The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-01-16
GheGttelLige1rte
Railroad Agitation in Brooke
County,

county will pass upon the question Of
subscribing ss,Oe3 60 in order to pay of
BrOoke's share Of the S24,5O6 96 Of debt
still hanging over the road, the under
standing being that Ohio county will pay
the balance.
An address on the subject appears in
Yesterdays RlHhaRdle NrR from Prof..
Pendleton, A. Wilson, James Archer and
Ewing Mccleary, who were appointed a
committee byia meeting Of citizens held
at the Court House last week, Tho ad-
dress states that
1.-THE commissioners Of Ohio county,
believing that 1t Is important to the public
interest that the road should not DO sold,
have decided that they will pay two-third!
Of this debt, provided the people OF
Brooke county will pay the remaining
ons.Lhid-thatiS, one.third Of S24, ,bOB 96,
with interest and court costs, or
$s,O6s 66." u.n
Among the inducements held out to
the tax payers Of Brooke county to vote
this additional subscription to the road
ia the following forcible statement;
live pay this debt, and 80 secure the
completion Of tho road, 1t will be . last
ing benefit to every tax payer In the
county. We do not refer 10 tho general
advantages Of railroad running through
tho county. These, Of course, every one
can understand. Its convenience, It's re.
duction Of freights by q legally regulated
competition with existing roads, Its de-
yelopment Of manufactures, and thus, the
increase Of taxable property, the increase,
OF population, and tho enhancement ot
every agricultural Interest," these are
benefits that all can see, and which
inure, in n measure, to all but be.
sides this, sixteen miles Of this road
will lie In Brooke county, that Ia to
Say 100000 OF additional taxable prop
erty will DO entered upon our Assessors
books, and this not for q year only, but
for all time Now consider that this is
OHe.seeah Of the entire taxable value oil
our county, and who cannot see that ut
levy Of ono dollar on the hundred, In two
years, II will pay back to the county this
entire subscription in taxes, then, for all
time, continue 10 be an ever Increasing
source OF revenue TO our treasury. For
an additional outlay Of $1,000, this may
be secured; without Il, this will be lost Z.
We Judge the subscription will carry
on the 23d, although there are symptoms
ofoppositlon. We notice that at a meet
Ing in Gross Creek township, held at
Goodwill School House, the question
was discussed pro and con by james
Archer and R. Patterson In favor OF the
subscription, and by n, Wells and
E. Gullett In opposition, At the close
OF the discussion MI Wells offered
u string Of resolutions which, among
other things, go on to recite that "tho
President and Directors Of tho Road had
no right to create a debt beyond their
ability pay" and denying that "oneSet
oimen have any moral, equitable or re-
llglous right to vote tax on other men
for an imaginary, speculative enterprise,
IN which but one party alone Gun be BEN
eattedt" affirming that 1T any company
would accept the road d a. git, with a
view Of finishing and operating II, they
would not hesitate to recaiye 1t with the
present debt;n also affirming that the
prospects for business on the line are not
such as to induce capitalists to finish and
operate it, also declaring belief that
the present County debt Is 40 near the
Constitutional limit that the Court can
not increase the County debt to cover tho
amount asked for; also making the fol-
lowing rather curious statemcnt-yia-
aThat the present railroad debt will
cost The county 10 principal and interest
the sum Of SlS7,660, and II the yearly
payment Of interest was annually put TO
Interest and compounded Of u per cent
b inatead Of In railroad stock, and add the
principal when due, II would create =
fund for the county Of A76,5l2, all ot
which Is a total loss TO the Taxpayers"
We cali the above a rather curious
statement, and II certainly iS, especially
when we reflect that $4,000, Of the
sls15OO alluded 10 has already been 70.
ted and expended, and has therefore no
proper place in deciding whether it Is
wise to vote 5000 more to ssye4he road,
The question Il, is the trunchiScf the road
bed, the mAsonry, &c. worth saving, and
will $1,000 save them 50 faf as Brooke
county is concerned. Calculations as 10
how much money might have been saved
In the way Of principal and interest, may
be very interesting as d matter Of regret
iul speculation, but all such regrets are
Ia The nature Of crying ovet spilled
milk, and entirely useless We think that
those who favor the small subscription
now asked for, take common sense view
Of The situation when they regard the
road as worth its present debt-vit =
$4,000. Somebody will probably bid
that much In case the road IL put to sale
and possibly more, for II Ia said that the
right Of way can be readily fesOld to the
land owners along the rottte for nearly
cost-suy s25,OO0-ahd that the bridges,
stone work, Sc, will bring $4,000 more
tfthe Baltimore road for instance, should
really want to stOpthe project IT could
we'll afford 10 bid S25,0OO OF $4,000 for
The road. For ali lhatit will new cost to
save the road, until times get better, II
would be ''pcnny wise and pound foolish"
to lot II go to sale.
While on this subject we may say that
we recently had a conversation with a
prominent man, who has had bis eye on
The road, in the coutte Of which he gave
ns to understand that In case the debt
was paid of he would undertake the com.
pletion Of the road, provided the two
counties would turn 1t over to him and
HE syndicate. The gentleman IL not
novice in such matters, but has been en-.
gagged in the business before, and Ia a
- 4 lit - t.n..s.a If Nkls