Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1836-12-08
TO THE LEGISLATURE OF VIRGINIA.

TO THE LEGISLATURE OF VIRGINIA.
An effort will doubtless be made during your
present session to procure charter for Il Rail
Road from Richmond to Lynchhnrg, on the Ridge
route, in con,ravcntion of the pledged faith Of the
State, and in direct opposition tspccuniary intc-
rest. We cannot believe that any member OF your
Body, except those vino may be Influenced by To-
cal interests, will sustain this application. When
it is recollccted that the State is large s,ochhod
in the James River and Kanawha Improvement,
and that the stock ofihat Company will be vast
" augmented in value by Rail Road from the
Southwest, tapping the Canal al Lynchbnrs,
while, tho other hand, will be great, depre-
cia:rd by scheme Which converts an auxiliary M
10 IA rival and an antagonisi,-it cannot ioI a mo-
ment lc supposed, that any member Of the Legis-
l,ture viii all in crrctins this annual loss to the
State, as IA stolkholler in the James River and
kanawla Company, except the few whose greater
local interests swallow up all considerations of State
profit. We shall hear, no doubt, much said about
the James River monopoly, Il all that sort of slang,
which has been effectively employed for twenty
years past to dampcn the energies and 10 para'yzc
the efforts of the friends of systematic and general
Improvement. But, all that the James and ka-
nawha Company asks, VIC presume, is sheer and
simple Justice. Its stockholders, venture to AS
scrt, would never have embarked their money in
the scheme at ALL if they had supposed it posi-
BILE, that, immediately upon its organization, an at
tempt would be made to snatch from them IA large
portioa of the trade upon which they depended for
enumeration. by the incorporation OF company
TO construct Raj, Road running almost parallel
The last Legislature, by comforting on the James
and Kunawr, Company the privilege of construct
ing the Road between these points manifested
proper and just regard at oncc for the rights of
that Company and the interests of the State-and
We hope thai we have "A continued guarantee for
the protcctien of the former against the assaults OF
personal hostility aud sectional rivalry, in the fact,
that they can never be invaded, without al the
same time cndangcring the latter.
We shall be told, too in all probability, that the
public good requires the immediate construction OF
the link of the Road between Richmond and
Lynchbnrg. To this answer that the pros
perity of the Commonwealth is much more deeply
Interested in the immediate construction of its
Western sec,ion--thc Eastern portion Of the State
having already sufficient avenues to market for all
its trade while the West is almost entirely exclu-
ded from market for the want ofthe means of cheap
rnsportaion. To this il may be added, likewise
that the link of the Road between Lynchbnrg &
r. ohnlond will create neither travel nor trade, bnt
only divert portion OF that which now finds lis
way to one market, TO different one-from
Lvnchburg Farnville and Danyllc, for example,
10 Richmond-whcreas, the Western link will
create both trade and travel, from the moment that
touches the Blue Ridge, until it reaches the Eas
tern boundary of Tennessee. Every conside-
ration, il seems TO us, both Of policy and justice.
requires that the rights ofrhe James River and ka-
nawha Company should not be neriered with by
a rival interest and we earnestly hope thai the
Legislature will not sanction any application ha-
wing such an object in view.