Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-03-25

the committee, regarding IT as Z hard
ship that persons living in the Fourth
ward should be required to pay ten
cents to ride to the First ward Of the
town, or to Wheeling, will insist that
persons shall be permitted to ride
from the Fourth ward to any point In
Wheeling for five cents. Does not this
feature of this controversy alone rec
commend it to everybody as the great
est good that a Councilman could do
for his people? And, if the Committee
on Ordinances and the Council can
succeed in getting the railway COM
pany to accept such a condition of the
ordinance, they will have performed
their whole duty to this community,
even If they accomplish nothing else.
OF course the Councilmen from the
Fourth ward, where the benefit of the
fare will be fully appreciated, will not
only vote for the ordinance but will
naturally be very enthusiastic support
ers of it. / am not informed what the
Councilmen of the Fourth ward will
do, but / am quite sure that they must
do thing which necessarily benefits
every citizen in the ward. The bene-
fits to accrue to the Fourth ward,
however, will not appeal very strongly
to the gentlemen of the Second and
Third wards, who have pursued their
opposition to this change with such
manifest selfishness.
To the gentlemen working at the B.
& 0. round house, the Riverside and
the steel works, the proposed change
will be a great benefit. / understand
that great numbers of men walk to and
from their work for great distances
because of the expense and unneces-
sary delay in making the trips.
The public generally have rights In
this matter which no citizen Of Ben
wood, no matter how selfish, can ig-
more. Can we complain that people
who have no business in this town,
but are required under the present
plan to stop here and wait for cars
ON another road, ought to be permit
ted TO pass along without interruption?
Are we so immoderately selfish as to
want the people who have no business
here to be held up in our towI with the
hope that, being compelled to stay
here for a while, somebody will get
something out of their purses? Surely
such a sentiment cannot exist to any
extent in this reasonable community.
Benwood people are surely public spir-
tied enough to be satisfied with the
dealings that come naturally, and the
business that flows from such dealings,
with persons who come here to do bus
mess, and is not so far behind the
times as to halt every man in our
town who happens to come our way,
even though he may have no business
from him.
A word for the Committee on Ordin-
ance: This community has not a more
substantial business-like, prudent and
honest set of men than the five gen
tlemen who compost the Ordinance
Committee. Every one of them is
property owner, and to my knowledge
has always enjoyed the respect and
confidence of this community. Harsh
things have been said about Council
men and the gentlemen OF this COM
mittee, who are supposed to be favor
able to the change, and yet, If per-
sons indulging in these criticisms were
asked to state what the ordinance is
| that the committee will present to
Council they could not tell. Does not
every citizen of this community feel
safe with his interests confided to
these gentlemen? Has not every one
of them made a record in Council that
is creditable? Is not the city of Ben
wood to-day in better condition than
it has ever been?
If these gentlemen, who are striv-
ing earnestly and industriously to
solve this question in such way that
the citizens of this town and the pub
lie at large will be benefited thereby,
the reasonable people of this commun-
ity will submit quietly to their judg-
ment. 1t has been rumored that the
gentlemen in the present Council who
are up for reelection will be defeated
If they are friendly to this change.
Shame on such suggestion! 1t can
have no other purpose than to in
timidate. Why not permit Councilman
to do their duty without resorting to
such unjust and unnecessary meth
DDS? If the people of this community
permit themselves to be led by few
selfish individuals, into defeating Coun-
cilmen whose integrity, good judg-
ment and business-like methods have
never before been questioned, simply
because these Councilmen, acting for
the best interests of the city, are will
ing to lay aside every personal con-
sideration, then I say it is time for
the Council of this town to be turned
over to gentlemen who don't care any
thing for the interests of the people,
but act purely for their own personal
benefit.
My opinion is that Councilmen who
do their duty honestly and fearlessly
in the face of opposition, even though
thew make a mistake in Judgment are
the men to be kept in the City Council.
Benwood cannot but be benefited in
every part of it by the proposed change
and the short-slghted individuals who
can't at present see any farther than
their own pocketbooks in this matter,
will, | am sure. in the near future,
congratulate the City Council that it
paid no attention to their false clamor.
A CITIZEN AND TAXPAYER OF
BENWOOD.