The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1877-07-21
THE CAPITAL.

extends from beyond Lewis county,
and runs. parallel with the Western
slopes of the Alleghenies, about
100 miles in West Virginia and 100
miles in Pennsylvania, to the city Of
Pittsburgh. Then there are the val
ley, of the Tygart's Valley river, and
the valleys of the Cheat and the Buck
harmon rivers, on the East. beside
the valleys Of many large streams on
the west side of the Monongahela riy
er, all Tributary to the great valley,
and draining and fertilizing hundreds
of miles Of country and millions Of
acres ofarable lands in West Virgin
ia. The general course Of all these
streams, and consequently valleys,
is from South to North along the base
Of the Allegheny Mountains. There
are no thoroughfarcs in this great
valley or the lesser ones in this State
except such as are made by nature.
The rivers Cheat and Tygart's Val
ley are only nayigablc a short dis
lance from their mouths in freshets,
and the main stream, the Mononga
hela, is only navigable above the
slackwater, finished in the State of
Pennsylvania, during frcshets, and
none of them nayigable then, except
for floating RATS of timber and laden
fat oats to market. The Federal
Government has appropriated about
$75, 600 to complete the Pennsylya-
MIA slackwater improvement to Nor
gantown, distance of 10 miles. The
B. q O. r. r. (main stem) and
the n. w. Va. r. II. (Parkersburg
branch cross this valley at right an
giles. These are the only thorough
fares we have in the Monongahela
Valley excepting the rivers) and
they only cut across. There are none
running from South to North, along
the course of the valleys, except the
slackwater Improvement
Now look aJ the Great Kanawha
Valley, which.it is said needs deyel-
opment so badly. 1t extends from
the Allegheny Mountains to the Ohio
river, running from East to West. 1t
has the Kanawha river, below the
falls, much larger and more nayi-
gable stream than the Monongahela,
d distance of about 100 miles through
its centre. This river is being i'm
proved by the Federal Government
by slackwater-ove 5000, 1000 having
been appropriated therefor, and the
money has been and is now being
spent thereon. Then there's the
Chesapeake d Ohio r. r. running
from East to West, parallel with and
in the centre Of this valley, immedi-
ately in the centre Of their great min
eral and timber region, and along the
Great Kanawha river, except short
distance near its mouth. When this
road was organized the State Of West
Virginia took two-fifths of the stock.
This stock was paid out of taxes col
lected from all the people. The State
share in said road, expended in West
Virginia previous to the late war, was
100000. Since the organization
Of West Virginia the Legislature of
the State has donated this 81 100000
to the railroad company, and the
State in her settlement with Old Vir-
ginia of the state debt existing at the
time of the commencement of the late
war, must account for this sum spent
within her borders, which is equiva-
lent to its having been directly col
lected from her toiling sons as so
much taxes.
Now the Kanawha Valley has this
railroad running along its centre and
this slackwater improyement-$1,-
100000 spent by the State and $780,,
900 by the Federal Government for
it's development, against the paltry
$4,000 spent in this county by the
Federal Government-and yet it
wants the Capital, according to Judge
Brown, ''to develop its great mineral
and timber interestsr'
The Monongahela wants the State
| Capital at Clarksburg, not to de-
velop our great mineral
and timber interests, but as an in
ducement to capitalists of Pittsburgh
and vicinity to extend the Mon
ongahela Valley r. r. and slackwa-
ter to that point, in order that our
people may have a chance to develop
their great mineral and timber inter
ests, in securing a speedy and safe
way to market. This railroad will
be finished this summer to Browns