The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1884-01-26
The Railroad Racket.

to oppose any.
But some men must fight.
They were probably born witt
teeth.
They are species Of swapping
turtle. 1t is said that if you breal
the shell of swapping turtles egg
and poke stick into the mouth o
the embryo, it will bite. And i
you then cut off its head it will
continue to bite after the head il
separated from the body; so that il
may be said to bite before it is borr
and after it is dead.
The illustration is thoroughly ap
plicable to one class of our people.
They don't believe there is any
possible progress in any direction
without fight.
Some Of them are now dying for a
fight lest the Pennsylvania company
rather than the b. IL 0. company
should come through the county first
And there are others who are dying
for a fight lest the b. Il 0 company
should get through rather than the
Pennsylvania company.
1t i'll becomes the people of com
munity who are twenty miles away
from a railroad, and always have
been and always will be, unless some
body else builds it, to array them
selves as partisans on one side or the
other Of two competing companies
and assist to exclude either or any
road that is in good faith seeking to
come through the county.
This partisan, illiberal spirit and
policy on the part of some of oul
people is doing more to defeat eng
road than all other agencies at work
1t is essentially mischieyous and
disastrous in it's tendencies and re-
suits.
What we want, and that which the
NEW DOMINION has advocated from
the beginning is not narrow or ex
elusive, but cosmopolitan spirit to-
ward both roads. We have nothing
to do with the questions of title tc
the way along the narrows which the
companies are competing for. Lei
them fight that out. 1t is natura
that there should be some conflicts
between the companies themselves
But the attitude and aid of all citi
zens of the county who want rail
road should be directed only to help
ing make room for both.
Certainly, it is possible that two
roads should find room for routes
down the river. 1t is absurd for us
to declare for one or aid in the exclu-
sion Of either Let US extend cur
hands to both. When either of them
asks aid or favor from our people OIL
from an individual land-holder he
can afford to give it freely and cor
dially-not in a partisan spirit o.
with the purpose or in manner t.
exclude or interrupt the other, bu
as an earnest of our disposition t.
favor and assist any and every railroad
company that is seeking passage
through the county.
We are not blind to the fact tina
there may be substantial reasons fol
preferring one road above another
From one standpoint there are rea
sons for preferring the success of tn,
Pennsylvania company. 1t woult
give our sister counties, with which
we sympathize, competing line will
the B. & O. IL is practically a home
company that is at the head Of thi.
enterprise and it would be more dis
posed to favor home interests than {
foreign company.
On the other hand there are equally
strong reasons why we should prefer
the success of the B. Il O. company
The latter would put us on a through
line, so to speak, between Pittsburgh
and Cincinnati. 1t would be a wei
equipped and important road, carry
ing hundreds of passengers and ton:
of freight through our territory every
day; the former would be only loca
road having its terminus. at Clarks
burg.
But either of them would bring
infinite advantages to our commu
nifty, and we can afford 10 60 oul
whole length in support of both.
1t is altogether probable that if VIZ
get either we will want both before
we are done with lit. Nor must VIC
forget that without the stimulating
effect which one has had upon the