Year: 1870

The IRtellisencer of this morning has
an article under the above heading to
which / wish TO say word in reply.
The article purports to come from
Clarhsburg, but was, no doubt, written
in Wheeling, as most of the correspond
ence of that journal "from the country"
is. This writer (purportiDg to ke from
Clarksburg) is wonderfully in love with
the Wheeling proposition, which is to
purchase the old rotten diapidated Lind
sley Institute, fit it up with some addi-
tions and furnish it to the State for a
capitol for five years. The writer says
that this will be a wonderful saving to
thu State in the way of taxation. 1t is
in his own language "most noble and
generous" for the people of Wheeling to
offer the State, free of cost, the use of
an inferior building for five years, but
he takes good care not to notice the
proposition of the people of Charleston
of new and elegant building, with all
the accommodations necessary for both
houses of the Legislature, including the
necessary committee rooms, and rooms
for the Court of Appeals and State
Library for any number of years, if it
be fifty, that the Legislature can choose
to occupy it, free of charge to the State:
Now wish to say a word to the good
people of Wheeling upon this subject.
At this time there is the. best of feeling
on tie part of the people of the Third
Congressional District towards the city
foot at Charleston, in case the Capital
remains there, to put on a line of steamers
between that point and Wheeling, which
will build up a trade between the two
cities far more profitable to Wheeling
than a temporary Capital ever was or
can be. Our people feel that it was by
the votes of the Senators and Delegates
representing Wheeling that the Capital
was located at Charleston, and they have
relied enphatically upon these same
votes to keep it there. Upon the faith
of this they have involved themselves
in an expenditure of nearly $50. 900 to
make good their pledges to the State, if
the Capital was located at Charleston.
And now, if the people If Wheeling, by
combining all the elements of opposi-
tion to Charleston, should step in aad
snatch the cup from her just as she is
about to put it to her lips, what can
Wheeling expect from the Third Dis
t:ict in the futuref tell you, people of
Wheeling, as we'll as of the rest
of the northwest, that the peo-
pie of the Third District are
sensitive and sore upon this subject
They were the foot ball of the east, the
north west, and southwest, in the old
State, and it begins to look as If this
game was TO be renewed by this end OF
the State. If it is, what can the people
of Wheeling or OF any other locality,
who may aid and assist them in perpe-
tratiDg this gross wrong, expect of the
people of the Third District in the fu-
turef That district now has eighteen
Delegates and six Senator's less than
one third of each House of the Legisla-
ture; while it has considerably more
than o1e-third of the population; and
it is increasing in population much
faster than the balance of the State. Can
the people of the northwest, as q whole,
or as individuals, expect anything at
the hands of an entire community smart
Jog under sense of gross injustice and
premeditated wrong' l tell you that
the people of that district will not only
hate you, hut they will leave it as a
legacy to their children to hate you,
and those who don't believe it now, will
find 1t SO when they come to ask favors
from them or their representatives.. 1t
is not my purpose in all this to threaten
and cOerce any one. l am simply
stating the facts which / know, in the
mildest form in which l can put
them. As to the argument that after
the first day of April next it will be
unconstitutional to repeal the act
locating the Capital at Charleston, while
it it is perfectly constitutional to do so
now, all | have to say is that it is, to
use the mildest term, a fallacy. If the
Legislature can repeal this act before
the first of April, it can do so after
wards; and without discussing the con-
stitutional power of the Legislature in
this matter, l insist upon it that
Charleston should have a fair trial be-
fore this power, ifit exists, is exercised.
Let the Legislature meet there next
year, and if. after fair trial, the peo-
pie of the State are not satisfied with
that place as the seat of government, it
will be time, enough to talk of repeal.
The people of Charleston having already
incurred all the expense they will have
to incur in order to accommodate the
State officers and the Legislature, they
ought to have some remuneration for
their outlay. L forbear, at this time, to
say more,


A FRIEND TO WHEELING.


Meeting of Disfranchised Citizens in