The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-01-11
LETTER FROM COLUMBUS.
Randi Growth OF the City-.Its Pros
perity, &c.

Permit me, as citizen of the capital
Of the great Buckeye State, to make to
YOU and the citizens of the capital of
West Virginia my politest comgee. But
do not put on airs If you are citizens of
that civil metropolis. Take example OF
aus, for we are very humble people, as
ahe world knows, or ought to know, for
1he selfish world Is often slow to recog-
tnize true merit.
i As Capital, Columbus is older than
sWheeling, but as city you are many
svears our senior
7 When we were an humble village
mail among the thousands of our coun-
.ry. YOU were place of note, standing
orosily at the head of navigation, and
CARRYING on an immense trade with the
rising West and the far Oft sunny South.
A nd AS for poor little Columbus then, 1t
compared with you US Mantua with
Rome. and that (as Virgil says) was rs
an humble shrub to the tall cedar, or as
a small kid to its mother.
Cities, like individuals, have charac-
tiers, and this, too, is generally self-made.
Cities do not often become great by hav
ing greatness thrust upon them. Usually
their greatness is self development-the
result of the energy and enterprise al
their citizens in connection with some
local or acquired advantage; and often,
too. there is n tide in their affairs which,
it taken at Its flow, leads them to dlstlnc-
ton.
For many long years Columbus was
place of social and commercial slumber.
The abode OF Incidence and inaction, de-
pendent on the annual session OF the
Legislature to impart transient life and
vigol. In the winter the people were
waketul, in the summer asleep. Such
state of things no longer remains. There
is not place now in all the land more
active. the whole year round than this.
TIL. immense coal fields of the Hoe
hocincare at our door. a first class rail-
way built principally by our citizens,
has brought them. Coal is king. His
sceptre is prosperity.
The amount of fuel that comes to this
city from the South and the'lumber from
the North, would astonish novice But
the capacity of our foundries, factories,
furnaces and machinery is so great that
the supply only equals the demand, and
the mountains of lumber soon melt away
and reappear in all kinds of furniture
and house building material.
A city to extend must manufacture
This our city now sees, and IN this line
she is bending her united energy.
Seven railroads finished, and two more
nearly completed fill us with hope OF
future greatness.
To be the seat of legislation is doubt
less an advantage TO any city. That It'll
To Columbus. we do not pretend to deny.
The Benevolent, Penal, Military and
other State Institutions made to cluster
here through our being the Capital OF
Ohio, are of great advantage to the
place. They not only add thousands OF
consumers and many producers to the
population, but cause many other thou.
sands TO visit us, annually, who would
not come were these institutions not here.
From \ combination of causes, We are
growing, growing rapidly. as the numer-
Gus and elegant private residences, ous-
mess houses, and the costly, mammoth
public improvements that have sprung
into being in all parts of the city OF late
will attest. Those who revisit Us alter
wears of absence, express surprise at
these palpsble evidences of thrift
The removal of the old Nicholson rub
bish from High street, the recurbing OF
the street from end to end with elegant
" cut stone, and the RELAXING OF II with
substantial asphalt was herculean work.
II is now as solid AS rock and IS smooth
as A slate. Wheels seem 10 laugh as
they whrl over it, and horses dance with
delight the moment their feet touch It.
1t is never muddy, but it is always either
wet or dusty, especially the latter, and
then tits a terrible nuisance when the
wind blows, pepperIng everything
running clothing, binding pedestrians,
powdering dry goods and provisions in
stores, causing the protane to swear ana
the most pious 10 wish that no such
pave had ever appeared.
Stirring times now. Legislature IN
session; one administration going out.
another coming in; everybody on up-
toe touching the approaching Inaugural
ton; hundreds OF hungry office seekers
hanging around all the depart
menis of State like half starved
niys around corn bins. Humid.
reds more are be.c eing the Gover-
nor for psrdons for convict friends who
have (poor men y somehow most unior-
,unsteiy through erring judges and ig-
norsnt juries, been cast into the peni-
tertiary. A place, it's said, full to
oyerhow,ng, where they have far more
inmates than cells OF accommodation.
| But have many other things 10 say
in the REGISTER of persons, pisces, im-
provements and things in general IN this
city, snd so for the present. Adieu.
s A 7.