Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1883-04-05
Thursday, April 5, 1888.
FAILURE OF THE LOCKE BILL
Trading and Legislative Courtesy its
Chief Obstacles.

AFTER almost two years of bargaining
and traficking for votes in the Ohio
Legislature, early in the present session
Dlvid Wagencr, the alleged Representa-
tive of Belmont county, introduced IN
that body a bill providing for the re-
moval of the seat of justice to Bellaire,
and for tax in any event upon the peo-
ple for new buildings. At his request
the committee on new counties and
county affairs, which was composed of
most honorable and competent gentle
men visited both Bellaire and st. Clairs-
vile, Martins Ferry and Bridgeport,
and examined conscientiously into the
claims of both sides to the contest.
After returning to Columbus the claims
of all parties were presented by repre-
sentatives from both towns, after which
the committee reported six to one that
there was no public necessity for re-
moval, and virtually that there was no
reason for the continued yawp of Bel
laire agitators calling for vote on the
subject, and recommended the indefinite
postponement of Mr.. Wagener's bill,
whereupon that Honorable gentleman
after its third reading had it referred TO
himself and rammed it down into his
trowsers pockets, only to be drawn
forth when he has traded for enough
Legislators to insure its passage.
1t was under these circumstances and
upon the judgment of the best and most
conservative members of the Legi5la-
ture and heaviest taxpayers in Belmont
county, and in order to put at rest the
eternal squabble-ever forced npon the
people by a small coterie of Bellaire
maIcontents, that bill was introduced
by Mr.. Locke, of Madison county, pro
viding for the erection of new buildings
at st. Clairsville at an expense of $780,
OO0 The bill was an exact counterpart
of the Tuscarawas county bill, appropri-
ating the same amount of money, which
was voted for and enacted into law by
an almost unanimous vote of the pres
ent General Assembly. The question of
Removal entered into the contest as it
does in Belmont, and there were more
than four times as many remonstrants
us petitioners, and yet many of the very
same chaps who voted for that bill voted
against the Belmont bill-all for princi
ple's( p sake.
The Locke bill was reached on Thurs
day afternoon as the special order, and
was ably and forcibly advocated by its
author, Hon. John F. Locke. When he
tegan his argument the attention of the
House was at once gained, the lobby was
quickly filled, and for rarity order
prevailed. An eloquent and honest man
was speaking for an honest measure.
He said in substance, that he gloried in
the prosperity OF Bellaire, that its glass,
iron and other manufactured produc-
tions were distributed everywhere, that
the light from her great rolling mills,
foundries and other industries was re
hec.ed on from the face of the beautiful
Ohio, on whose banks it stood, and on
whose bosom much of her products
went down to the Sea. He allowed no
one to excel him in his admiration of all
these and other evidences of her pros
perity, and sincerely hoped for still ad-
ditional evidences of her thrift and
glory-when the "Song of the anvil and
the music of her whirling wheels shall
join in one long, loud chorus from morn
Till ght, and on and on forever, keep
ing time to her march of progress and
development into a great metropolis.
He had only the sincerest desire for Bel
laire's growth and development into all
that will make her people happy and
wealthy.
But, he said, this vexed question of
the county seat ought to be settled, for
it will give rest to the people who are
tired of the continued agitation, and
earnestly desire its adjudication. He
instanced the precedents established by
the Legislature of Ohio. No less than
78 similar cases had been before it foI
Settlement--eXactly, in all material
points like the Belmont case-and in
~ out of the rs cases the powers of the
Legislature had been exercised in au-
thorizing the erection OF new buildings
without vote of the people; while in
the other cases, three for jails and
three for court houses, the matter was
submitted to vote and was decided af
firmatively by the people. Like the
Belmont case, ~ times she Legislature
had done exactly what the Locke bill
contemplated very striking in
stance of which was last winter in Civ
ing to Tuscarawas county the requisite
authority to expend 100000 to build a
new court house, which she did. Mr..
Locke made a most manly and diguiied
appeal for his bill.
Then came scene, which for the
credit of Ohio, and all decent people, we
trust will never again be enacted within
her legislative halls. One Pugsley, or
Plug-ngsley, more properly, commenced
a disjOinted, disgraceful harrangue,
which for low fiung-lying blackguardism,
we venture never was excelled in de
liberate body. He bored his few audi
tors with a soldering defense of Wag--
ner's election-the how the people of
this county knows all about. Then this
aruaZing prodigy in feeble and
sickening effort rehashed, as his punv
intellect enabled him, Proctor Knott's
little defamation ON Duluth-everybody
in that hall had read the silly thing
" hen Knott uttered it, and all this was
.tdHDyl VI lhIo Dlli pass. Ii
there WIS man in that hall that was
not lh,I oughiy disgusted with the ut
iYrHncrS of this blatant blackguard in
hi4 Ile abuse of the people of St. Clairs-
vile ana its friends, there was one per
SOU lower In the scale of moral decency
and greater stranger to ordinary rect
itnde than we supposed lived.
In rehearsiDg and re-chewing Proctor
ILL Mr.
said the animals went into the ark, two
by Two of their kind-asses and all. Here
we are led TO inquire if there wasn't
one that got away some time and located
in Highland county at an early date ?
,rha stock has doubtlpss deOenerated