The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-03-21

Hl'it 4.l tnt ti'-4t 10 ga The No
generally knows at what cost ro ny.
these improvements have been ~.
m addition we might cite the cau,i.
Louisville. Keokuk and Sault gse H.
aAd llle Jrttiea a. tne mouth Of tn A..
sissipnl as evidences OF large exps,s
lures. not only that the commerce ~.
Ing through these improvements ~
be free OF tolls. but SO TAI. as poesibi'
distractions danger and DELAY. =
a portion OF the Monongahela itselt ~
two locks and dams built and NJ.
bsiitding Is Tree of tolls, In the nan. I,
justice ana fairness why shah the W,
OF the Monongahela In PennsyIys.l.
eighty -elght miles of river out OF An X
nstyiganle waters In the United sis,1
be subject to tolls2 II Is injustice I, \.
illiberal not TO at once make II free =.
ask II IS not 70 ask the inaugurafion !.
any new policy. but simply the carrs,s. /
out on this river OF the policy that y. /
been adopted on all the other rIv.-4'
lakes, and nayigable waters Of M.
country. Why should an exception i. t.
made OF the Monongahela2 ''si g
Its commerce 1ustifles II. II Is ia.s
than that of any interior nayIsss'
river in the United States except Ks.
Ohio proper and the Mississippi. asa
furnishes more than half OF the tonnss.
of the Ohio. -
The Industries OF the section thrc,.
which il flows and of the great inSS.a
trial city at It's mouth demand IL. nj.
one Of the busiest valleys In The unI,i,
States, It's agriculture, manufactu,s'a
mining, MI would be benefited by M,
act of Justice. and as millions have A..
spent on other rivers to benefit slfnl..
industries whose productions 40 ";
approach those OF the Mononcahs.
why should not the Monongahela e
also favored-no, not favored; dealt Tlts
justly and eduitably. 'ssl
OF Vast Importance.
Further II is not only the indust,..
that are located ON the banks On tn.
river that viii be benefited, AS show
elsewhere. there Is not an industrial, !.
Establishment located within reach AZ N,
nayigable waters OF the AIisslssipni ss VA
its branches that IS not interested iins .s
curing its fuel at the lowest posslhi.
figure The sugar houses OF IouIsIsss
equally with the iron works az pitt
btirgh. the gas works, foundyIes sss
machine shops. agricultural impIemss,,
works, manufactures OF all Kinds i,
well as all fuel users are concerned thss
this toll of a quarter OF cent a busSss
should be removed. II is the larger mi
users especially that cannot bear thsss
extra burdens
And then the owners Of the coal lana,
on the Monongahela should be reilevsi
from this burden of tolls. We elsewher
show how great the burden OF thIstsii
per acre varying In the several poSli
from S119 to $500. In the fifth poSI
from which half the coal shipped oypr
the Monongaheln In 1894 came, the taxis
$6t3 an acre. while coal land Is orls
worth from SIS to 800 an acre. Takls,
even the second pool, the toll charge
are much over half the first cost Of cosl
per acre; in the third pool the tclI
charges are more than twice the oririnl
cost of the coal and the cost OF getflnr
sixth pool coal through the locks /,
nearly fourteen times its cost In the NH
The tax which the coal producers fepi
directly Is Illustrated In the case Of; 4
Pittsburgh coal firm which has al.
paid nearly 81, 900 for the December tolI,
on its business, despite the fact that IA
river was frozen up for nearly half ths
month. This. of course, Is paid In Ina
end by coal consumers between Pitts.
burgh and the gulf. The Lake Superior
iron ore producers have for a long time
been complaining OF the excessive roy.
atty charged by owners OF iron on
lands, but ON the Monongahela river
the case is quite different, as for ever
dollar received by the original owner q
the coal, a corporation holding control
of q river which belongs 10 all, gets
nearly S14 for allowing II to 60 out. IN.
der such circumstances, the coal trade
OF the Monongahela cannot meet the
competition from more favored districts
where the national government has eS.
tended every aid to coal shippers. Its
quite reasonably held that the petition
of the people of the Monongahela VALLEY
10 besrestored to the free use Of the riy9
and to have its commerce exempted
from onerous taxation. that they may
have a living chance TO compete With
the free commerce OF other rivers, and
may be put on the same level as the peo-
pie of other sections, ought 10 command
the earnest attention OF all alike.
IT is asked why not urge the goysru-.
ment to buy the railroads and make
freights free The answer to this Is that
the railroads nre not natural Highways.
but the ordinary country roads are and
these the government does make free. IL
not the national government, then the
state or county. and 1t Is between these
and the river that comparisons should
be instituted, and not between an artlf-
cial transportation route like a railroad
Besides the advocates of a free Mouon-
gahela do not ask that freights be free,
but that tolls be removed.
What VIII II costi
AS Is elsewhere stated. ths
United states Congress has declared It'd
intention to purchase the system Of I'M
iprovements now owned by the Monpn-
gahela Navigation Company. The orig
inal intention seems to have been SIM
ply to pay what the locks and dams
were worth, and with this in mind mp
preparations were made for the pur-
chase of locks Nos. 6 and q Sisi S25 for
lock No. z and sl67, 900 for lock No. 4
Condemnation proceedings were under
and after considerable testimony a YER
,pany for $20e. 900 was rendered. The
Navigation Company refused to accept
this and appealed to the United States
tRAhAs ratNNAtA
Navigation Company was entitled TO
not only what the dam was worth as an
Improvement. but also to compensation
for their franchise to take toll. and the
whole matter was rcmanded for new
trial. II is, therefore, extremely diff
cult to say what would be the cost to the
government Of the Afouongahela Navi-
CATION Company's property. and OF i'm
proving the locks and dams as they
should be.
I, AS to the value OF the company's pro-
perty. Under the laws of Pennsylvania
all transportation and transmission
companies, under which class the Nayi-
cation Company would come, ar.
obliged to make return under oath o.
the actual value OF their property, this
value being supposed to be the market
value ascertainedi by taking the average
price at which the shares sell in gives
year. The last report OF the auditor
general of the state of Pennsylvania, %
whom returns ore made. shows that the
Monongahela Navigation COMPANY
= ..ltat - lEIh.a