Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-02-09

of the new county rest their case the
situation is entirely different.
In 1869 the Board of Supervisors OF Mar
ion county. under act of the Legislature,
made an official survey of Marion county.
This survey was made by Austin Merrill,
a man OF character and ability, and sur
veyor Of more than ordinary experience.
He made a careful survey of the county,
returned his report with two maps. swore
10 their accuracy before n. b. Jones, q
notary public, and filed one copy Of the
map with the county clerk and filed the
other in the office of the Secretary OF
State. This was not a school map or
farm survey. 1t was a bona fide map
made under the authority of law and by
the best surveyor at that time in the
county, who took the prescribed oath as
TO the accuracy of his work. This map
shows 3O7ls square miles as the area Of
Marion county.
There is a little unwritten history as to
this map which may as well be stated
here. The Merrill map. which was re-
garded by every one as the official map Of
the'county hung in the Office of the clerk
of the County Court for many years.
Numerous tracings were made from it for
coal and oil purposes. and it was in con-
siderable demand among the people
About year ago it disappeared from the
office. The clerk made dtligent inquiry
but no tidings of the lost map have been
obtained. Knowing that duplicate Of the
map was in the Office of the Secretary Of
State. few days ago. when some Marion
county people went to Charleston. they
inquired for a duplicate of n clerk in the
Secretary of States Office He replied
that he had loaned it 10 one Of the new
county boomers from Warrington to make
a tracing from it, The Warrington man
was asked 10 return It. He evaded the
demand by frivolous excuses from day to
day, and it was only by threats of i'm
mediate prosecution that ne was finally
induced TO surrender it.
In confederation Of the Merrill map the
acreage on the land books of the county.
after deducting the coal. which is taxed
separately and adding town lots. shows
3l4 square miles. The whole acreage. in
GLIDING coal shows by the Auditors re-
port 500 square miles Is It possible 10 be-
lieve. in the face of this fact that Marion
county has 52S square miles. as claimed
by the promoters Of the new county? In
other words. can it be supposed for an in
slant that one-half OF the lands of Marion
county are not on the land books for pur-
poses Of taxation? This must he believed
If we are TO accept the Warrington map
as correct
The same facts apply to Morongalia.
The authorized survey Of that county.
made by Senator Price. competent sur
veyor Of long experience. shows $50 square
miles. The Auditors report Of acreage on
the land books shows 36i square miles. a
discrepancy that it easily understood by
any one having a knowledge of surveying.
Thus Mr. Marchaud asks the Legisla-
ture. the members Of which are sworn to
obey the constitution and law. TO violate
their oaths and every item Of legal proof.
and create the new county of Augusta on
the mere statement of interested people
whose conduct so far has given the lie
direct 70 their pretensions that they want
their case 10 rest upon its merits
II the county of Augusta can be created
by the methods and under the circura-
stances thus presented the constitution
has no force or effect. It's provisions on
any subject may be violated by the Leg
islature with impunity and new counties
created for political or other purposes
al the will Of the Legislature without re-
gard to the forms of the law This is too
dangerous a precedent TO establish. and II
is felt that since the facts have been de,
ve,oped there Is no danger of the Legisla-
ture perpetrating any such OUTRAGE upon
the people. MARION.