Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-10-02
THE WEST VIRGINIA AND PENNsYL-
YANIA RAILROAD.

Col. BEN WILSON has taken OF his
coat and rolled up his sleeves-fgura-
lively speaking-and gone to work to
build the railroad up the MOnongahela
river, in which the three counties of
Monongalia, Marion and Harrison are
chiefly interested.
Col. WILSON has very high appreci-
alton of the value of this line of road
and of the immense benefit that will
accrue to the counties through which it
pISses.
The project received backset short
time ago by the failure OF the subscrip-
ton in MonOngalia, but Col. Wilson
meets the objections coming from the
two opposing districts in that county,
with a proposition so eminently fair,
that, no doubt, Monongalia will make
her subscription when another vote is
taken.
If these people will give Col. Wilson
the proper encouragement, he will put
this road under Roadway, and it will
make that section of the State the rich
est part of our territory.
Col. WILSON has given the people of
MonOngalia some of the best Of reasons
for the construction Of this road, which
they will do well to consider. Inan in
terview with the Colonel, published in
the Morgantown papers, he says:
He thought the great value of therOad
to the county was manifest TO every
one, and he believed it unnecessary to
discuss il from that standpoint. But
the Colonel went on to say that in the
event of the building of this road lands
would become much more valuable;
and almost every article the farmer has
! to sell will bring greater price. Money
will be more abundant; the returns from
coal and iron, and the continuous mar
| ket for stone and timber which the road
| would create would make Mon
ongalia one of the wealthiest ami
| most desirable counties in the State.
| Further, the difference in the produc-
| ton and price of eggs, chickens and
! butter alone, would do for this county
| what it has done for Harrison: add
! greatly to the wealth of the farming
/ classes. He also said that upon reflec-
! ton he was not much surprised that
| there was opposition to the former SUBJ
| scription in Clay and Battelle districts.
! Though they had inadequate outlets to
/ market, they were thrifty farmers and
! felt that they would not realize the inn
/ mediate benefits of the road as some
| other sections of the county would, and
| be thought they should now be consulted
! and their interests considered before any
! further movement was made. III,
/ also said that in his ju igment n liberal
| policy should be adopted toward all parts
| of the county. In the remarks he said
| that he would be glad to see the
| Wayneysburg Narrow Gauge completed
| to Blacksville and extended from there
in any direction the people of those tw
! districts desired. 1t might be extent lie
| to Burton; or to Warrington; or it
| might be constructed down Dlnkarl
| and Scott's or RObinsOn's Run or some
other route to connect with the WeSt
| Virginia anu Pennsylvania railroad,
wherever it might seem best. He sail
| that ne had been informed that Clay
and Battelle districts pay about one
| fourth of all the taxes of the county,
anu " pdb just W COiiCcuf
them the benefits of all the railroad Tux
they pay, to be applied by them to tn.
construction of q road through their dis
tricts in any direction they thought best
Colonel Wilson suggested that a meet
ing be held in that section to give those
farmers an opportunity of coming To-
gether and discussing the matter. II,
also stated that ne had gotten better
idea of Monnngalia and her vast re-
sources from his present visit and mis-
personal interchange with her people
than he heretofore had. The evidences
of great prosperity were all around him
MOnOngalia county was the pioneer in
this section of Virginia. Her mineral
wealth, and soil and timber value, h.
regarded a. equal To any section of thi~
great country. She has bsen outstrip
ped i'm wealth and population by her
daughter counties all around her. Give
her the railroad facilities they have and
the facility to market what she has and
she will soon resume her former proud
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