the most active
and persistent If any money
is needed to dcfray expenses, 1t Is they
who furnish it. They can charge against
the railroad company the expense they
have incurred and have their bills
allowed; but the opponents of the
measure have no treasury to fall back up
on; they must bear the expense thcmselvc,
and, to avoid the burden of Il municipal
debt, the private taxpayer must draw
from his own pocket the money needed
to antagonize q corporation.
In addition to this there is a genera
disposition among the mass Of voters tC
say "yes" to any proposition that ma!
be submitted for their decision. On,
of the most difficult words il
the language to pronounce at tn
proper time is the monoSyllable NO
and communities often find this as hare
to say as individuals do. This tcndenc,
to approve of and coincide in any prop
osition that may be made, will doubles
swell the vote in favor of subscription
to-day. The opponents of any fnrthe
investment in the stock ofthe Pittsburgh
Wheeling and Kentucky railroad vii
have all these influences to overcome.