Year: 1875

LILO iollo"hnS 1oie anu appropriate
remarks were made by DR.. Tanuer, Of
this county, in the House of Delegates,
against the temporary removal of the
Capital to Wheeling -


The bill to remove the Capital from
Charleston to Wheeling, Temporarily"
being called up for discussion,


DR.. Tanner made a motion to re-
commit the bill, for the purpose of
making the location permanent if the
Capital must be removed, and to put
the question forever at rest.


And upon this question he made the
following remarks:


Little did / think until within the
last few hours that it would ever be
| necessary for me to raise my feeble
voice in the support Of the Capital Of
this State remaining in this beautiful
valley of the Kanawha; little did !
think that any considerable portion of
the members Of this House could sup
pose that the true interests or the policy
of the State at this time either demand
ed or justified any interference with
this question.


And, Mr.. Speaker, were to remain
silent upon this question, l would tail
to discharge an obligation / owe to my
constituents, for which / may never be
able to make to them the proper
amends.


But this question has been SO dis
cussed that inspiration itself could
scarcely throw any further light upon
it.


Yet it appears that the fiat has gone
forth regardless of the true interest OF
the State, and of the people, that the
Capital shall be removed.


Let me ask, in all frankness and hon
esty, are the true and real interests of
the State, and of the people subserved
by this act Are we by this act rep
resenting the will OF our constituents
Are we representing the hard listed
yeomanry OF the State the people who
pay the taxes? These now are the true
questions that address themselves to
your judgment and to your understand
ing. -.


Will you by the perpetration of this
act, aid in developing the resources and
the wealth of the State


Will you, by concentrating all the
patronage of the State in one single
locality, accomplish the development of
the great resources and the wealth OF
West Virginia!


Will you by removing the Capital to
the city of Wheeling, temporarily, en-
hance the value Of one single acre OF
the adjacent lands, or the price OF one
single building in that city, whose pro.
perty and land has already attained all
the value that State patronage and ac-
cumulated wealth can bring with it?


If you move this Capital now from
this section of the State, you at once
check the advancing prosperity of this
people, and you roll back the tide of
public Improvement in the southwes-
tern section for years to come; by one
false stroke of your policy you forever
ruin and render worthless the best pros
pective Improvement on the West OF
the mountains, and the only one that
ever proposes to traverse your State
from North to South. l have refer
ence to the North and Southern West
Virginia Railroad, leading from Charles
ton to Uniontown, Pa, and passing
through the center portion and entire
length of our State. If the Capital re-
mains at Charleston for few years
that must add to the value Of the tax-
able property of this State through
which is to pass, must in the nature and
the face of circumstances soon be COM
pleted; move it to Wheeling, or near
the other end of this railroad, and years
and years will pass without seeing this
road completed, or without seeing the
resources of this State developed, as it
has heretofore promised since the Cap
ital has been located here.


Will you by this fatal stroke OF pol
icy render tributary to one section
alone the entire balance of the State to
the detriment OF all the interests that
is to make you united and a prosper
GUS people.


. 1t has been said by gentlemen Oh
this floor, that it is inconvenient tor
members to get from Wheeling TO
Charleston; by what road then | would
ask is it easier for members TO travel
from Charleston to Wheeling.


Let US see then what remedy the bill
proposes to apply to the evil of which
you complain:


Last year You spent in the useless
discussion of this question $4,000 Of
the peoples money; this year We have
already spent $4,000 moro Of their
hard earnings, and your bill now pro-
poses TO remove it temporarily to
Wheeling, as some of the members as
sert, for the purpose Of making future
location OF it somewhere, at soma future
time. Is this the kind of legislature
that the people demand at our handsi
I think not. Your bill proposes to
keep up the useless and ruinous dis.
cussion Of this vexed question from
wear to year, without the slightest hope
Of arriving at any conclusion OF the
matter, and that too at cost to the
people of from $4,000 to $4,000 dollars
annually.


Mr.. Speaker, / feel confident that I
not only represent the will Of my con-
.:.. L.. tb,t raneoaapf tho mill