Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-10-08
pRrsInENr Z. y. oocHRAN,
OF the Terminal Company, Replies to the
Gard of the wheeling and Lake Erie

10 the Edttor or the Register
SIR:-The card Of the Wheeling and
Lake Erie Railway Company uneovers
the hand and purse behind the opposi-
ton which has so annoyed the officials
of the county and the citizens gen.
orally. Their appeal to "every falr
minded man in the county" to stand by
them comes with i'll grace when 1t Is re-
membered that their present opposition
was begun in disguise, under falss
pretenses In the name Of paid client,
aided by a nonresident Of mal-odorous
fame whom Col. Bissell aptly called a
guerilla. This hostile attitude against
Wheeling is consistent with the course
they have been pursuing for years. The
official reports will show that as
far back as 1888, when the management
Of the old Company was urged to build
on to Wheeling, prominent officer OF
that Company said, damn Wheeling;
we will 20 TO Marietta; that city is OF
more consequence TO US than Wheel
ing" These same parties wrecked the
old Wheeling and Lake Erie and wiped
out hundreds of thousands Of dollars OF
stock (all the old stock which the peo-
pie along the line had subscribed ana
paid TO the Company. They abandoned
the right which they had to bridge the
river at Wheeling, and they abandoned
the line from BowerstOn TO wheeling,
and when they organized the present
Company their charter only EXTENDED
from Toledo TO Conversion. FOR awhile
they ostenSibly encouraged the efforts
of others to build line between Bow
erston and Wheeling, and refused for
wears 10 consider the question at all OF
whether they would ever build. When
times began to brighten and others
tried to negotiate money to build the
link between BOwerston and Wheeling,
for the use Of the Wheeling
and Lake Erie and all other roads as
well, the Wheeling and Lake Erie, in the
money markets Of the East did all they
could to thwart them, declared they
were going to build themselves, that
there was room but for one line and not
business enough for two. They did all
they could TO prevent successful tinanc-
ing for the bridge. They objected to
Ohio county having any stock or voice
in the bridge. They said they did not
want Ohio county to have any voice In
the bridge and terminal property, or as
a stakeholder to be intermeddling in its
management of affairs, If they had any
thing to do with it. For years they
have been "nagging" and "nagging" at
our every effort TO make the bridge ana
terminal a success. Several times
they, or their agents, have appeared In
this city oppOrtunely TO stir up commo'
ton and adverse action. 1t must be
apparent that they desire to wreck our
with a hope that 1T Will tall
into their hands freed from its Union
and neutral features.
After they procured the use of Mr..
McNell's name to begin the present OPP
position before the Board OF Commits
sioners, their officers appeared in this
city and professed TO the public and an
through Mr.. McNelPs per-
sonal organ, that they were not In
.ereSted In the movement against US.
1t now appears they were the lnstigators
)f ID and were furnishing the money to
pay persons TO become compliments
against us and to pay attorneys to con-
luct the fight, intended 10 put the cOun-
" in the attitude of repudiator in the
financial world.
Long after we began work on the
bridge and terminals, as late perhaps as
/ year and half or two years ago, they
made all sorts of professions that they
were going to run across the hills from
l. 10 II n
Eg Creek, and from Wheeling Creek via.
st. Clairsville to McMahons Creek and
8elaire, and give Wheeling the 'go-by."
In my last interview, the Wheeling
md Lake Erie were asked to name the
rate which they called eXorbitaRt,-
his they have not done. They, OF
were offered the same rate
quoted to other companies, but they
we're not satisfied with that. They de-
handed rate of $3.50 q car, and insist
IL zoe should make them that rate, and
make 10 priUdte and prefer them OUer 9th
n roads, alleging that they were our
natural allies. In this they invited US
70 discriminate in their favor against
lther roads and against the interests OF
the county and subject ourselves to a
ine of FIVE thousand dollars for every
lffense under the Interstate Commerce
aw. Don't it now seem odd TO see them
calling on the "fair minded people"
here to aid them in compelling US to
keep contract which they have been
urging US to violate? "Will you walk
into my parlor? said the spider to the
iy."
They have not been open, frank, sin
,ere or honest in their dealings, either
with this Company or the people Of this
county, and l repeat, they are the last
people In the world to ask the "falr
minded men" of this community to stand
Dy them in the war which in the East
and here they have been making against
the best interests of the people of this
county.
We wish the people here to bear these
things In mind, and not allow the shut
fling and assembling Of these strangers
to count against all we have done here
and tho perfectly open and frank man
ner in which we have worked with and
for the people of Wheeling, and stood In
their midst In open daylight for years.
Bear in mind the further fact that we be-
gan operations here long before we were
really ready. This we did to accommo-
date Reymann's, Whitaker's, and the
Fulton people, and at a time, which
still exists, when our construction was
going on TO interfere and make opera
tions exceedingly difficult and expensive.
We will want the business of the Wheel
ing and Lake Erie as soon and fast as
we are ready TO accommodate them, but
one trouble has always been, that every
effort on our part to oblige them and
treat them kindly has been construed
as an evidence that we are weak and
helpless, and they are not slow TO give
out by speech and innuendo that We
are operating at loss and must soon
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