Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-08-14
AN IMPORTANT QUESTION
Which. if True, Should be stopped at
Once

To The Editor Of the Register.
SiR:-Common people are under the I'M
preston that our city government was in
stituted for the protection of the inhabitants
of Wheeling, and to promote their pros
perity in every possible way. This may
have been the intention Of our fathers, who
carried on the affairs OF the city years ago
but for the last twenty-five years the in
terests of the masses have been gradually
subordinated to the whims and caprices OF
CORPORATIONS and capitalists, until the body
of our citizens are mere ''hewers Of wood
and drawers of water for these gentry.
Our streets are being gradually made
impossible by laying railroad switches on
them; the best paved thorough
fares are given up to cor
poration, on which TO lay its tracks
and transact its business without the pay
meut of one cent 10 the support of the city
government: bridges are built by the city
to carry this company's tracks across the
creek; property is filched by lying agents
from citizens, nominally for this company's
uses. and resistance to this'company' de-
mands is overcome by the formation OF a
corporation under our State laws TO pracu-
caly confscate the property Of those VINO
resist the speculative greed OF the packers
of this company.
Another abominatiOn is the manner in
which our market houses are prOstituted to
the greed of few spectators and the I'M
lust burdens placed on the masses OF our
people by the practices of these men. Be
fore the opening hour OF markets some OF
these men 20 through the markets ana car
nv away the choicest vegetables offered for
sale Others of them buy up large lots OF
vegetables and open stall for the sale OF
the same. The price is fixed and unaltera-
bic and promise is made by the huckster
that if the dealers will not fall in their
prices that they will take all the unsold
stock after the bell rings to close
the market The market ordinance
forbids the delivery in the market
houses Of stuff said to be engaged by these
hucksters, but it is done every market day,
and recent attempt of the market master
to enforce this ordinance was declared by
one of our Judges to be illegal.
Illegal to try and protect buyers from the
trickery of persons, who are keeping up
the prices of everything we eat! If the
Judge had TO attend our market 1t might be
that his pocket would change his opinion.
Section II of the ordinance on markets
forbids any person, either for his own use
or for reselling, TO purchase after II NJ. OF
the day preceding market days, any
article of provision or other article
usually sold in the market. Section
Is forbids any person, directly or
indirectly buying or selling any article OF
provisions, corn, oats or otner articles
which are usually brought to or intended
for sale in said market, ana when snail
have arrived within the limits OF said city
before the hour of opening market on mar
ket days, or during market hours sell or
dircctlv or indirectly for repatriation or selling
the same or directly or indirectly sell or
offer for sale any article of provision, corn,
oats or other article in said market or at
any other place within said city, which he
or she may have purchased or forstalled at
any place whatever while on the
way to or designed for said market,
under a penalty of not less than i've nor
more than twenty dollars.
So far us this ordinance protects the cit
izen il is not worth the paper it is printed
on. Half the vegetables brought 20 mar
ket are bought up by hucksters and again
offered for sale in the market \ large pro-
portion is carried of by dealers grocery
men and others and sent TO the neghbOr-
ing towns 10 supply these mems customers.
WHY are our market houses enlarged and
repaired AT an average yearly cost to the
taxpayers Of several thousand dollars. If
any one replies for the benefit of our people,
he certainly does not attend market In
addition TO the OlfeCt IdN luI Nut Ildiulc-
mace of the market houses and the payment
Of the Market Masters salary every fami-
" in this city is compelled to pay from 10
to - per cent more for provisions, in CON
sequence of the manner in which our mar
kets are managed. 1t would be better
If this state of affairs could not
be remedied, that the market
houses to be torn down. Are we to depend
on corner stores for supplies. II is an I'M
disputed fact that the families who pur-
chase from country wagons supplying veg
etables from door to door on other than
market days, save not less than one-fourth
on prices paid in market, and have much
better and fresher vegetables. Can there
be no remedy provided for this iniquity
Is there not enough care for the public
among the members OF Council to induce
them to try to protect the poor of this city
in their supply of food! If our form OF
government is worth a cent, this is GER
tainly matter which should be looked
after.
The revenues Of the market houses are
applied to the repairs Of our streets, the
streets are given to non-taXpaying corpora
lions for business purposes; our taX-pay-
ing citizens pay for maintaining the market
houses. are gouged and swindled by sharks
in these same houses, and when they APP
peal TO the Courts for protection are told /
that il is unconstitutional TO grOWl. l..