Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-07-30
rae "INrELLIaExCER.s" MANIA.

THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS." MANIA.
What is the matter with our neigh
boris upper story? Has its latest thrash
ing at the hands OF the people unsettled
its mind? Something ails it and its
trouble has reference to the Main street
stone bridge ratification. Mention that
subject within it's hearing and the
InteIIigenccr instantly lapses into
state of glbbering idiocy, from which
nothing can arouse it. When in
this condition it raves almlessly
about 1.-THE stone bridge folly" which
it thinks "the people have lived to re-
greet" declaring in the face Of common
sense and facts as plain as daylight,
that ga steel bridge would have been
up and in use, by this time, etc. When
in this imbecile condition IL makes no
difference at all how often or how
plainly it is demonstrated that no mat
ter what kind of bridge had been ar
ranged for, it must first have stone
foundations to rest on, and that had
the wOrkmen been engaged In digging
foundation for an iron bridge the ac-
cident which has delayed them would
have occurred just the same, and
the iron structure could not possibly
have been one whit further advanced
to-day than is the stone bridge. But
plain facts and common sense reasoning
that lisplng baby might understand
make no sort of impression on our
neighbor. 1t makes nOanswer, but goes
ahead in the same drearY, idiotic way
till one cannot help plying its appar-
emily hopeless imbecility. Here is a
specimen of it:
The city is about to offer six per cent.
electric light loan. Is it reasonable to sup
pose that investors will take the stone
bridge loan at four-and-a-half per cent!
About one dollar out of three OF the bridge
loan has been placed, leaving nearly SfO,OOO
TO be Sold This amount might be DIS
posed of If the rate of interest were raised
TO six per cent, but this would require the
submission of another ordinance. -,
The submission of the ordinance would
put the stone bridge folly once more oel0re
the people, who by this time nave hau
chance To see how stupendOuS folly IL IS.
It is strongly probable that the ordinance
would be defeated What is to be done!
The best way out of bad fix is to aoap-
don the stone bridge where it is-rather
where it is not and for some time where IL
will not be-and put up handsome ana
substantial steel bridge. An ordinance
authorizing a six per cert. loan for THIS
purpose would be likely topass.
Now the Intelttgencer knows as well
as anybody, or would if it were in its
right mind, that the Az per cent. bonds
were tried as an experiment and they
would have been issued just the same
and no more Of them sold had the peo-
ple decided in favor of an iron bridge,
and that so far as the bonds are con-
cerned the situation would be just what
it Is, whether the bridge was to be OF
iron or stone. The InteIligenccr like
wise knows as well as anybody, or
would If it were not out OF its head
on the subject, that an iron bridge
would have TO have just as deep stone
foundations as the stone bridge, and
that those foundations could not be
built one whit sooner for an iron bridge
than they can for the stone bridge, and
that the "hole," which worries our
neighbor in its imbecile moments so
much, would still be there aud the bank
would be caved in upon II just as it
is now, whether the workmen were dig
ging II TO support stone or iron, or wood
or wire, OF any other known bridge ma
terial.
To accept the Intelligencer's insane
proposition namely TO stop work on
the stone bridge and abrogate the con-
tract, would lot only cost the city some
$3.50 or $4,000 more than to fin
nish the stone bridge, but would
delay the final completion fully
year, aud then we would
have an insecure and unsatisfactory
metal structure that Would endanger
the water and gas supply Of the South
Side and be source of worry and ex-
pense as long as it lasted, instead OF
solid, substantial stone bridge that
would last for centuries.
But we have ceased to hope to con-
vince the TnteIligencer of facts which
are so plain that it is constant source
of wonder it does not comprehend them
even allowing for it's Authorizations on
the subject
We leave the IntelligeRcer'S case to
medical science, and in the meantime,
present in our local columns some high
ly interesting facts and statistics bear
ing on the bridge subject; also severali in
terviews, as many as we have space for,
with representative citizens and ex-
perts on the subject, to show what the
common-sense people Of Wheeling think
of the Intelligenccr'S case.
THE general industrial situation since
the passage of the Mckinley bill has
been growing steadily and rapidly