Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-06-22
GRAFTON.
Its Enterprise and Business Interests

neld day Tor the people OF GRAFTON.
The active, business part of the popu
lation has spent the day on the streets
The railroad vote has absorbed every.
body and every other consideration.
Stores, offices and shops have been
practically closed.
The advocates and opponents Of the
subscription to the Grafton and Green
! brier road have forced each other in g
contest at the polls that has seldom been
equaled in West Virginia town for d
determined and unyielding struggle over
| such question.
The dust of the melee, figuratively
Speaking, has envelOped the town
| Merchants, mechanics, lawyers, preach
ems, and representatives of every trade
and profession were at the polls working
with all the arts and appliances usual III
such contests.
THE PERSONNEL OF THE CONTEST.
Prominent among the supporters OF
the subscription, who were leading the
forces at the voting places, were such
men as Hon. b. +. Martin, John w.
Mason, Frank Woods, Gen. George
Brown, and many leading merchants
and other business men.
TIE High Priest of the opposition
and a most interchangeable leader he is
WAS 5. b. Mccormick, Esq, who dem
unstrated that he still carries about him
y whole hat full of sovereignty, in at
tempting 10 stem the strong tide of op-
position which met him Oh this occa-
sion.
For, as the vote showed, the sentiment
was very pronounced in favor OF the
SUBSCRIPTION. 1t required a good deal Of
stubbOrnness to fight it. But a minori-
ty can always afford to- pursue torlorn
hope when that minority is certain Of
victory if it holds but twO-fifChs of the
whole vote.
THE GROUNDS OF CONTEST.
Mr.. Mccormick and his colleagues in
opposition to the subscription antayo-
ME the Grafton and Greenbrier road
with another project which proposes an
outlet for Grafton by way of what is
known as the Irondale road which is
projected from the old Hartman FUR
nance in Preston county, down
through MOnOngalia to the Pennsylvania
line, there to connect with one of the
lines from Pittsburgh. Ii would require
IA ta,, n,ilos of IUdd I'd connect Grafton
with tl.a Ir0psl.l~ IL >.j~St, - 49, i-ss~. a.
built, and they claim to have abundant
assurance that it will be built. The
County Court of Taylor has submitted a
proposition To subscribe To the latter en-
terpriSe the same amount voted on to-
day, 5000 for the Grafton and Green
brier road, and vote will be taken next
Tuesday to determine if that subscrip-
ton shall be made.
The supporters of this latter scheme
argue that the road to Philippi will be of
little profit to Grafton, while the Iron
dale road will give them what they want,
viz: an outlet north by way of Pitts
burgh.
THE OTHER SIDE.
But the business men and property
owners Of Grafton want the Philippi
road. They see in it the building up of
rich and undevelOped country south
of them, which will bring constantly
increasing and valuable trade to this
point, and although it may require some
years to realize their full expectations,
they have the utmost confidence in the
fultillment of these expectations by and
by.
THE BUSINESS SITUATION AT GRAFTON.
There is a good deal of the same kind
Of feeling in Grafton regarding their
present and prospective business condi-
ton that exists in other West Virginia
towns having no railroads at all. This
may appear strange to one accustomed
70 drop OFF at the depot of Grafton and
see around BIN all the appearances and
hear all the hustle and screeching COM
mon to a railroad centre.
Rut Era ffnpta hnsiDaaS Ia NOT orrowi m ~
sufficiently, at this time, to satisfy its
aspiring and enterprising citizens.
While | do not mean to say that it Is not
n furnishing and somewhat prosperous
community, yet there is feeling that
the business and progress of the town is
so eircumseribed as to open no future
unless there are new lines and avenues
Of trade cut out for it.
A BANKERS VIEWS.
This view Of the business situation
was expressed more deliberately than
give it, ina conversation with the CASH
Ter of the Grafton Bank, F. NJ. Durbin,
Esq, whose position gives him a more
favorable opportunity for judging of the
business situation than perhaps any
other man in this city, and who is a
man of very accurate Judgement and is
very careful in the expression OF his
views and opinions.
The Grafton Bank is itselfa first rate
business barometer. Its business shows
the rise and fall of the general business
Of Grafton and the adjacent country.
And while the extent of the business of
the bank-amOunting in the past year
to something like s., 600, 0O0-shows that
the volume of business here is by no
means mean or Insignificant, yet as Mr..
| Durbin expressed il, Ii has apparently
reached its limit. There must be a new
departure here before Grafton can ex-
tend or increase its business. There
must be openings made for labor,
| so that new men may come
| in and find employment
and make homes among us. The town
Is not growing now; there Is no activity
in real estate; property offered for sale
| will not bring its original cost; and We
seem to have reached u point, said he,
| when the town is just even full and
offers no place and no employment for
anybody else.
These views / find are shared by other
business men, and they explain the
/ eager desire on the part of the enterpris-
ing men, who take comprehensive
view of the situation, to break out OF
the old bounds aud make way for an in
crease in the population and business Of
the place.
THE VICTORY.
The voting of the subscription to the
Grafton and Greenbrier road will give
new life and courage to the business o.
Grafton. Col. Mason, who has been
most active in maturing the enterprise,
is Of opinion that the means necessary
to build the road Is now well assured,
and they propose to go about it in a
careful, conservative manner so as to
guard well the expenditure of the
money, and make the road secure to the
source from which it derives it capital
w.