The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-01-19
THE W. d p. RAILROAD.
The River Route. versus the Middle.
bourne Routc-A Reply 10 "Pro Bono
NsnhIlan,
MIDDLEBouRNE, w. Va, Jan. Il

PuDllco."
MlDDLEBouRSE, W. Va, Jan. 10.
Editors IntellIsenecr.
The object OF this communication is not
TO provokea a newspaper controversy, but
to reply to the letter Of "Pro Bono
Publico" in the INrELLlaEScRR OF tho 18th,
in regard to the W. & PR. Il.
A plain statement OF facts is good
argument, and willb accepted as such by
all fair minded persons, but IL is not the
statement Of facts that makes them such,
nor does assertinga a thingas true, make it
true, therefore We shall confne ourself to
what We know 10 be true.
r P. B. P. states that the distance from
New Martinsville TO 81. Mary's via Mid
dlebourne is twenty-six miles (which is
true), and along the river by way OF
Sistersville., the distance is eighteen miles.
Now P. B. 2. either stated something that
he knew nothing about, or wilfully stated
what he knew TO be false, as the distance
from New Martinsville to Sisteravile is
nine miles and from Sistersville 10 st.
Mary's seventeen miles, making the dis
lance from New Martinsvile to st. Mary's,
along the river, twenty.six miles, con-
sequenuy his comparison Of costs in favor
OF tho river route amounts To nothing.
again, we quote: "rhe route via Mid.
dlebourne would be selected, II selected
at all, on the ground OF reaching certain
timber interests. This trade would, in
the nature OF things, be decreasing one
frnt,, ,,anr 10 ,,aar IL n ltk, hos f1 ntl o,,I
marketed, and after while would disap-
pear altogether. On the contrary, the
trade.along the river, counting both sides
Of the river, and especially the Ohio side,
already exists, and is capable Of an indef-
mite increase"
OF course, when our timber resources
arc exhausted we have nothing else to do.
When our lands are all cleared we have
no further use for them; we will raise no
sheep, hogs, cattle, horses, wheat, corn,
oats, &c. Oh, no! Well leave our lands
to become covered with briers and buckle,
berry bushes, and move To Sistersville
where they have such an immense trade
We will never engage in any but the TIM
ber business, certainly not; and oul
trade" will not increase like that OH botl
banks Of the Ohio. No, sir. Are We tc
build road for the benefit ot the people
Of Ohio? Tit would be OF such inestilna
bic value 10 them, why not let them build
II, and We canpatronize them. II We have
to haul our products to the river, Ovel
nine miles oil muddy road, we can cross
the river as easily as they.
We know that the corporators favor the
river route. Why do they do so? Be-
cause they thiRk 1t will pay them better
Do they think such road would benefit
the people OF Tyler more than road run
ming through the central part OF the Coun
| ty? No. What right have the corpora
tors to ask us for 100000 that they may
reap the benefits? II the people OF Tyle,
are TO vote 100000 10 the enterprise W,
think 1t only fair that they should help 10
cate the route, and that will not be along
the river.
Would road along The river get all tht
trade? viii the Ohio dry up. or steam
boatmen stop their boats that the railroat
may have the business? What are we L
infer from the persistenCy with whiCl
some advocate the river route? "Onl!
this and nothing nore," that the corpora
tors do not care whether we derive an.
benefit from the road or not, so w0 vol
them 100000. II is true Tyler wonld sc
interest on her money if-but that woulC
not benefit the people individually anI
directly.
Do not understand us as being oppose,
10 the road. We are only talking In favO
OF Middlebourne and a road for the pee
pie. And it is our belief that such a roa
would receive hearty support from III
people OF Tyler. s
The question in the minds Of tho pei
Tor whose ,beneft?"
We do not desire adiscussion with P. !
P. We have had our say and are conter
10 let the matter rest. Let MS have
railroad. Ifnot through here, then alon
the river, and We hope others will be
liberal with us. Yours respectfully,
KS, BOHEMIAN,