The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-05-05
THE STATE CAPITAL.


ner Is to make IL substantially impos-
sible for either the Legislature or the
people to change 1t. That the interests
Of the people of the State are best SUBJ
served by this locs tion has been sbund-
sntly attested by the action of the repre-
sentstives from every section. Within
the last two years, Delegates and SeDs-
tors representing every county OF the
State have endorsed by their votes this
sentiment. In tho winter Of 1875, o ma
jority OF the members of each house of
the Legislature, representing almostevery
county in the First and Second Con-
gressional district voted to locate the
Capital temporarily at Wheeling. 1t
was freely Acknowledged that no other
town or city was so accessible or could
so we'll accommodate the public business
and subserve the public interests. The
Legislature at its last session, with . re-
markably unanimity, solemnly enacted
the same thing; this time every member
from the Third district and many from
the First and Sec1nd voted that Wheel.
ing was the Httest place for the Capital,
at least until 1885. Upon this point,
then, all parties are agreed.
Now, when removal takes place In the
year 1885, as it must under the law OF
last winter, where should the Capital be
taken2 First, let US discover why
Wheeling is the 1ttest place at this time.
She is the largest city in the
State; she has the most e1.
tensive hotel accommodations; she
has her daily newspapers; she
has places of public amuse-
ment; her citizens are hospitable, enter
prisipg and intelligent, and she has
ready communication with other sections
OF the state.
Under the bill of last winter locating
the Capital permanently at another
place than Wheeling after the year 1885,
the choice is virtually restricted to either
Clarksburg or Charleston. Let US apply
the above gauge 10 the two aspiring
towns. OF the two, Charleston ia con-
slderably the larger. She has not only
q greater population in numbers, but her
population is by far more enterprising
and public spirited. She has fine busi-
ness blocks and more extensive business
houses. She has taken more active steps
in manufacturing enterprises. She has
widened and paved her streets; built
costly bridges across Elk river; erected
eas works in which she makes as fine an
article of artificial light as is msnufac.
tured anywhere; she (Kanawha county,
subscribed large sum of money to the
building of the Chesapeake and Ohio
railroad, and nearly quarter of q
million of dollars to build a road to con-
meet this part of The State with that Val
ley. In her prostration and poverty al
ter the close OF the war, with her salt
furnaces in ruins, her coal trade broken
up, and the blackened walls of her lately
best business blocks marking the raw
ages of recent fires, she contributed
nearly one hundred thousand dollars to
furnish the people of the State with 8
Capitol building in which the public
businsss could, for the first time in the
history of West Virginia, be transacted
with decency and the public records
coald be safely preserved. She also
raised money and built, for the acc m
modation of those citizens whose busl-
ness called them thither, the best
hotel within the borders of the State.
She established q daily newspaper; and
at this time supports the only paper that
IA printed in the State outside the City
of Wheeling more frequently than at
weekly intervals. She has an elegant and
commodious Opera House; and her pub
lie entertainments are goaerslly OF .
high order and we'll pstronized.
The opening of the Chesapeake and
Ohio Railroad and the improvement OF
the Ksnawha River by the General
Government, have given such an i'm
petus to the development of the coal,
iron and numbering interests Of that
sectien as to add greatly to the wealth,
enterprise and population of the
southern half OF our State. Before the
year 1885, taking the past few years as q
guide, not only will Charleston be the
lsrges. city of the State, except Wheeling
but she will be the center of the greatest
population, the greatest thrift and the
most active and best directed enterprises
Before that time q railroad will be
pushed up Elk River, through region
Of country rare in its mineral richness
and its timber, bringing the va''
uable coal, and iron and lumber
of that vast interior country
to our very doors 10 Wheeling,
aud placing US within few hours ride
of the Capitol at Charleston. 1t will
omen up to our merchants and nanufsc'
turers a new field for their wsres, and
will pour into our midst a harvest o.
wealth. Charleston will then be con
necsed with every section of the State BY
rail. She will be directly on the grea
through line between the Pacific and Al
lsntic oceans uia the Texas Pacific ant
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