The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1898-03-16
MoRGANrowN, WEST VIRGINIA, MARCH IS 1898
FOR A FREE BRIDGE.
Citizens and Tax-psyefs Pray
for 1t from the Court.

4
Every Possible Reason, why 1t should be
given the Cornty and NO reason why
1t should not be given-Efery advance
has Encountered the same Yawpers
and everyone is now accepted as
right and just-It is right. 1t is prop
err and 1t is Honest-We have a right
to II Mistakes Of the past pointed
0ut-wilI they be Repeated The
Court is now hearing the Proposition
of the Company--lt will be the Last
Chance to get the structure without
Legal Fight.
Fridays Daily.
This morning at nine o'clock be-
gan the most important meeting for
Morgantown and all that part OF the
codnty contiguous to it that has
ever been held In the history OF the
county. 1t was the first organized
demand for free bridge. 1t was
demand and il was a determined de-
mand. Tie members of the county
court were given to understand that
we had paid out good money and had
seen it spent for the benefit of other
parts of the county as long as we in
tended 70 see it indifferently. And
they were tod IN rfain words that
the man who stood against The IN.
terests of the town would be reward
ed in way that would fit the of
fence
The meeting was representative
one The small taxpayer stood with
the man who paid over seven hun
dred dollars year into the county
Golfers and asked that the bridge
be made free and the county united
There was oratory to burn and some
of it was so hot that it smoked. The
court heard all that wanted to speak
in patience aud if they failed to UNI
derstand the situation as the people
in the town See it, it was certainly
not for the want of attention nor the
being told Of it.
The tact was brought out that on
one creek in the county there had
been more than one hundred thous-
and dollars expended In bridges and
replacing the ones which had been
washed away. This stream is on
the edge of the county and is fmpas
sable at but one point, while the
river divides the county in half and
by reason of slackwater is impassa-
bic at every point Morgan district
has spent in taxes in this time more
than one hundred thousand dollars
and has not had cent spent for her
citizens.
The bridge takes in more than
$4,000 year. This comes from the
citizens. In ten years we will have
saved the cost of the structure and
will have the bridge to boot. 1t
puts bar in the path of progress
and engenders animositles that lose
the county thousands of dollars an
nually. There is more than hun
dred thousand dollars in the banks
at Warrington and Fairmont that
would be here if we had free
bridge.
There is no time like the present.
The longer the matter is delayed
the more will have to paid for the
structure. A few years ago it could
have been bought for$7500 now it will
take $4,000 The county court had a
chance then to get it. 1t made a
mistake. Will it repeat that mis-
take? A plan is on foot to sell the
bridge by the first of April. The
tolls will be raised then. The new
company will not want to SELL. The
old company does. 1t will take
more money to get it from the new
company and probably legal fight.
| If the circumstances demand the
bridge it's purchase should not be
put off a minute.
| Some people are opposed to the
plan. They were opposed to the
court house, they were opposed to
road machines and nearly raised a
riot when they were bought. At
ter the machines had been in use
for few years there was almost a
riot because the court ordered them
to rest for one summer. Sentiment in
this case will experience similar
change.
These points and many more
were brought out by the speakers.
Lack of space prevents the giving of
the remarks, much as we would
like to do So Those who spoke
for the plan were Frank Cox, E. M.
/ Grant, l. C. White, r. E. Fast, E.
Price, Jos. Moreland, Geo. G. Baker,
Frank Raymond, T. P. Reay, J. S.
Brookover, Judge Berkshire and Chas.
Goodwin