Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-04-24
The Belmont Capital.
Barnesville Enterprise.

DarDeSNllle enterprise.
The County Seat controversy, which
has existed between Bellaire and st.
CIairsville for upward of twenty-five
wears, was settled last week by the Legis-
lature passing an act requiring the Bel
mont County Commissioners. to erect a
Court House and Jail at st. Clairsville, at
cost not exceeding one hundred thou
sand dollars. The Senate passed the bill
by vote of II to 10 and the House by
68 to Is. This large vote shows that the
Legislature had good and sufficient rea
sons for thus settling a matter which has
distracted the county for nearly gener
alton. There is feeling in many quar-
tiers that the question should have been
submitted to the people; but in county
seat agitations Legislature knows, by ex.
perience, that such matters are very diff
cult of settlement. In twenty years
thirty-fve new Court Houses have been
built in Ohio. Only three of these were
built on vote of the people, after more
than one submission, and thirty-two au
| thoriZing and requiring them to be built.
In one county Clark the proposition to
build was voted down three times. In
Coshocton, where the court house was
burned, the question of rebuilding was
lost by an overwhelming majority. 1t is
very evident that Belmont county needs
a new Court House. and yet it is likely a
proposition to build one, either at ST.
Clairsville or Bellaire, would have been
voted down and the county deprived of
the buildings, as well as a vexed ques
ton being always on hand to distract the
political, social and business life of the
people In the interest of the county,
therefore, the Legislature has decided
that, as new buildings are required, they
shall be built at the place where the old
ones are located.
We believe, upon calm reflection, this
decision will be generally endorsed by the
people of the county. To say the least
st. Clairsville is as convenient to most of
The people as Bellaire. Nothing would
be gained by the people generally by re-
moval st. Clairsville is pleasant,
healthy site an appropriate place for lie
gal discussions and decisions. Bellaire
is a great work shop-a good place for
money-making, but not a desirable place
for county seat. Its destiny is to be-
come manufacturing center, and the
possession of the County Seat would be
la mere toy-a qualification certainly, but
by no means necessity. On the con-
trary, without the county buildings, ST.
Clairsville would be wiped out of exist
ence Its glory would depart and it would
sink into obScurity and decay. Instead
of prosperous town in part of the
county where a large town is needed, it
would degenerate into a mere hamlet.
To take the County Seat away from st.
Clairsville means the practical annihila-
ton of the town-the sapping Of the life
blood which gives it existence. Valuable
property would be taken off the tax du
plicate and more or less financial disas-
ter would follow every resident of the
place. These things have been evident
to every thinking citizen, and had vote
been taken they would have had much
weight in the result. At the same time
there are a large number of people
who care not for such things and would
have practically voted to ruin the fifth
town in the county. The act of the Leg
islature saves st. Clairsville from this
disaster, and at the same time inflicts no
serious injury upon any other communi-
ty. That it is not serious misfortune
to Beliaire, is evident from the common
sense article We quote elsewhere from the
Independent, which shows that the
County Seat would not be an unmitiga-
ted blessing to that city.
We trust that the people who have
professed to be anxious for the settle
ment of this question will gracefully ac-
cept the situation as arranged by very
large majority of the Legislature. We
need new county buildings and would
have been obliged to pay for them if
they were ordered to be erected at Bell
aire. This expense will be no greater at
st. Clairsville. To large majority of the
people the County Seat is just as conve
nient there as elsewhere, and its reten-
ton in that locality will develop portion
of the county that needs some stimulus.
The result. of course, is unsatisfactory to
number of removalists, but, all things
considered, it is sensible solution Of a
question which has given the people in
finite trouble, and which, if settled other
wise, would have caused the county con-
tinued vexatiou for many years to come.