Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-10-17
The Dnnvilie Railroad, and the Countie" OF Amc.
Il


OF Charlotte and Halifax. Opposed as we are and ever la:
been the construction OF works Of internal mprorcmeE
by the General Government, We have always been III
warmcs and most jealous advocates oi wlse genclou
and udicos system of improvement by our State and oc'
organizations for Of those who believe that ralrout
muSt be built by the organized efforts Of communities
cannot be built otherwise. The growth and prosperity
this old commonwealth have most deeply at heart, and
as we have done heretofore shall continue TO devote
considerable portion Of energies TO arousng The peop
on this aimpoant subject thai we may effect, possible
Tie renovation of country. What was the cause oil III
natuaIon which could have induced the people of Char
loc and Halifax strike so serious blow at the first real
i great and useful Improvement struggling into exist
eace which they stood lny chance OF getting, rassc
our comprehension An instinct Of selishncSs, sulccn lo
eprcseryation, is possessed By the brute creation
this is Of the very few instances known u o! intel
Escnt communities pursuing absolutely suicidal
We have learned from friends tia; in the couny of Char
"tir where the much closer than in the county OF
a'h, there very large prcpoaaerancc Of Tie o
property, o the intelligence of the county in favor OF
the subscription Barbacues planned at different points
throughout the county, for the purpose Of getting together
assemblies OF the people, and the subject very fully dis
cssed The CT standing and experience and the men
o wealth. united with the Of talent in the county, IN the
patriotic effort induce the people awake from their leh-
a,y an, render thai assistance u the Danvie improve.
men which had become absolutely necessary io its farther
prosecution; combination which, under ordinary circui-
Stances would difficult 10 withs.and but IN ms
instance ovcrtown by appeals to the passions and peud-
Of tic people, # most singula. H-I extraordinary
character.
BY strange msconcepon, the people were Induced Il"
believe that the plan of county subscription was an at
tempt made by the propcrtoiGers of the county 10 pose
the burden of building The -nad upon the propertyho
acrs whereas directly the reverse is the and this con-
sti,ues tG only really cnabc objection To the MEASURE
Exactly the opposite objection is made every where else la
in Charlotte, viz: that the scheme is agrurlan In lis char
ncer md enables the Poor by majority vote 10 piader s
rich The unjust assaults too we lenrn WEE made
upon the motives of those who had contributed their means
towards The construction Of the improvement The effort
to continue the road denounced in the most unmcasur-
cd terms as scheme rub and punder the people, Tor the
benefit Of tho stockholders Wen might this excite the in
dignaon Of the patriotic people Of this city, and of Pitt
syyania and Henry the people the two extremIcs OF the
line 20 whose contributions alone what has been
completed Of the road Che intermediate counties the line
having given almost nothng) when they ecoect how INC
small farmers of Ptsyvania :Id the poor mechanics ana
clerks o Rcmcn forward 10 take their one and two
sres paid for of their snted incomes without The
smallest hope or expectation that time, however their
opinions may been changed b. the Subsequent prosf
y and of those railroads in Virginia, which have
or profits but with patriotic DESIRE under the Influence
OF Mr. runsals energetic appeals Of promoting the pros
pery of their native State.
We said that the policy Of pros;rang the Danvil!e I'M
r.oYcmenr lately pursued by the counties Of Charlotte and
Halifax in their refusal the county subscriptions,
sncidL and we will add disastrous IN lis icsus
10 the State. We might fill this win facts ard
arguments Of the impressive character TO sustain this
position We have neither the time the space presents
but look the following from page 3i Scpenber
No) Of Dc BOWS Commercial Review
ain Tennessee The same result he increase in the vane
Of property been produced in four counties traversed 3y
the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad: ,,
In lal1 :" 9G4lS GS2
r,cro, 40 in ono vc,r s255463y
still mare striking been the results in Georgia. popn-
iiua pucon and wealth have there Increased IN fa
ito that seems almost the result o magic
Now tell us We men OF Charlotte Halifax PittsylSana
and Hsnrr-your lands like those Of the four counties man,
cd in Tennessee being worth not very far short oil
-,chy is it that railroad completed DanrW trouid moi IN
the raIe Of your property one tfo m'ns q ao
lars If hundreds Of facts smlr to those extracted, might
be udduced such has been the almost universal elect oil
the construction of railways in all other parts ol e couh-
try ciy lcoud you reap like benefits You refuse 10
burden yourselves with debt of s2OOOO when by DOING so
YOU would increase the value your property BY five or ten
YOU ose not only this increased value but enormous SUMS
uo,uu themselves TO sererdl hundred thousand dollars an
nuay maid t. wagoners stage contractors for the cost
Of travel and transportation.
Every year that the upper counties refuse TO vote e s"o-
scrplions for long time VIII the "ork DC fe'aueu w
such will be the immense consequent annual losses
The inerai,ude oo of the intermediate counties on the
line mi ah be presented in very strong point ot We"
Take for instance Amelia one side t"eny-seFen "es
from Richmond her market by the ralroad on inc afes
side near forty miles distance say forty miles.
Tne road is now completed neary through her hml's. s
Gust has been ascertancd be about sl5O0o me incu
ding bridges Sci multiply which by forty and you have
$500 OoO Amelia gets wheat TO market tor tour GEMS
busic when she formerly paid thirteen or upwards; ana
so Of other things in proportion But TO obtain ms I'M
mensc advantage for Amelia, sir hundred MousGaa o0a's
has had TO be expended OF somebody's moncyow much Vi
this sum has Amelia paid Making the mos! eStravagant
allowance for she might fairly claim from tue oae
Treasury in consideration OF her having been heretofore TAX
o. for other in the State aud adding all pr
v.,. subscriptions which obtained in the county,
the sum could not exceed 100000 She now appealed 10
10 Give the petty sum 600 only when she every day
deriving the benefit of the expenditure OF four or five nun
dci tho sand dollars fur which she has paid no consdcra-
lyn hc case Of counties remote s much stronger.
million ard half will have To be expended 10 cnaoc
Halifax 10 get TO market cheaply Say the Common"eu
owes her hc very cAtIavdgan Gum oil hsc .uhoFcu osa
dollars I've doubt whether she could fairly Claim over one
hundred THOUSAND dollars for the c'nua interest on 'hl'
sum is S6GGQ which "a greater than her aHa internal '
movement taxi and ycl have Hall AK refusing 10 pay
So ono or an OF three thousand dollars "he'
s. will derive the benefits Of expenditure OF nofc Iian
million Of dollars or of more than .nnc1 sam Of rtY
toustr, dollars Let il not be said that HALIFAX VIII MOI
-vc the exclusive beneh. Of This expenditure and othc
counties are benefited in like proportion Grant II. 1t
il is certainly true that Halifax cannot obtain the immense
advantages OF railroad without an expenditure .! more
than million o other peoples money and yet she refuses
I'D give $50 0O of her own Do not her ci'zens push VII"
shame when they think Of these facts
There arc other considerations Il the people OF te co"n
tic. should choose to continue ia their present o.atc an'
strangely rcrverse mood if they should continue 20 DC o
:, ,hc- hes; interests and refuse al! assistance to The Dan
vile !ord will stop PERISH as some appefe'o' o1
one inevi,abl: consequence will result Tie Company
having 10 rr.nL The road h their o'cn MEANS 1o'H marc
mt up freshs The Amelia people instead oil paying Jo
cents bushe on wheat, they now do, may nave 10 pay