Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1878-02-12
THEHARPER'sFERRYPR PROPERTY

j. l. = l.
The attention of Congress is again being
called to the justice and propriety OF pass
ing some bill for the relief of the individ-
ual purchasers of the Harper's Ferry Prop
erty at the Government sale on the 30th of
November and LIST of December, 1869. The
total amount of such sales was 1927, 1913 SO,
of which amount the sum of S206, 900 was
Knocked off to one +. G. Adams, specula-
tor and adventurer, without dollar in his
pocket. His purchase, or pretended pur-
chase, included all the valuable Water Pow
er on the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers,
and it was given out that this valuable pow
err was to be at once utilized by the estab-
lishment of manufactures on q magnificent
SCALE Misled and deluded by this fictitious
sale, for which the Government, through its
agents, was in part responsible, many citi-
Gems of Harper's Ferry bought lots at their
speculation values, and gave bonds for the
same. These bonds have been long since
due, but in most cases, the purchasers have
never received any titles, nor one iota of
benefit from the property bought, which has
now no material value. Meanwhile Adams
aud his partners have never, so far as We can
learn, paid dime, and have thrown tho
Water Powers back on the hands of the
Government, where it now stands perfectly
idle and useless. Under these crcumstan-
ces, the deluded private purchasers ask the
Government, through Congress, to relieve
them from their existing contracts, and to
cancel their bonds. This, VIC think, should
most manifestly be done. An examination
of the act of sale of December 18th, 1868,
will show that the law was framed with q
special Wow to facilitate Adams speculation.
No cash was required to be paid. His sen
curities were, several Of them at least, Gov
eminent officials, and all turned out worth>
less ; at least nothing, we are confident, has
ever been made out of them. Therefore,
either by corruption or gross carelessness,
some,chere, the Government was instrumental
in misleading private purchasers into catch
bargains for property, which neither is, nor
is likely ever to become for many years, of
any value. Moreover, in the Act of 1868,
Deceuoer 1otn, congress maze SROStdn-
tiat donation to the colored people of Jeffer-
son county and vicinity, for their education,
and their college, of very valuable property,
worth perhaps at that time from $50 900 to
$4,000. The appeal now made for the suf-
fering white people of town food-swept,
and almost ruined, would seem to be much
stronger.
We have heard it intimatcd, that one OBJ
stacle which has interviewed in the past, and
is now likely to create difficulty, is the fact
that some few of the purchasers, instead of
being content with simple relief, are on the
make. They co not wish to account for ac>
tual profits received, or they desire to retain
property, without paying its value. If this
be SO, we would advise the majority of honest,
but deluded purchasers to take immediate
and stern control Of the movement, and let
these would>be spectators shift for them
selves, best they can. Do not clog just
bill for relief, with unreasonable terms and
conditions, in favor of spectators.