Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-04-15
WATER. GAS. ELECTRICITY, AND
MUD.


Our city il troubled about its revenues.
II makes almost everything source oil
revenue, and is always short. ltcharges
one hundred par cent on the cost OF Its
water. FURNISHES gas at a reasonable
rate. but refuses to pay its own gas oiils
and consumers have them to pay, 50
that gas 10 indirectly q source oil con-
siderable revenue. The cheapest thing
about the city, with the exception oil
mud, is property. Property pays nifty
cents ON the one hundred dollars, asses
sed at about one half its market value.
The more valuable the thing taxed, the
lighter the tax, is the rule. On the same
principle we are at loss to know why
the City Council has never tackled
mud. We are in favor of q mud tax.
Make it heavy on mud. Go down
to the bottom. Levy on the perpendic-
ular foot. We recommend it as an in.
exhaustible source of revenue. 1t ought
to render one hundred per cent. clear
profit. Let every property holder pay
on every square foot Of mud in front OF
his door. This would be constitutional,
''eaual and uniform" A tax on mud is
a solution for all our financial difficult
ties.
But We started out to say something
about electric light. We have to pay
FOR lighting the streets. Let us have
them lighted. II some company will
hoist an electric light on Wheeling Hill,
or some other point, the authorities will
order the extinguishment OF the misers-
BILE little gas Jets which gas consumers
not the city-are now paying for, and
we can afford, then, to pay for the cleo
trio light the amount Of reduction in our
gas bills, and that is more than the cleo
trio light company would charge us.
1t is no use quibbling about electric
light for streets. 1t will be adopted by
every city aud town within very short
time. 1t is already success. Over in
Akron, Ohio, they have lately erected q
huge iron mast POS feet high, equipped
with four BRUSH electric lights and sup
plemented by a similar cluster OF lights
on the dome OF College building three
quarters OF a mile distant. The effect,
according to the Beacon, is an astonish'
ing one. About two and half square
miles OF territory was illuminated from
these centres as brilliantly as ii by q
strong moonlight, such as renders gas
lighting in the streets unnecessary. So
powerful was it that singing birds were
awakened by the electric rays, and,
laboring under the illusion that day was
about to dawn, broke forth in song; and
il is said the time OF night could
be read on the face OF an ordinary watch
in the hands of a person seven-eighths
OF mile away. To Akron is due the
honor Of having given this new system
oilighting a fair trial with two poles, SO
that the shadows are dispersed, ana the
system proven an enequivocal success.
A large numbered wide-awake West
ern towns are adopting it with gra,ify-
ing success. Our correspondent in New
York gave a glowing description in a
recent letter OF the effect in that city.
Other cities are making arrangements to
introduce it. Why should Wheeling
remain in darkness? We suggest to
Council that here is another chance for
another source of revenue. 1t won't be
equal to mudtax, but it will pay to
investigate it.