Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1846-10-08
Right OF WAY Conyenuon.

We have already published n sketch OF the proceedings
OF The Convention held at Weston. in Lewis county. on tho
2Sth Of SeptembOr, tor the purpose Of enforcing before the
next Legislature OF Virginia the heretofore unsuccessful az.
Pieauon OF the Baltimore and OAio Rail Road Comnsny
Tor the right to terminate iis improvement n, Parket.burs.
As well in compliance with a request 10 ,hst effect. a. be.
Cause Of tho Importance OF a subject in which Tho interests
aud feelings OF 90 large a portion Of The people Of the State
are enlisted. We copy at length this morning, from the
ParkcrsbuFg Gazette, the Preamble and Resolutions adopt.
ed BY the Convention
PEEANBLE AND Resolutions.
The people OF tho North Western mari cf The STATE y;.ll
ing TO no portion q, their fellow citizens in point OF intel
ligeneo and patriotism, and in that due observance Of the
principles OF justice. itugahty and virtue. declared in the
Bill ot Rights TO be the true basis of all free government
have vet from their local situation been hitherto deoriyed of
one OF the greatest blessings Of such government. the means
OF improving their condition by en- easy and speedy con-
'eyanee OF the products " their labor to a suitable market.
and OF exchanging them for Others that NAV serve TO con.
tribute TO their comfort. wealth and happiness. Possessing
a fertile soil, bounuiuily produce Of all tho staple grains OF
the country, with a mild climate, thcy have as yet. for the
want Of easy access to the great marts OF commerce, been
unable 10 advance its condition beyond that Of a stock
growing region, by applying their labor to the product Of tho
various grains, found to contribute so largely to the wealth
and happiness OF their fellow citizens in more favored nor.
tons Of the State: while the inexhausuble mineral resource.
scattered in such rich prolusion by the lavish hand OF ma.
tuTe throughout the country, lie dormani and useless. They
have always scnsibly felt the evil under which they labor.
and earuestl, applied themselves TO devise a remedy. A.
citizens of Virginia they would naturally prefer TO seek a
market within the borders Of their own State. aud were IL
practicable, to contribute their products to the commerce OF
her cities. But situated rs they are IN the north western
angle OF the State, and cut off from the va or. Of The James
River, the line OF the great Central Improvement Of tho
State, by successive barriers OF impTaeicable mountains,
they are forced TO admit that any scheme TO render their
country tributary 10 that great work, would be utterly hore
lees and chimerical. The resources o. the State, were thoy
as boundleSs as fancy could conceive, and yielding with
unstinung hand, wonld be inadequate to accomplish that
object in any useful or Pfacucable sense, while a moments
glance at the map will demonstrate that the true and ma.
tural outlet from this section OF country is through the val
Icy of the Potomac to the ciuee upon its waters. and those
OF the Chesapeake Bay.
Thus the ewes OF the people OF this country hive been
for a long time cast in tina, direction, in the hope OF being
enabled to find this great desiderstum for the promotion OF
their wealth and prosperity and the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad and the Chesapeake and Ohio Cana have been
looked to as the lines upon which, # at all. the products
Of thes labor must be conveyed TO an eastern market.
A. early a. the year 1927, an application was made to
the General Assembly on behalf OF the former company.
Tor the right TO construct their great work through the
territory OF the State to the Ohio Tver. Their application
was sustained by the delegates from this section OF the
State. justly rejecting the wishes Of the peope, who saw
in this measure the means OF obtaining the great object OF
their desire. and y As granted las It Is believed) without
difficulty: though Al the suggestion Of friends Of the Great
Central improvement, who thought that if suffered 20 strike
the Ohio river too near the terminus of that. this work
m'ght become a ryal % that Of the STATE, a restriction
was imposed, conhuinE its terminus to some point not
south OF the mouth OF the Little Kanawha nver. The
Company also obtained from the legislature OF Pennsvlva.
MIA the night OF passing through the territory Of that State
on favorable terms but no. being enabled 10 complete
their work within the limo limited b. The Virginia act,
further legislation was applied Tor and obtained, TO enable
Il to prosecute this great enterprise. A subsequent &C;
was passed. contemplating the lnowl city Of Wheeling as
the terminus Of the road, which also received the support
OF the delegates OF the people OF the interior North West.
freely according % that place any advantages she might
gain by having the termination Of this CrCa; improvement
within her limits, nor even deemius that they would be
justified IN opposing the measure, or IN any wise embar-
rass ng It's progress, because a route was not defined mo5e
immed atsly and directly beneficial to the people OF the
more southern counties Of that section Of the State.
The city Of Wheeling in the view u the prosecution Of
the work, and IN the right thus acquired, undertook upon
part TO contribute 10 the extent Of o 1000 OF dollars TO the
resources Of the company, by a subscription o. that amount
Co is stock. and the people OF the interior eheeriulIy united
with her citizens IN the hope that the work would be pro-
secuted upon the route thus iadicaied, and which parsed
through i poruOn OF the state OF Pennsylvania, TO a success
iui. and speedy termination. In this hope however, all
we're disappointed: the company was unable 10 complete
their enterprise within The tine limited by these acts OF The
legislatures Of Virginia aud Pennsylvania. An application
became necessary aud was made 10 the legislature Of the
latter, Tor a renewal OF the privilege heretofore granted, but
It DID not meet with the favor which 1t had received upon
the ipTmcr OCCASION, and wss only granted upon terms
80 Onerous end restrictive. that the company deemed IL
quito impossible to accept its provisions; aud being sul
tesEous 10 urge on their great ]enteTPrze, they were
forced 10 look 10 . EoIte for the road which should be
wholly within the STATE OF Virginia. Accordingly.
dunag the winter Of ls4I aud ls45, an aep,ica'6r
was made on its behaG 10 the General Assembly.
tor The rglt OF way for thc road through the ternt.r,
ted by the Company, Int 20 be [n conformity TO the restric.
ion imFcssc upon tie privilege previously granted not
south % the mouth - the Little kanawha River. TINS
application Es warmly seconded by the Representatives Of
the people IN the interior OF the North West, slwaysc con-
sIst.Lt 10 C~upplslrE every measure looking 10 the progress
OF iaIs grg5; work upon whatever route might be lad Gated,
but met VITA strenuous opposition from the representatives.
Of the country upon the northern frontier, and especially
these reptsenuug the interests 81 Wheeling. npprehendiuy
no doubt, that no E0ute could DC found iOf the road within
tue shb VI wig ma terminating 81 wheeling, that
could successfully Cgmpcto with he route terminating
a. points lower down upon the Uver. IL was aiso
opposed by the flests OF the James River add Kama.
] Nnu - ImnHnHnFmrNH uuF "a 80 HW#HHuHwm M.ra
and NOTWITHSTANDING The strong demonstration li pom
uiar opinion % ats favor from the people Of 4 large
aud respectable portion Of The state, 10 whom It was
I measure o. suc7 vital importance, and Notwithstanding
it, intrinsic merit ans justice, Il was rejected By the House
OF Delegates, and ln .eu Of the leave asked for. an act
was pared 90 thl Instance Of the friends Of the Wheeling
terminus, giving 20 inc company the right 10 cary ;hei. road
q that city only. The provisions Of this act va, not nc
cepted by the Company, bat BY IN overwhelming vote Of
the Stockholders, was rejected, desming that they were
wholly Incompatible with q proper regard 20 the int. rest Of
the great enterprise.
The people Of tn-; portion o. the State before referred
10, and who he'd assembled % convention 10 consider the
subject, when u was understood haiti company were de-
slsaIs gI prosecuting heir work through their cOuatgy, and
had warmly advocated the proposed application % The A.
semb,y. aad indeed, had adopted It ~ lhcr own. surprised
but not dishelrcHed az the unexpected rejection OF o moa-
cure deemed ty them 60 just and reasonable in itser. and
90 wholly rec rom 7N objection that could with ay show
OF reason or p.-gBihilIty, be urged against it. and indica.
ting q spuui TO dit, rent from that which had msrted tho
early legislation upon the subject, and one - unireaily 10
~
aud again take thc sg' Iecti into careful consideration. They
resolved again 90 hfing the matter before the General As
sembly. not dou-unE that however justice might Tor a sea-
son be deferred, % would notbe permanently Wilhhel5 and
believing that whatever other interest might be Incidental '
involved 10 tho matter, theirs Wasth most deeply, they de-
tcrm,ned IN conformity With the long established usage f
the Commonwealth, to ask Of the Legislature a charter for
the Incorporation OF a company for tho corsiructon Of a
Roll Road from some point Of tie Baltimore Road TO
the Ohio uyer, upon tue terms usual 10 such grants.
thus fescrIug 90 inc Assembly OIL the powers which
10 should posses over n corporation Of he own erection, and
In OIL respects 1mCuaLle 90 he authority. An application
was accordingly m1do on their behalf, by their representa-
uvcs, az the last General Assembly, and va, saprorsd by
them with ell tho zeal that consciousness Of right and a
just cause could inspire but 1t met with the same s.ern
and Incorporating opposition from the quarters before
indicated. that hsd proved 80 fatal o. the application Of the
previous winters, on behalf Of Tho Baltimore CO. Every
argument hat -gcnuIy could suggest was resortcd % tods.
feat measure toe intrinsic meun n which will defy au
scrutiny. The alleged claims 81 Wheeling. to be- made
the terminus Of the Baltimore cod Ohio E1l Road, ya'
urged as q sufficient reason why np company should no IN
c]ofpp'atcd which might construct a rood 10 come lower
point upon the uyor, and the difeiUl effects upon that cts
which rt was alleged would fo-ai from f1ch o. ,oaI, wore
I depicted with al tho horrors that tho iiye.iru could con.