Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-03-26

operated Do VIII DC Al an enVIhOu7 uiaiH
on their resources.
Two lines Of railroad are Lancaster's sole
connection with the outside markets. It
is possible for these to combine at any
time and increase freight rates until manu-
lectures are made Improbable There is
no great natural water way like the Ohio,
which makes Wheeling manufacturers
practically independent Of local railroad
rates during great part Of the year. These
limited ac.litiss lay an embargo on ship
ping if they do not make it impossible to
communicate directly with important trade
centers.
7. is understood that Lancaster offers
the Central Glas Works q money gift
Of from $4,000 to 500, 900 The Ques-
ton fairly arises how can such a hber-
al oasr be msde2 It lays a tax Of five to
ten dollars on every man, woman and
child in the town, aud a few such cases
of wholesale taxation will parslyze
business snd bring fnsncial ruin.
Tue common business ina,ine,s Of men
would teach them to look on such an offer
with suspicion. Il is beyond reason, and |
the fact that it il made. Is sufficient proof
that speculation and land gambling, and
not sound business advantages are he
hind the bubble prosperity Of the com
munity. 1t Nigh. well repay few men
who own large tracts Of land in tire vicinity |
of such a town TO make rosy promises.
They draw fish 70 their own nets. Land
goes up to tx 'ravagant prices. The costof
living is enormously increased. The |
So culators reap their harvest, bat sooner
or later the bubble is pricked, and the |
whole fabric falls with a crash.
Lancaster has been taken as a type OF
the mushroom towns that have sprung up !
so rapidly during the last few years, and
are now making fabulous bids for the IN
dussrisl Establishments Of the Ohio Val
ley. The inducements which they offer
have no substantial foundation, and the
manufacturer and laborer who is attracted
by them so discover to their sorrow.
THE REGIsrER publishes an interview
in another column, with enc of the best
informed manufacturers Of this vicinity.
lie has made an extended tour through The
gas belt. and has come to the conclusion
thatit cannot be many years until the over
worked booms Of the Ohio and Indiana
gas towns collapse, and the men who have
been deceived by them will be the losers.
These enormous bonuses, he argues well,
must be made good by some one, ard that
some one is the community at large. The
manufacturing industries will be expected
to bear their proportionate share Of the
burden. and in the end they viii be crush
ed instead Of benefited by it.
The very fact that there is business de-
preston among local industries is only an
other proof of the ursubstantisl character
of this composition. The Western glass
furnaces have been forced to put
their goods on the market at dis
astrously low prices in ocder to secure
even fair modicum Of trade. Old
and well established industries may
snHar from such competition for a time,
bu. the competition will not last. When
the crash comes, the industry that is es-
tablished, that is well managed, that has
a wide reputation, and commands the best
skill and experience. viii he the one that
survives. Manufacturing establishments
in this community wiz come ont Of the
conflict stronger, frmer and more prosper
erous than ever
There are distinct sigos that Wheeling ia |
On the eve ofbusiness revival. Her people |
realize the importance of encouraging in
dustry. and holding out inducements TO
new enterprises There is sn additiousl |
stimulus in Che possibility that manu-
heturies may be drawn into other COM
munities
Ina year or two the Union bridge and
bslt road will give the Central and every
other industrial establishment facilities for
transportation that can be surpassed no
where. The whole Northeastern Ohio
and lake regions viii be brought
into closer commercial relations. A half.
dozen new railroads viii secure free mar
ket4 at the lowest rates Wheeling's ad-
vantages as 8 manufacturing centre will be
unsurpassed and her industries, with
proper care and skill, should experience
little difficulty ia holding their acknow-
lodged supremacy.
With a pyospsc. so full Of promise there
can he bus one conclusion. 1t is not the
part Of wisdom for any mandatory to
desert the location in which it has pros
pered, for advantages which are dieting at
the best The industrial supremacy Of the
Ohio Valley cannot be shaken in a day. |
1t hos grown strong under natural laws.
It is based on a solid foundation. Natural |
advantages improved in years Of industry |
and enterprise have given this section
established reputation and leadership, and |
the manufacturer who deserts it will learn
the gravity Of his mistake.
Co.. A. rr.........-,.. ;...-,, So; |