The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-11-24
FOURTH WARDS COMPLAINT

FOURTH wARD's COMPLAINT
OF III. Nsglse. of that Portion of the city
Better RoaaWAys Wanted.
70 ne Editor ortAs Iassgt0aaS.
s1R.-Last ThursdyY's Register, in an
editorial notice ola Des MoinsS, Ia, papers
congratulations to its readers over its
Council having voted not to offer any In
ducements to outside capitalists to erect
manufacturing establishments in their
city, says: "Thst should Wheeling con-
eratulate herself upon such non-prc-
etessiye and silly idea, the conclusion
would be accepted by thinking men
everywhere that she wanted to get back
into the woods again, as soon as possible.
The outlay Of capital in developing the in
dustries Of city is necessary Tor making
its prosperity. The world moves and
cities must move with it or 90 under the
feet OF those that do"
There is more good hard sense In the
above propositions than an usually found
In paragraphs OF the same length; but /
beg leave 10 suggest, that practically our
Council Is not far behind the Iowa COun-
ell. and that our people are not as atten-
tive as they should be TO the most eff
Gent means Of inducing capital to invest
in new enterprises here, and also Of en-.
couraging capital already invested here
10 enlarge and extend present establish
ments. Cheap transportation to and from
A factory Is & great desiderstqm.. High
charges for freight have broken down
more than one industry, and deferred
capitalists from starting otbssg, . good
roadway between the proposed location
OF factory and the place where the raw
material is received and the finished arti-
ClesGhipped from. has frequently deteImin.
ed the location Of an industry, WHICH has
been the making OF the town when 1t was
built.
Capital is extremely sensitive to bur
dens. imposed by municipal authorities,
and no one thing attracts it more than the
announcement held out by those authori-
ties In providing all needed facilities in
the way OF transportation.
To make an application OF this to our
city, permit the query: Has Council been
doing its whole duty in this respect, even
10 such establishments as we now have;
not taking into consideration the matter
Of inducing outside capitalists to come
amongus? II is true that former Coun-
ellis have provided tolerably fair roadways
for the mills, foundries, one glasehouse,
and one brewery, and that this Council
has Just finished the best paved roadway
in the city, to sweeney's foundry, Schmul-
bach's brewery and Hobbs glasshouse:
and while this Is true, could not a part OF
the money expended in this improvement
have been more justly expended in devel:
oping older parts Of our city, parts Of
which have never had any Improvements,
while the parts, in which the above
named establishments are located, have
had hundreds OF thousands Of dollars
pentinmakingan and maintaining good road
ways in them? But this being past and
gone, cannot now be changed. 1t ia for
Council to say il this policy is to be con-
tipued, or II it will turn over q new leaf
and make an honest effort to build up
Wheeling by improving her several parts
as rapidly as possible with the means
under its control, taking care to give the
preference 10 the Oldest and most neglect
ed portions.
BY far the most neglected portion Is the
Fourth ward, especially that part Of it, in
tories between the Creek and Jonathan's
Ravine are located, The real estate in
this ward is assessed at nearly 5000. goo
and pays direct tax Of s. 500 and street
tax, for making new streets, Of 5000 per
Gnnum. Yet south Of Sixteenth street
there ia not an improved street in the
ward; unless some half done macadam-
izing on Seventeenth street be called an
improvement. II 1t is an improvement
It's usefulness ia rendered null and void
by reason Of the passage OF Baltimore d
Ohio trains along the middle OF the street
for It's whole length. ali the hauling to
the factories in this ward is done over
streets which are now in the same un-
paved condition in which they were when
inst laid out by Mr.. Updegraif and the
East Wheeling company, between 1924
and 1886. Since the last date, now nearly
fifty years ago, this city has been collect
ing taxes from the owners OF the property
adjacent to these streets, and expanding
the came in improving streets in all other
which came into the city in 1871, has had
nearly LNO uuuuIeu tuoubAuu uOuhIb e1s
pended in extending gas and water mains
to her people, and in sewers, curling,
matchmaking and paving, and during the
fourteen years in which this was being
done there has not been expended in the
Fourth ward the interest Of the above sum.
The Eighth ward has only one glass
house and one brewery, and they have q
good roadway almost TO their doors, while
the propEietors Of Rlmos. all the factories
north OF the creek are compelled to draw
their materials through the mud to their
establishments ct q charge for freights,
double that paid by the other factories in
the city. To show the burdens imposed
on these men, l give statement OF the
tonnage Of their several establishments
and their statement Of the increased price
paid by them for hauling, and to show
the value their places are 10 the commu-
nifty at large / give also statement Of
the number OF men employed in them:
TONNAGE HAULED PER YEAR.
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