Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-04-08
A LIVELY DEBATE
In the Board Of Commissioners,
Yesterday,
Over the Report ofths Committee on Roads
and Bridges---The Report Goes
Through With Slight Amendment
1.-The loring Bridge.

The Board of County Commissioners mel
al 10 o'clock yesterday morning, President
Woods in the char, and all the member
present.
After the reading of the minutes, on mo.
ton Of Mr.. Stoker, the petition of Joseph
Bell & Co, asking 8 reduction in personal
assessment, was referred back to the Com
mitiee on Finance.
Early in the proceedings it became evi.
dent that q picnic was in reserve.
The first gun was fired BY Commissioned
Peterson taking advantage Of the report OF
the special committee on the Gilkeson map
OF the county, which q adverse to the pur.
chase of the same, this gentleman delivered
himself of an elaborate speech criticising IN
good humor the extrayagant policy OF the
county in relation to the country roads and
bridges. He insisted that the Board, hav'
ing engaged itself specially in the manu-
facture OF roads, ought to go about the
work in q business ike manner, by. ebuip'
ping itself with the proper material and ap'
phances.
He contended that since the aggregate
sum expended by the county on roads and
bridges in the last ten years amounted to
more than $250,0OO, it was proper that the
county should have accurate surveys and
maps made exhibiting, not only the county
and district division lines, but also the va-i-
GUS roads and bridges, with exact location
and length of same. By this means the
Commissioners could act in~telligently and
carry on their road factory like other large
manufacturing establishments were con-
Quoted. He also favored the erection Of
monuments, not only to designate the div
sion lines, but also to perpetuate the enter
prise and iberality of the Board Of Commits.
sioners as q road maker and bridge builder.
This was but the beginning. The real
fun commenced alter Clerk Woods was
through reading the report Of the Commit
tee on Roads and Bridges. This, IS the
REGISTER noted on yesterday, recommend
ed q general appropriation Of $4,000 and a
special appropriation of 5000 more.
Mr.. Delbrugge submitted q minority re-
port recommending that these amounts be
scaled down 80 per CEN.
Solemnly, slowly and yet with eyes glis
tening with excitement and body trembling
with suppressed indignation, the venerable
representative from Union, 1.-THE friend OF
the people" Hon. John W. Boring, arose to
his feet. His was a speech OF facts-potent
facts. Taking from his side pocket a roll
o. manuscript, covered with statistics, and
looking at one moment sternly, at the next
Gu. reatingly, into the faces Of Commission
ens Maxwell and Prince, the venerable ora
tor hurled at them facts on facts, figures on
figures, and even inyectiye on invective.
He proved from his OWE figures that Wheel.
Jog, burthened with her debt Of 100000,
was still asked by this report to pay to the
three country districts 81, 000-ior he boot
ed at the claim made by the country mem.
ters that these districts would have to pay
anything like their proportionate share. He
argued that the heavy taxes necessary to
meet these eXtravagant appropriations
would, in the end, fall upon the working
and poorer classes of the city; that the
landlord would raise his rents and the ten.
ant ultimately pay the taxes to ~macadamize
roads in which they had but little, if any,
interest. He was willing to be liberal and
would vote for ene-half of the amount asked
for but he warned the President and the
other country members as well as the city
members who were helping in this conspir-
acy against Wheeling, that they were carry.
ing this thing too far.
Mr.. Boring was followed by Commission.
er D~elbrugge, who made some very pointed
and sensible remarks in favor of his minor.
ity report. He feared that he was whistling
against the wind-that q majority Of the
Board had already resolved on this great
wrong and nothing he could say would be
apt to change their resolVe-but he felt It
due to the district he represented to protest
against this e~xtrayagant oppression of the
taxpayers Of Wheeling.
Commissioner Picket then continued the
fight with q rafting speech. He read a sec.
ton from the charter granted the town OF
Beverly by the Republican Legislature OF
1871 wherein it was provided that in conside.
ration of the town keeping up her W
streets and alleys she was tc be exempt
from any contributions to the country
roads. He limited that if the country mem.
bers and their coadj utors didn't "let up" in
their extravsgant appropriations to mac&d-
amize the roads and cross roads of every
neighborhood, the city of Wheeling might
be driven to ask the Legislature to amend
her charter. Mr.. Pickett made q good
speech, well calculated to impress the
thoughtful mind.
Mr.. Maxwell was the only one of the ma
jority who thought It necessary to answer
these arguments. He was brief, and, per
haps thought that argument was super
iiuous.
At 1890 the Board took q recess until 2
p. m.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
At 2:3O o'clock the Board r~econvened,
and discussion of the road and bridge appro
was resumed.
Mr.. Picket led off with an address in favor
OF reducing the appropriation to the extent
of so per cent.
MeSsrs. Boring, Peterson and Delbrugge
followed in the same strain, each declaring
that the sum asked for by the committee
was exorbitant and should be scaled down
Mr.. Peterson said it was an outrage for
this thing to 90 on. Did the members ex
pect US to sit by and see this committee re.
port go through? 1t had been stated that
only proposed To improve one-half the
Of the eounty-fOrty out Of sixty
he wanted to know Why, in this time Of
depression, they could not get along with
improving twenty roads out of sixty. Tween.
" thousand dollars had been asked for year
after year. and had been granted cheer
fully. 1t was an old story, but
he thought it but Just, at the..present time, to
endeavor to retrench. An increase in the
levy was the one thing to be avoided.
Mr.. Stein claimed that the county was
responsible for the roads, and was liable
Tor damages for any accident happening on
them. Already the county had been called
apon to pay damages in two cases, and it
was false economy to set aside the small
Ievy asked for by the committee. He be-
the roads needed the money, and he
vas not ashamed to vote for it. In two
Tears the county would have two or three
'oads which would be self sustaining. If
We neglected to make this levy now, In q
rear or two we would have to levy Fifty
dollars.
Mr.. Boring SAID there appeared to be no
lymnathv amnnO tho cOnntrv memhara FIR