Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-03-17

pooitC pay VIZ Ohiics LII Ohoo NsscO q
better plan would be the approprla.
ton by the State of sufficient funds
to carry on the work. As it now is
the people will want to know what
is proposed to be done, who is to do
it and who is to pay Tor 1t.
1t can very forcibly be argued that
these special speech.makers have
had the shaping Of the State politi-
cally and indastrially, and outof the
monopoly that has been created
their own pockets are lined. Ii their
professions of State development be
sincere, how is it that capitalists
alone have prospered here, while
the farmer and the laborer and the
ordinary business man have had at
least a hard row to hoe. And with
much of the capital and enterprise
that came into the State, aud even
with individual settlers, how did it
gog Bad titles, land sharks, bitter
opposition and ABSORPTION by such
grasplng monopolies as control
everything within their reach, AL
evils created by men who represent
ed the state aud were expected to
remedy them. Take the legislative
record Of a single capitalist and
what laws was he working tor: to
elect Camden, to prolong the legisla-
ture, to saddle millions of the old
States debts on the new at 5 per
cent. for thirty-fye years of capital.
istic investment, to create special
officers to protect (Y) the property Of
the railroads, to give the whisky
monopoly of every town into the
fewest hands possible; where is the
first or the slightest effort to benefit
or develop the State at large; and
yet these are the kind Of men who
expect the poor people to raise
thousands of dollars to " boom y the
State for those who are in the best
circumstances to take the immedi.
ate benefit. What is a matter of a
few thousand dollars to millionairesi
Why did they not show their faith
by going down into their own peck
cts.
We do not wish to discourage the
movement in the least, but it strikes
us forclbly that these very men who
dllate in glowing terms on our for
ests and minerals, our pastures and
products, are in the height of their
endeavor to place the whole on the
free list and thereby cripple and
crowd our own living resources.
1t is better not to lead the people
into this development movement un-
til 1t is thoroughly understood, Its
plans and purposes,-so that it may
be permanent,an not a" spurt that
will last only as long as money is forth.
coming or enthusiasm artificially kept
up by millionaire eloquence. When
the people of the various counties as.
semble in meeting, they should in.
sist on active and definite work and
above. board organization. ass .s.'3
VI To come down to the practical
point of the matter, self.interest
more than anything else stands in
the way of home or State develope-
ment. We need not go far to find
that enterprise is killed by exorbitant
demands for privileges and property.
Some of the very men who were
loudest in the Wheeling meeting
would not sell their land unless at
five times its value. They are
waiting for "a BOOM" It's natural
they should, but they should be lib
eral enough to pay their own fid
der" Others would not sell the
right for any enterprise to cross
their property for love or money, be.
cause what they have is their own,
yet they expect the people to aid
their immigration scheme. Right
at home here, man came on from
Pennsylvania to buy a property that
was for sale at $500 for long time,
but now it has gone up to $500.
Not only the bright side of our
States prospects should be publish.
ed, but every side; for the dissatis.
fed, disappointed and defrauded
buyer will do the reputation of the
State more harm than all the devel-
opment conventions can do good.
Sell your property for what it is
fairly worth, and that will be more
of lasting and legitimate "boom y
than dozen sales of twenty-five
hundred dollar properties for five
thousand dollars. Let the boom
commence at home by perfectly un-
derstanding each other, and by as.
surfing every newcomer that the
town aud the country lie before him;
let him look and judge for himself.
1t is not garden of Eden Except
for Camden and Davis, Butler,
Elkins and other spectators to con-