Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-11-21
Our Line Of RaIlrnnd.

By our line of Railroad, we of course mean the
Wilmington and Raleigh and the Wilmington and
Manchester roads, constituting together, the lower
or sea- board route through North Carolina. Dis
guise the matter may, the time is rapidly ap-
preaching when this line will have to sustain the
competition of an upper or central line, formed by
the Raleigh and CASTOR and the North Carolina
Railroads. The upper route SO arranged, will be
considerably longer, and also be much less straight
and level than ours and its rivalry will therefore be
matter of comparatively small Importance. But I'M
fortunately we fear that it will not so remain. The
gap between the terminus of the Richmond and DAN
vile Railroad and the point nearest to it on the n
Carolina Road which is somewhere about Greensbo-
ro, is not more than forty miles, and although we
do not believe that there is any danger Of an imme
date connection being formed between these points,
yet feel convinced tibet the ultimate formation of
such connection is inevitable. The whole North
western and central influence will be brought 10
bear in connection with the friends of the Charlotte
Road who will thus hope to secure for their line an
amount of through travel for which they could not
hope, if they depended upon the route alone by Rail
eigh. We know that these different interests lock
forward to this contamination with confidence This
upper route will be quite Short if not shorter than
ours and when established will leave US no adpan-
tage what may derive from superior tact and
management. ..s-.. -e. vz,+=,fs i.
We differ from most of our friends in one thing
Instead of desiring the State to be largely in
terested in our line by way of counteracting the in
fuence of our rivals We wish if the contest must
come, that the State should not own share of stock
in either of our railroads. Public works under the
direction of the State or General Government can
never compete with similar works controlled by pri-
vate corporations. Besides the State WILL from the
nature of things, always have larger pecuniary in
terest in the upper line, which will override that
held by her in ours, and on this account even, her
connection would be rather deeterious than other
wise. Should the time arrive as we believe it will
when the six thousand shares of stock held by the
State in the Wilmington lines, can be sold out al
par, would, and if opportunity offers, will go fol
her so selling it. At the BEST we doubt the policy
of the State Of North Carolina becoming trader ir
stocks but if it be thought that she should
so lend hand to works which could not be carried
through without her assistance, think it plair
that she should withdraw the object is &c
complished and the necessity for her interference
has passed away.
We hold to this doctrine that the less interest thu
State, as stakeholder, has in the lower line anC
the more she has in the upper, the better for thu
former, and the worse for the latter. In a contes
between works managed by State and others man
aged by private stockholders, practical man need
to be told on which side success sure to be found
RSTGodey's Lady's Book for December is ou
table. We must confess that do noG think the il
lustrations-beyond which we never look-are equa
to the usual style of Godeys." There pnot on
good picture in the number. The publisher promis
es increased amount of reading matter and illus
tratons for 80. and we must say that Cooley gene
rally redeems such promises.