Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-03-13

| 'thrUugh travep only Ii lhe words between.
the one city AMI Inc other" were no, used tor The
purpose Of ui expressing or dtnoine his idea,
ueIy any one "a point out Tor what other purpose
lhey Could possibly have been introduced. They
must Otherwise be regarded as perfectly useless
anu >enseless Omit these words and hen The
ne Qualification would read thus: "The proba-
Ole effect OF which would be 10 diminish Inc num-
Der ol passengers travelling on The sand ralroaG"
and then admit the advocates OF The guaran.
ice would have some show Il pretence, 10 justify
'neif Claim 70 the wav or local travel. Bul il lie
absence oil these words would MAX IN favor Of
'heif cia'in, e0nreyse their presence initiates
strongly against il.
Inc advocates OF The guarantee seem 10 Icy
'hueh stress on the words "or fm anvport'oq ofihe
Sdid diaance' embraced in the guarantee clause
ms must arise from a mlsappft hension II The
rue import Of these words, taken III The con-
necion in which they stand. The suaranice
clause says. mat no other railroad sha be allow.
eli "bct"een The city o! Richmond and The cily
VI washington, or Tor any portion o. The said
instance me probable effect q which would be
TO diminish The number oil passengers travelling
between the one cry ard the otnrr, on he rail-
ROAD authorised 81 his aci; or L. compel lie com.
pany IN order 10 retain such passengers 10 reduce
The passage money" Now il is entirely unrea.
sonable 10 suppose that The Legislature could
have considered il possible Tor any other rail-
ROAD TO be constructed Tor the whole distance be-
tween The two cities, which would not Iesult in
me llVaiiy which II designed IL prevent. The
obvious meaning, therefore, OF the Leg islatu'e
must nave been, that no O:her railroad should be
constructed Tor The whole distance between The
cry Ct Richmond and The city d Washington,
nor Tor any such p,rtion IF The di>t1ace bstne,n
mem, as thai the "piobab bic effect would lie 10 d.
mInish The number Of passengers travelling br-
tween The one cry and lhe other on the sd rail
ROAD, or 10 compel The company, in oder 10 r.
tam such passengers, 10 Gecuce he passage mo-
ney." FMS Interpretation ot the meaning OF the
Legislature i clearly necessary in order 10 make
good sense ni The language used by il. Now, as
10 he construction Of any other railroad between
lhr Two cities, Tor tnre.iourihs, two-hirC!s, or
even one halt Il the dis'ancc il is admitted that
u IS possible, or perphap, probable, thai the ri.
yary intended 10 be prevented, according to cir
cumstances, 10 agteater or less extent mish en-
sue.
But,as to the proposed extension Of the Louisa
Railroad from the Junction to the Dock in the
city oil Richmond. which, il is well known, will
be less Than one fifth Of the whole distance be-
tween the city Of Richmond and the City Of
Washington, would appeal 10 "a Sockhol
der hlnise 10 say, whether he does or can pos.
sibly consider it in the least degree probable
That the effect Of such extension for SO small
portion OF the distance between the two cities |
would result IN any competition between the |
two companies as to the Through travel, or
that, in the language of the guarantee, 1.-THE pro
bablc effect would he 10 diminish The number Of /
passengers travel ing between The one CITY and |
the other on the SAID Richmond Fredericksburg
and Potomac Railroad, or 10 compel the compa |
ny in order 10 retain such passengers TO reduce
the passage money!" As for instance, can he pos
slby believe that q slngle passenger travelling
from the city OF Washington 10 the ely Of
Richmond on his arriya at the Junction, would
be at the trouble, for sake Of any inducement
that could be reasonably expected to be offered |
him by the Louisa Railroad Company, TRANSFER
ring himself AMI his baggage from the cars Of
the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac
Railroad 10 the cars of the Louisa Ralroad;-
Or would any sane man travelling from Rich
mond TO Washington ever dream of taking the
Louisa cars at the former place, when he might
save time and avoid The trouble and petty an.
noyances of a transfer ITO say nothing of the
uncer,3inty-perhaps the mpossibi ty of being
a. esTs q the tight time for the Frsder
.,ar,inr point! To suppose lha' sucn I Ssly n
llloH, w o"J as 10
",hrough traver' a. least, would be prcpostc-
rous and absurd in the extreme.
And as TO The mere pillance OF sway" or local
ira vel between he Junction and the cry OF Rich-
mond. which the TWO companies would probably
divide between !hem-which "A Stakeholder
contends is also embraced in the guarantee, Ou'
which, ii is believed, has been sufficiently shown
is not so embraccd-l would appea 10 "A Stock
holder" again 10 say, whether he does or can pos |
sibly believe that, il when the charter oil The |
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Raii'
road Company was granted The Legislature mac |
been asked expressly 10 embrace in the guarantee
no, only The s'lhroush" tavel between the cry oil
Richmond and the city OF Washington, but also
the local lrave on any part ot The SAID road :
the effect oil which might have been (as ne con-
tends is the effect Of the present suaranlee) 10
prohibit, Tor lhfty years thereafter, The consIuc-
lion OF any other road from The clty oil kich'
mond in any direction West, East or North,
which nigh, possibly or probably trench upon
auy portion OF the local travel 90 the present
road-the Legislature could by any possible
means have been induced 10 grant such r,qGes
| will only further add, that a 10 The true ieii
milton or criticism upon The meaning CT nc Wotd
ub,,wcen." as connected wi h lht phrase 'Pas-
scnoprs travelling between The one Guy anu inc
olhrr," used in thu guarantee clause, on when i
would seem The opinions OF lhr liable Counsel
and eminent jurisis," alluded 10 hy "A Stock
holder" were made in some degree 10 hinge, aIc
The conclusion arrived al BY Them, that sGch
phfsse must necessarily include both local an
Through travel" upon the principle ma He
,otoie necessartlv includes all hcP~k oucn
things NAV serve well enough tor apr co"us''
AMI eminent jurists" 10 amnse 'heir c'e"'s WIN,
wbo nav them handsome ices for dong So; out
.oalS
Thai such phrase, III common parlance, means
he same ming as passengers tTdreLug t'ori ue
o,,e ,,tutD The 0tie, and that such meaning Is also
cans. ,na1t ci n reason and common sense; aud
Il may b., perhaps, Ia lhc nercs' ot The Rich.
mond Fredericksburg and Potomac Company,
before hey incur much expense IN their pro-
posed legal controversy with The Louisa Com
pany, TO ask hose cable counsel and eminentJu-
risls" 10 revise their opinions, and IN dong 50 10
refer 10 their Dictionaries, where hey will md The
definitions given 10 the word "b-lwecn" 10 he
thus "Fron one 70 GnOther" -'passtns from one
to ano,br," &c.
Bnl"A S ockho!dcr" says that The Richmond,
Fredericksburg and Potomac Company "mean
IL rest on their guarantee" and have an ABIDING
| conf .euce thai their rights viii be proceed ty
| The Courts of lhe Stale and OF lhe United aialeS
BE- ilso. The Louisa Company, he may be as
sured, are prepared TO une win nun W 'ne es'
preston OF such confidence 10 the iules e1leEli
and it "A Stakeholder" will take The trouble =
60 upon the line 81 their proposed extension, now
under contract for the whole distance, NJ WI
find tina, ,hey are showing their faith p'eny
strongly by their 'ro'ks r,.,,,n,
THE FIRST HEAD OFF!
Mr.. William J. Brown, Second Assistant
Postmaster General, has the honor oil orins ne
! frst martyr. He was most effIcisnl ofncer ~