Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1876-12-23

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cannot be controverted, that it
will be greatly to the interest of
the people of the State to proclaim
(through the lawful channel that
Martnsburg, from and after the
year 1850, shall, and of right ought
to be, the Capital city of the State.
Martinsburg, sitting enthroned
SIS queen in the gateway Of the
great valley reaching from the
Hudson to the Gulf, surrounded
by the most fertile agricultural
counties of this or of any State of
the Union, with climate most
healthful and invigorating, the pu-
rest of water supplies, and market
ing most abundant and reasonable,
the numerous and comparative
railroad arteries to the Eastern
seaboard at New York, Philadel-
phia and Baltimore, to which great
marts of trade our products are
shipped, and from whence our sup
plies OF merchandise are drawn,
and where our exchanges are made
and the money received and re-
turned, to be again distributed
among the citizens of our whole
State. AS certain and sure as the
seasons changelessly follow the
immutable DEGREES of Omnipo-
lance, the products of the hus-
bandman and miner seek the sea-
board cities for a market, and in
exchange for cash and merchan-
disc, required by the wants of our
people. And are not our railroad
facilities to the South and South
east, to the North and West of the
State already far more convenient
for the assembling of the people
to the Capital here, and the advan-
tages far superior to those offered
by either of the cities of Wheeling
or Charleston Again--in the
near future, we have a line of mar
row guage railroad extending from
Harrisonburg through the coun-
ties of Pocahontas, Webster, Brax-
ton, Calhoun, Roane, jackson and
Mason, to Point Pleasant, "a work
which is now progressively which,
with our recent proposed road to
Charlestown, Jefferson Co., where
we connect with the Winchester
or Valley branch of the B. & o
Railroad, (at very small outlay
to the county of Berkeley and
with the Shenandoah Valley Rail
road, with the outlook via. the old
Loudon and Hampshire (now the
Washington and Ohio Railroad,)
which will give us a direct line to
Washington, and by quite as short
a line as the present one via. B. &
o., it being by this line only rs
miles to Washington and SIS to
Alexandria.
Again--the Washington and
Ohio Railroad, in a very short
time, will, without doubt, be COM
pleted through to the Ohio river,
either by Winchester, or may we
not hope to attract them here via.
the Charlestown airline connec-
ton, and thence South and West
through Berkeley, Hampshire,
Hardy, Grant, Tucker, Randolph,
and Upshur counties, into Wes-
ton, in the county of Lewis, there
to connect with the Weston and
Clarksburg r. r., (now being
built,) which will give us four
trunk roads East and West, thro
the State, all centering or leading
here, which would make Martins
burg the great railroad centre of
the State. We conceive it to be
perfectly practicable to build a
narrow guage road from Martins
burg to Weston, in Lewis county,
where we would connect with the
road now being built from there
| towards the Ohio river-also of
narrow guage-to bring the iron
ores from the counties of Hamp-
| shire and West thereof along the
| line, to meet here the anthracite
coal of Pennsylvania, where frlrna-
ees and rolling mills would be
| erected to smelt and utilize it
| Other branches of manufacturing
| would spring up, capital would
seek investment here from all parts
of the country, and all kinds of
manufacturing would be represen-
ted. Our farmers would have q
better market brought right to