The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-06-30

HsAA
1877, upon the Question Of the Per.
manent Location OF the Capital Of
the State.
Fsllo,o citizens of the county of Le,ois:
This is my first and it may be my
last visit to your county. L have long
desired to visit you and make personal
examination Of the noble institution 10
Gated in YOUR midst, but one thing and
another hiss prevented me from doing 80,
and but tor the great and important
question of the location OF permanent
seat of government for our State, it Is
doubtful if this desile would ever have
been grstifed.
And have not visited you at this
time, entirely of my own accord, but In
compliance with the request OF portion
o. YOUR citizens, who desired to hear the
question To which l have alluded dis
cussed from n Charleston standpoint.
And now l invoke your patient and can
did attention whiIo present to you the
considerations which in my Judgment
should decide this question OF Capital
Location in favor of Charleston.
LOCATION oF STATE INSTITUTIONS.
The irst Constitution OF the State pro-
yided that the seat of government should
be At Wheeling "until = permanent seat
of government be established by law"
Al the session OF the Legislature hold
in 1866, the rst session alter the war,
the agitation of the question OF the To-
cation of permanent seat OF govern
ment Tor the State, and OF the other
institutions of the State was commenced.
The Hospital for the Insane had al
ready been located at Weston, IN your
county, by the authorities of the State OF
Virginia, and the sum of Sl25 600 has
been expended thereon by that State.
The re-orsanized government OF Nir.
einis had also expended thereon the sum
of $1,000. Aud under these circum-
stances IL was deemed proper and right
that this institution should remain at
Weston, and an appropriation OF $4,000
WAS made for the further construction OF
the building Up to this time the State
had no penItenisry, and it ives deter
mined At this session to locate and build
one, and also, if possible to establish
permanent seat Of government FOR the
State, but before dong either q prellm-
ipsry question had to be settled as to
whether all the public institutions OF the
State should be located at one place,
or distributed through the various por-
tions of the State AID si.er mature con-
sideratlon the pnIry OF di-trIbutIun pre-
vailed, and under It, the penlten;lsry WAS
located at Muurd>vi!le IN tie county OF
Marshall The iDrt to locate The seat
Of government tailed, bu. it came very
near being located Al Buckhannon.
At the session of 1867, in pursuance
otthis poncy .; distribution, the Agri
cultural Co!lesr WAS located at Morgan
town. in the county of Monongslis; tho
State Normal Soho"! In the county OF
Csbell, and the Nest Liberty Normal
School in the county OF ONO.
THE SEAT or GOVERNMENT.
Another effort was made to locate: the
psrmsnent seat of government but with
out success.
At the session Of 1868, in further per-
susuce Of this policy of distribution, the
Fsirmont Normal School WAS established
In the county OF Marion, and another
effort was made to locate the sea. OF gov.
eminent and again it failed.
These repeated efforts and failures to
locate the seat of government were any
thing but beneficial to the State. A
great deal Of the time of the Legislature,
aud q great deal of the money OF the
people had been expended IN these
fruitless efforts with no other result than
To imasme the passions OF the people,
and create bitter sectional feelings.
The Legislature which met in 1869, saw
the great necessity Of putting an end to
this strife and contention, and OF allsying
these sectional pre]udices and feeiings'
and it went to work with q determine
ton to locate the permanent seat of gov
eminent and have doLe with 1t; ana IN
still further pursuance OF this policy OF
distribution II passed bill establishing
the seat of government permanently At
Charleston, in the county OF hsnswhs,
tolske effect April l, 1870.
During this agitation the friends OF
the prominent places contending fer the
seat of government had made to the
State large offers of pecunisry aid in
case the seat % government should be
located at their town or city, and among
them the citizens of Charleston offered
TO procure q suitable lot OF ground,
erect thereon capitol building, and
furnish 10 the State tree OF charge, rs
long As the State authorities chose to oc-
cupy il And IN compliance with this
ster they purchased q large lot and
erected upon it fine capitol building
and had it ready for the use of the
State in 1870.
But this &C, not taking effect till Arril
1870, gave one more session of the Leg
islsturest Wheeling, and at the session
Of 1870 two bills were introduced, one
IN the Senate and one in the House, TO
rePes. the act locating the sest. OF govern
ment a. Charleston, and after = pro-
trscted, determined and bitter contest,
both OF these bills were defeated, and the
policy OF distribution was again
affirmed and sanctioned BY the Legisls-
ture
There now remsir co but ooe, more in
setution OF any special importance TO be
located which was the Asylum. for the
deaf, dumb and blind, and s,iss- csrryinp
outthe policy Of distribution this ins,itu.
ton was located q; Romney., IN, the
county OF Hampshire. Soon after The
nrst OF April. 1870 the seat of govern
ment was removed TO Charleston in pur.
-suAaes to the act of 1869, and the people,
o. Charleston, IN compliance with their
pledge TO the State, delivered 10 the Cow
4 rnor the CAPITOL building, aad grounds
iof the use OF the State without charge,
seiong Nit should De used Is Capital,
and the ssme was received by the Gov
esnor and occupied by the State until
At the session of 1872 NormnaSchools.