The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-06-26

SURPRISE
EXPRESSED
over the Action of the Trades Assem-
bly, in Passing the Anti-Rail-
road Resolution.
WAS NOT FULLY DISCUSSED
And the Intentions of the Commits
sioners Not UnderstoOd-what
the Road Means to Wheeling.

on all sIdes-among workingmen as
well as in the store and office-there is
the greatest surprise expressed over
the action of the Ohio Valley Trades
and Labor Assembly on Sunday, with
relation to the countys subscription of
$500, 900 to the capital stock Of. the
Uniontown, waynesburg & West vir-
ginIa Railway Company, ana working
men themselves are not slow in critics.
Ing severely such snapshot action on
subject that deserved at least full
and careful consideration.
1t is learned that the principal OBJ
lection the author of the trades assem-
bly, resolution had to the proposed sub
scription by the county was that it was
too much money to give to any rail-
road" Not cent is being given; on the
contrary the county receives for its
$500, 900 certificates for that amount of
stock. and If the coke roads stock
should ever become as valuable as
that of the Pawikey-which many be-
lieve is not too optimistic view-then
the county would be the owner of Sc
curities representing a value of Just a
cool million.
Again. It is not at all certainty that
the county Will issue bonds for 100000
in the event that the Unlontown
waynesburg & West Virginia railroad
ordinance passes by the required ma
jorlty at the special election on July H.
Some members Of the board, including
SO influential member as President
McGregor, favor selling the 100000 OF
Pewlkey stock which the county still
holds, and apply the proceeds, 100000
to the coke road subscription, so that In
that event the county would Issue only
$500 1000 in bonds. If the trades assem-
bly, member is against the bond issue
only because too much money is to be
raised on bonds-and he so states his
position-then he moved triile toe
quickly and ought to have waited until
the county commissioners decided
whether or not they would dispose of
the Pewikey stock.
But aside from all this the over
whelming sentiment in the community
is that the coke road is the bast of
good things for Wheeling and that
even a million dollars voted in Its aid
is not too high price to pay for the
benefits that are assured by the com
plation of the proposed road. At pres
ent the cost of making steel in the
Wheeling district exceeds the cost in
the Pittsburgh district about 81 a ton,
owing to the fact that Pittsburgh mills
have cheaper rate of transportation
on their coke from the Connellsville
region than Wheeling. 1t Is provided
in the ordinance that Ohio countys
subscription to the new road is contin-
gent upon an agreemnt with the com.
pany that 1t shall always give Wheel
ing manufacturers as low a rate on
coke as Pittsburgh manufacturers re-
calve from their short line to the coke
field. The company. has agreed to this
condition. and the promoters have evea
said that Wheeling will have lower
rate on coke than Pittsburgh. In the
latter event, 1t is no idle dream that
Wheeling may wrest the sceptre of iron
and steel leadership from mighty
Pittsburgh. and at any rate Wheeling
is assured of being placed on an equal
ity with Pittsburgh. This means more
than pen can tell to this great industrial
centre, and the realization OF these
mighty possibilities through the con-
structlon OF a direct coke road from
Uniontown to Wheeling induce the av-
erage Wheeling man TO look with sur
prise and disappointment upon such
action as that taken at Sundays meet
ing of the trades assembly. 1t has de-
veloped that this action does not repre-
sent the true sentiment Of the body,
and was passed with little or no Discus
sion and at a session that was SHINY
attended. A well known member Of the
body is said to have stated yesterday
that he could not understand how such
Intelligent men as those making up the
membership OF the body could possibly
have committed such an act Of folly
and that he would make an earnest ef-
fort at the next meeting to have the
action of last Sunday ,rescInded