The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1894-04-07
A LITTLE POLITICS,
A Little Business, and a Good
Deal of Gossip.
Some Of the Subjects Talked About by
the West Virginians Who Made Their
Pilgrimage to Pittsburg-What the
New Railroad Is Expected to do for
This State-Sturgiss Candidate for
Congress.
Wheeling Register.


Wheeling Register.
George c. Sturgiss will be a can
didate for Congress in the Second
district this year, or will at least
seek the nomination. In the course
OF his address before the Pittsburg
Chamber of Commerce on Monday,
when speaking before the Pittsburg-
ers and to the West Virginians, he
announced the platform upon which
he expected to stand-or run. The
improvement of the upper Mononga-
bella was his theme, and he dwelt
long and enthusiastically upon the
natural advantages which Pittsburg
and the upper Monongahela would
derive from the extension of the lock
and dam system. He told of his eff
forts to secure government help in
the work many years ago, and of the
slowness with which the government
had responded. He assured the lis
teners that the government was will
ing to improve the river, that all it
needed was a good stirring up and
assured Pittsburg of his great desire
to assist in every possible way in the
promotion of the work. OF course
he did not say that if he were sent
to Congress he would vote for an ap-
preparation, but his remarks were
taken as an announcement that he
wanted to go Congress by way of the
upper Monongahela.
Col. Ben Wilson was reminiscent
and referred more than once to events
which occurred while he was in Con
gress. His eye twinkled merrily
then and he was fired with an I'M
wonted eloquence as he spoke of
these things, which might tetoken
Willingness upon his part to enter
the race for Congress again himself.
The coal men in the Fairmont field
are now laboring under even greater
disadvantages than they were last
year in getting their coal to market.
Last year the rate fixed for hauling
coal from Pittsburg to the lakes was
~ cents a ton, from the Ohio fields
874 cents, and from Fairmont 81 05.
AT the meeting in Columbus last
week new rate was made for the
Ohio fields Of So cents; Pittsburg's
rate was left unchanged, while the
rate from Fairmont was increased to
H.073. Even with this unjust rate
against them, and the coal markets
glntted besides, the Fairmont mines
are all running about half time and
the sales of coal continue, in spite of
the disadvantages to which the dis
trict is subject.
By the opening Of the new railroad
the timber of Central West Virginia
will find ready market Already
the same freight rates are given on
lumber from the interior to Wheel
ing and to Pttsburg, and with the
distance thus reduced cheaper rate
will probably be obtained, and much
timber will find its way from our for
ests into Pittsburg markets. The
output from the mills this year prom
ises to be very large. The supply of
lumber on hand has been almost ex-
bausted and the demand is on the
increase, so that our mill men will
lind better market than they had
last season. Mr.. Whitescarver, gen
eral manager of the Pickens Lumber
Company, has sold in advance the
entire output of his large mill for the
year. Several other mills have done
the same, which means steady work
among the mill men, and business
prosperity in the interior counties.
From Pittsburg to Uniontown, Pa,
the B. d O. railroad passes through
almost one continuous town. Places
of from eight to thirty thousand peo-
pie are scattered all along the road,
and the lines where one town ends
and the next begins are scarcely Oh
servable, SO thickly is the country
settled, and every town is manu-
featuring town. The same veins of
coal on which the prosperity of this
section is founded, extend on into
West Virginia; the same limestone
soil is found in our State, the same
line of railroad now passes through !
them both, and sanguine West Vir
ginians, who passed over the new
road on Monday, predict that in
few more years the upper Mononga-
hela will be counterpart of the
thriving section down near Pitts
burg
Col. John McGraw asserts that it
is only result of accident that the
counties of Fayette, Greene and
Washington are now in Pennsylvania
instead of West Virginia. Accord
ing to the original intention the line
between Pennsylvania and Virginia
should have taken a northwestern
course and struck the Ohio river
about the present site Of Pittsburg.
One story is that the surveyors got
drunk and lost their bearings, and |
another, that without getting drunk
they lost their bearings, and the re-