The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-11-30

the mouth OF the Illinois river and St
Louis. In 1927, an act was passed 70 com:
plete the survey and laying out the road
10 the Capitol0 Of Missouri, Jefferson City.
In 1871 the road had been completed be-
yOnd Columbus, and In 1929, partly to the
Indiana State line, and. an act was passed,
appropTiatng money TO lay out and grub
through the State Of Indiana, Eas. AID
West OF Indianapolis In 1881, tho road
was coded to the State Of Ohio, except
from Springfield to the State line; and in
1881, 70 Maryland, Pennsylvania and Viz
GINA, 10 far as h lay in those States.
Is 1882 the construction of the road in
Indiana and Illinois was placed in the
hands Of the War Department and soldiers
were employed on it. In 1883; 81, 100000
was appropriated for the completion Of the
road In Ohio, and toward that in Indiana
and Illinois. In 1895, $500, 600 for work in
Indiana and Illinois; 1887, same. Mr..
Clay had hard fight in both otthese, and
efforts were made to get Gen. Jackson and
Van Buren, 70 veto them.
1889 TO 1915.
But little was done on the road from
1899 TO 1S48, at which date il was surren.
deted 10 Indiana, with all the stone and
timber for its use. It was then completed
to Terre Haute, with the exception OF lit
tie stone at some points, aud nearly com.
pleted TO west Of the Illinois line, and
partly from there to Alton, the point Sc
lected on the Mississippi. In fact the
whole line was finished and bridged, but
Congress refused TO stone unless the stone
could be had as cheap as in Indiana, which
could not be done, and the work was
stopped in 1850, Illinois making use OF the
pike as It was until railroads superseded it
Tor general use. In Missouri some work
was done toward jefferson City, but no
consecutive completing OF long lines by
piking and bridging.
The facts were that though the increas-
ing opposition OF the Democracy to inter
nal improvements, the decay and death OF
Henry Clay, its leading advocate, and the
prominence assumed by railroads, the
work seemed TO die out, and l can find no
exact time when its construction was
stopped. w
In relation to its completion at Wheel
ing by bridge over the Ohio, there is no
doubt but that the government was as much
bound to do it, by its contract with Ohio
in lSO2-,S and the law OF 1906, as to make
any other part Of the road, and the fact
that the Democrats OF Ohio, Indiana and
Illinois would fly off when the
bridge question came up, was very
annoying to the party leaders. When,
becoming discouraged at constant de-
ieats before Congress, ] took the
charter for our bridge TO Richmond, |
stopped at Washington to ask Cave John
SON P. NJ. G., to recommend in his report
an appropriation OF $4,000 for the same
upon condition the mail and government
stores should pass free. His reply was:
81 consider bridging the Ohio at Wheel
ing more important TO the mail service
than anything else that can be done; but
the Democracy is opposed to internal i'm
proyements and ! cannot make such q
Recommendation. will, however, help
YOU to get your charter by letter to your
Governor" He accordingly wrote TO
Governor Smith telling him to push the
charter through, for the question was en-
barrassing the Democracy in Congress. AS
it turned out, this letter carried the
charter through the Senate by one majority.
Coming out OF the Department met Hon.
Amos Kendall, who joked me about
being in the department. ] told him my
Grand. "Well, he refused. / coulc have
told YOU he would. He is too stingy to be
useful. He has actually reduced rather
than extended the mail service, with the
useless effort to make the department meet
expenses" It isno doubt important that
all due economy should be used in the de-
partments; but / regard the few millions
OF deficit in the Postofiice Department as
being more than reimbursed by thesales OF
lands and the increased wealth and popu-
lation in our vast domain.
But speaking OF the Cumberland road,
that is the legal title OF it. This cost the
government some six millions, yet the
pledge.to make it, and its construction,
made the three States through which it
runs what they are, or contributed TO 1t
more than any other one thing,
The Pacific K. r. not only increased our
population several millions, their wealth
many more, but was among our greatest
aids in payingo our national debt, and yet
we are told we must keep ourlands to give
to the poor settler. Bah! we have no
population so poor that they would like
| the situation OF Sellirk, to be monarch
OF all he surveyed" and pay more TO get
their produce to market than II will bring
when they get 1t there.
But have written enough, yet wish
some one would write full history OF the
Cumberland road, although it would not
sell, as il is what the Democrats call q
"dead issue" III.
Very truly your ob't servant,
]. Z. WHARTON.