The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-10-30

] hail the souls OF mute singers
The forgotten and yoiceleSS throng-
That thrills the earth
With pfieeieas mirth
OF labors unWorded song!
They are knights Of faith and of patience,
True kings Of the sea aud soil!
For they pale the glory
OF war and story
BY the chivQlry Of toll
An Improved River.
There ID also topic OF very especial
interest to the Sixteenth district mem
TONED IN the resolutions Of the district
convention. which ] viii take this OPP
portunity 70 bring freshly to your at
tentlon as one Of very great moment N
promoting the future growth and
greatness Of the Ohio valley and the
rapid attainment Of that proud position
Of superiority to which she Is destined
and that Is the subject Of the extension
ana completion OF the slack-water naVl-
cation Of the upper Ohio.
AS an object lesson. II any were need
ed, and aB an incentive TO hurry the
good work along 1t IL only necessary to
have in mind the Davis Island dam,
which provides such a very valuable
harbor for Pittsburgh and vicinity, but
the enormous benefits Of the proposed
work IN making navigation OF the Ohio
possible all the year around are undis-
puted, and Il In only a question OF get
ting sufficient force behind the PROPOSE
ton 20 put Il in the way Of going
through, and everything possible to Sc
cure early and adequate further action,
IL necessary, by Congress should pc
done, both at Washington City and al
so by vigorous agitation on the part OF
the people here IN this district.
In this connection desire to say that
the work Of Congressman Dovener IN
our neigiibor district in West Virginia,
Is much appreciated on this side OF the
river and / shall be very glad to CO.
operate with him to the fullest extent
in the further efforts to secure this
blessing to the commerce Of our river
which he has pushed so energetically
and skillfully.
I wish also to briefly refer to another
subject OF vital moment that should
come to the front and earnestly engage
the attention Of the people Of this val
ley. The Ohio river should cease to be
used as vast sewer and Its waters
should be preserved for the domestic
uHE Va kA6 hMGAAELp |hRNAA 10 SNANaSsS
and be protected from pollution. Even
slight contamination of drinking water
with filth and with disease germs Is a
loathsome subject Of contemplation,
but 40 we have even now great cities
above us that are growing greater, all
pouring their sewage into the river, and
as our valley, already thickly settled, Is
rapidly increasing In population, the
evil Is clearly assuming gigantic pro-
portions. The idea OF the compulsory
sewage consumption involved Is as re-
voting q subject as can well be mag
ined, and as It surely involves the
health and the lives OF our people It is a
question Of supreme Importance and a
remedy must be found. 1t may, OF
course. require great expenditure to
enforce the adoption of some modern
and scientific method Of sewage dispo-
sitlon, but It should be done and the de-
mand cannot be made for 1t too soon or
too loudly.
Turning now for a few moments to
some more general political consldera-
tons. desire to say that 1t seems to
me the issue before the people this fall
Is very compact and simple. The con-
sequence Of decision one way or the
other are indeed very momentous, but
tttEtd 70 &fV [RAt0obOA4 Va rEg4A4bAt$AbAeAA
about the question.
It Is boiled right down and you have
It in nutshell.
Do you wish change in the admins
tration Of your state and national af-
fairs merely for the sake Of a change?
Why Change?
The Republican party Is in charge as
your agent in Ohio and the nation. Do
you wish to turn 1t out and put the
Democrats in merely to see what will
happen? Is it-only matter of curios-
ity? What other reason is there for a
change? There are positively no state
issues before you. Mr.. Mclean in a
very vague way has suggested that
there are some such issues, but where
are they? What is wrong in state af-
fairs? Absolutely nothing,
The administration OF Governor
Bushnell has not been attacked and It
cannot be successfully attacked. and
you will note that their GAINESVILLE plat
form Is absolutely silent upon the sub
ject. The truth Is that the bearings Of
the election this fall are wholly ma
tional, and even here what are the Is
sues? There are certainly no new is
sues UP. Some new and interesting
questions are coming that will grow In
TO Issues, but they are far from ripe
yet, and certainly not ready for decision
this fall, and as to the old issues, have
they not already gone to judgment, and
as to these do you wish to rip up the
decision Of the people already made?
Which particular exploded error In
the long and unbroken line Of blunders
OF the Democratic party for the past
forty years do you prefer to try to gal
vAniZe into life, and appeal even to
falr-ninded Democrats, great numbers
Of whom fully expect TO vote with ua
this fail, to say upon which Of all these
old questions, II put before their party
to-day, they would consent that It
should take the same position II did Mt
the time they were originally up. Each
and every one are now admitted by Hll
to have been glaring errors. What can
you think OF n party which IN all that
time has been always wrong? On every
single issue that they have made they
have finally gone down in emphatic de-
feat before the people. Should not the
very name be danger signal warning
all TO keep of.
What then about the Democratic
party should attract your support In
these closing years OF the nineteenth
century when looking backward over
records Is in order? The only Demo.
cratic opportunity has been when the
people got into n bad humor over some
minor Republicans mistakes. but we
haven't made any lately. Is there not
already sufficient proof Of this In the
embarrassment shown by the Demo-
Gratis in finding and agreeing upon an
issue this fall, In their sore distress
they renfElrm TINT dIscreGIted bundle OF
incendinry doctrine known ms the Chi
cnGo platform, including the bursted
silver bubble Of 10 to I, but their need