Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1875-03-16
Spirit Of geffrrsoll,
CharlestoWn, Jefferson County, West Va.
TUESDAY MORNING, MARCH is, 1875.
THE CAPITAL BILL DISCUSSED.

calIeu up TOT discussion,
DIR. Tanner made a motion to recommit
the bill, for the purpose of making the ioca-
tion permanent if the Capital must be remov>
ed, aud toput the question forever at rest.
And upon this question he made the fol-
lowing remarks:
Little did think until within the last few
hours that it would ever be necessary for me
to raise my feeble voice in the support of the
Capital OF this State remaining in this beauti-
ful valley of the Kanawha little did think
that any considerable portion of the members
of this House could suppose that the true
interests or the policy of the State at this
time either demanded or justified any inter-
ference with this question
And, Mr. Speaker, were to remain silent
upon this question, l would fail to discharge
| an obligation l owe to my constituents, for
which may never be able to make to them
the proper amends.
But this question has been so discussed
that inspiration itself could scarcely throw
any farther light upon it.
Yeti appears that the fat has gone forth,
regardless of the true interest of the State,
and of the people, that the Capital shall be
removed.
Let me ask, in all frankness and honesty,
are the true and real interests of the State,
Are we by this act representing the will of
our constituents? Are we representing the
hard listed yeomanry of the State. the people
who pay the taxes? These, now, are the
true questions that address themselves to
your judgment and to your understanding.
Will you. by the perpetration of this act,
aid in developing the resources and wealth of
the State?
Will you. by concentrating all the patrons
age of the State in one single locality. accom-
plsh the development of the great resources
aud the wealth of West Virginia?
Will you, by remoVing the Capital to the
city of Wheeling, temporarily. enhance the
value of one single acre of the adjacent lands.
or the price of one single building in that
city, whose property and land has already at
tanned all the value that State patronage and
accumulated wealth can bring with it?
IT you move this Capital now from this
section of the State. you at once check the
advancing prosperity of this people, and you
roll back the tide of public improvement in
the southwestern section for years to come
by one false stroke of your policy you forever
ruin and render worthless the best prospective
improvement on the West of the mountains,
and the only one that ever proposes to ira
verse your State from North to South. /
have reference to the Northern and Southern
West Virginia Railroad, leading from Char
lesion to Uniontown. Pa, and passing through
the central portion and entire length of our
State. If tie Capital remains at Charleston
for few years that must add to the value of
the taxable property of this State through
which 1t is to pass, must in the nature and
the face of circumstances soon be completed
move it to Wheeling, or nea- the other end
of this railroad, and years and years will pass
without seeing this road completed. without
seeing the resources of this State developed,
as it has heretofore promised since the Capital
has been located here.
Will you by this fatal stroke of policy
render tributary to one section alone the
entire balance of the State, to the detriment
of all the interests that is to make you
united and prosperous people
1t has been said by gentlemen on this floor,
that it is inconvenient for members to get
from Wheeling to Charleston; by what road
then | would ask is it easier for members to
travel from Charleston to Wheeling
Let us see then what remedy the bill pro-
poses to apply to the evil of which you COM
plain:
Last year you spent in the useless discus
sion of this question $4,000 of the peoples
money; this year we have already spent Sl2,>
QUO more to their hard earnings, and your
bill now proposes to remove it temporarily to
Wheeling. some of the members assert. for
the purpose of making future location of it
somewhere, at some future time. Is this the
kind of legislation that the people demand at
our hands? think not. Your bill proposes
to keep up the useless and ruinous discussion
of this vezed question from year to yea-,
without the slightest hope of arriving at any
conclusion of the matter, and that too at a
cost to the people of from 10000 to $4,000
dollars annually.
Mr., Speaker, I feel confident that 1 not
only repesent the will of my constituents. but
that represent the will of a large majority
of the constituent body of this State iu en-
tering my protest against the passage of this
act.
DIsTREsslNG.-A little child of Mr.
SharLon Il CLa.las.a. w u. 49,.