Year: 1866




government of Wheeling during the
past two years needs no defense. The
evidences of its excellence are daily ap-
parent to all our citizens, and he who
assails it will he believed by no intelli
gent man, but will simply be laughed
at. 1t is fact known to every citizen
Of Wheeling that, during the time of
Mr.. SwEENEY'S Mayoralty, our muni-
cipal affairs have been managed for the
best interests of the city and in the
most unexceptionablem manner. Even the
bitterness of partisan malice has been
unable to find any tenable ground
of objection, and has been forced
10 content itself with vague
!n,inuations of misgovernment and
with fancied abuses merely hinted at
in general way" With such lnsinu-
ations We may safely leave the common
sense Of our citizens to deal. They kno~
that such charges as are limited against
Mayor SwEESEY's administration are
totally unfounded; they know that no
good ground of complaint can be found
against our municipal government; and
they know how to deal with those who
insult the intelligence of every honest
man in the city by gravely attempting
to make people believe rs true what
they know to be false.


Every taxpayer i'll the city knows
that during the past two years his city
taxes have been less than they formerly
were. the assertion of the Wheeling m
tlliqencer to the contrary notwithstand
ING. The city tax used to be fifty cents
on one hundred dollars: during the
mast two years it has been but forty
cents on the same sum. Rents are high,
il is true. and, in some cases, may be
deemed eXorbitant. But this is mat
lei with which the CITY government has
little TO do. Rents are regulated by
supply and demand, just as the price OF
anv article of merchandise is controlled.
There is greater demand for dwelling
houses and places of business this year
than there was last year, and there was
greater demand last year than there
was the year before. 4 larger num-
Der of new buildings has been erected
in the city during the past two years
than were put up in eight years before,
but still the demand has exceeded the
supply and rents have steadily advanced.
The nigh rents that are paid are there
fore rather an evidence of the busines S
prosperity of the city and OF its desirable
ness as q place Of residence, than an in
dication of any fault in the municipal
government. There can be no greater
absurdity than is contained in the
charge that our city officials are blam-
able for the high rents that are demand
ed BY the owners of real property.


OF a similar character is the charge
that our citizens do not enjoy adequat Q
security of life and property. We as
sert, without possibility of successful
denial, that there is no other city
in the United States whose population is
eaualI to that of Wheeling and where
there is so small an expenditure ofmoney
for police purposes as here, whose citizens
enjoy as complete security of life and
property as the citizens of Wheeling do.
During the past two years there has
been a notable decrease of crime in our
midst. and occasions are not infrequent
when there is not single case worthy
the cognizance of the police court du-
ring several days in succession. All our
citizens know this; they all know that
they enjoy rs complete security of per-
son and property as is possible in any
city as large as Wheeling; and to assert
the contrary is to deny what is appar-
ent to every man of ordinary intelli-
gence.


The insinuation that the revenues
of the city have been expended
without adequate results is equally un-
founded. The chief expenditure for
city purposes during the past year has
been for the laying of new main wa
ter pipe. Everybody who knows any
thing knows that the old pipes, Caid
when Wheeling was mere village in
comparison with its present size,) was
Insufficient for the present dimensions
of the city, and that new pipe was de-
manded. Everybody knows also that
the new pipe has not failed to produce


adequate results II has materially