Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-11-12
EX-GOTERNOR FLEMING.
TALKS ABOUT RIVER IMPROVEMENT on THE
NONONGAHELA
Some Of the Reasons Presented TO the Commit
too on Rivers and HarbOrs Why the Govern
msni Should Control that River.

Ex-Governor Fleming, who has been
up at Plttsburg with the River and Har-
Dor Committee Of Congress, was in the
city yesterday on his way home to Fair
mont. The Governor went with the
committee on it's tour Of inspection to
the Davis Island dam and up the
Monongahela river, and lost no oppor-
tunity to put in q word for the Upper
Monongahela region for the government
Of that river.
"You see," said the Governor, "what
these Plttsburg fellows want Is for the
government to condemn and buy the
locks and dams on the Lower MOnonga-
hela now owned by the navigation COM
but that is not all that we Want
up 10 the Fairmont region. What we
need is an extension of the improvement
also so that we can ship coal from the
Upper Monongahels. Slack water now
only reaches MorgantoWn. The navi-
CATION company owns several dams, be-
ginning at the mouth Of the river, while
the government has put In three above
them, the last one being just within the
West Virginia line. The naviga-
ton company, through whose
locks all the coal shipped
by this river must pass, charges enor-
nous tolls and IL is for the purpose OF
making the river free that the coal men
want the government to assume control
OF It. They can see no justice In the
spending Of millions of dollars by the
government for the improvement OF the
Great Kanawha river, the coal of which
is already more than 200 miles closer to
the southern market than theirs and
which has no river tolls to pay, while
they are left at the marcy of q corpora
ton in practical ownership Of the river.
They want to be placed on the same
footing with the Kanawha coal men.
They don't like favoritism and they
think that common justice will require
the government to at least buy the dams
of the navigation company and make
their river free"
HAS not some money been appro-
priated already for this purpose, Gov
ernor?"
Eyes. Some time ago condemnation
proceedings were instituted and about
$500, 600 appropriated towards the pur-
chase Of the dams. The matter was
carried into the United States Court
and q decision rendered to the effect
that the actual property value OF the
company was a fair price to pay. The
case was carried to the Supreme Court,
-hFob rocartIv rayaread tba decision NJ
the lower court and decided that the
proper value Of the company's property
included its franchise value and was al
amount on which the annual profits OF
the company would equal six per cent.
As the company is paying an annual
dividend Of about IA per cent on its
capital stock this decision brought
up the price which the government
would have to pay to q much
higher figure and nothing was done. 1t
Is but right, though, that If the gov
eminent takes private property 1t should
pay a proper price for it, and the only
reason condemnation proceedings were
not carried on was because there was
not sufficient money available to buy
the dams, and so no use in condemning
them.
MY trip with the Committee" con-
tinued the Governor, was q wonder
fully instructive one. Statements were
made before the Committee which
said, for instance, by a gentleman
whose statement could not be ques-
toned, that the annual production of a
single corporation whose steel plant is
on the Monougahela river is Of greater
value than the entire cotton crop of the
South. To one familiar with the old
saying, Cotton Is king this is an as
founding statement.
at was also stated that the tonnage Of
the M%opongahels river is equal to half
that which goes down the Mississippi
river. Such interests as these deserved
some recognition at the hands Of a
government which is scattering funds
among the rivers Of the country and
helping those which need it less. They
60 on TO argue that the people Of the
South and West who annually pay
nearly $500, 900 into the treasury of the
M~onongahela Navigation Co., should be
relieved of this enormous burden,
which they are as anxious to see re-
moved as are the people of Pittsburg.
The report of the company shows that
1t collected last year S260,0s2,7s in
tolls. One company alone pays S35, 000
a rear in tolls, and all this comes, Of
course, out Of the Nearly
pinety-seven million bushels Of coal
went through the locks last year and
the consumer of each bushel pays his
part Of the tolls. The tolls paid would
buy a lock or two each year, and
the amount saved, il the river were
free, would soon pay for the whole sys-
tenn"
''Governor, couldn't you open the
ayes of some Of the committee a little
about West Virginia."
well, 1 tried to tell as big q story as
any Of then, and l guess some OF them
were a little surprised when l told how
much more coal we have In West Vir-
GINA than there is in Pennsylvania.
And l guess there were not very many
who knew that we have not only more
coal but better coal in West Virginia
than they have in Pennsylvania. Why,
IL the Improvement of the Monongahela
we're continued from Morgaptown TO
Fairmont 1t would open a solid bed Of
coal the entire distance, and the river
coal business from the Fairmont region
would grow to enormous proportions"
''What would be the cost OF improv-
ing the Monongahela between Morgan
town and Fairmont?"
THE cost has been estimated at from
$500, 600 TO 81, OOO. 900. Col. Roberts,
who made an official report to the gov
eminent, says that there is a fall Of GA
feet, aud that six dams would be re-
ouired. These would not begin to cost
what the dams in the Kanawha cost, as
the river is so much narrower, and l
don't suppose they would average v