The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-02-02
THE ORANGE AND ALEXANDRIA Ex-
TENSION.

terday, he takes the ground that the Canal and
the Southside Railroad, being rivals, will al
ways keep the freight upon each so low, that
taken in consideration with the greater dis
lance of Baltimore from Lynchburg, and the
fact that even after the produce shall have
reached it, il will still be 200 miles from the
ocean, the possibility of its taking that dlrec
ton is hardly worth naming. This view OF the
case is entirely .obviated by the consideration
that all the travel would pass directly on to
Baltimore, and that the Soutnside Railroad
having nothing but freigh to sustain II, Woulo
fall into disuse, or would be compelled to
make the rates so high as TO drive all the trace
in the direction of the truvel. But there Is
another and a more important consideration"
which we hope the Senate will duly weigh
So DESTROYS is Baltimore to obtain this trade,
so highly beneficial would it be TO her, that
her merchants, on condition OF getting H.
would be perfectly willing to let IT pass over
the road free, paying the company out Oh 'heir
own pockets, should it be necessary. Even
should she decline TO do so, the enormous ira.
vel that must of necessity take place along
this line. would enable the company to pay a
large dividend. In no imag ENABLE condition OF
affairs would either tae Canal or the Southside
be able TO sustain a competition.
We all recollect the extreme difficulty with
which the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad OBJ
tanned charter from the Legislature. That
difficulty arose principally from the doubt
about the proper terminus. One party strenu-
ousIy commended for Lynchburg, and the other
for Buchanan. The latter, as well as we re-
collect, was rejected, principally because IT
was supposed to offer superior facilities tor
carrying off all the trade to Baltimore. The
Lynchburg party commended that it could be
safe for the use of Virginia, only by coming to
Lypchburg, where it would be distributed TO
the seaboard of Virginia, building up some
great Virginia seaport, and enriching the whole
country as il passed. We heard nothing then
ofsuch arguments that used by MIR. Early,
that Alexandria ought 10 be allowed, with her
own money, to build her own road, etc., which
literally translated means nothing more nor
less than that every town which may think
proper, has a right to tap any improvement, to
the impoverishment of the State. and the utter
destruction Of these who have been most ac-
tive in getting it up. If we do not mistake,
Richmond and Petersburg, and probeby Nor
folk allIcontributed to build this road, and they
contributed at a time when their mite was bad
ly needed. They did so under the iattering
representations made to them, with regard to
the immense wealth, mineral and agricultural,
of all that country, and the not less flattering
assurance that it would all be poured into their
laps. These cons iderations commanded vote
in the Legislature, which it would hardly have
obtained under other circumstances. When
Richmond voted only 100000 to this i'm
provement, she was id, beyond measure,
by the friends of the scheme, who avowed that
i was more for her benefit than that of Lynch
burg. 1t now turns out that she was assisting
in scheme which can by no reno te possibili-
ty benefit her-whch carries off to rival
State all the wealth she was taught to expect
from it-which puts the finishing stroke to ev-
cry hope that Virg mia could entertain of draw
ing upon hergreat resources beyond the noun
tains for the reconstruction of her prosperity.
In the meantime, from the foundation OF the
Commonwealth, Eastern Virginia has had
nearly the entire burden of the government to
support, her taxes supplying the sinews by
which it has been enabled to exert itself for the
preservation of its citizens. Is this good faith