The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-03-23
AN INIQUITOUs SCHEME.

Our readers will recollect that at the COM
mencement of the present session, bill was
introduced into the Legislature, rendering it
highly penal for foreign railroad company to
extend its works into this State. In its origi-
nal shape this bill proposed to render such ex-
tension penitentiary offence, even though the
person owning the land on the Virginia side
gave such land for that purpose. The Senate
had enough of Virginia feeling to reject this
bill. Its object was we'll known. 1t was to
prevent old Mr.. Edgington from building
railroad across his o9n land, to connect with
an Ohio road, terminating at Steubenville, and
a Pennsylvania road, terminating near the
Virginia line in the Panhandle. The efforts
of Mr.. Edgington to obtain charter for his
road, only six miles long, were entirely de-
feeied, by species of augmentation, which is
rather singular, to say the least Of it.
lst. The old cry of the Wheeling Bridge
and Pittsburg was pressed, and Pittsbarg was
Denounced with great fury by the member
from Wheeling, In spite of the fact, that the
Pitfsburg steamboat interest-the very interest
that set itself most bitterly against the Edging-
ton railroad-was the same which raised the
hue and cry against the Wheeling Bridge, and
for the same reason in both instances, viz ::
that bridges across the Ohio naturally inter-
fere with their monopoly of the carrying trade.
Ii may be as well to remark, in passing, that
Pennsylvania has entirely declined TO proceed
farther in the matter.
Cd. The great argument Tor rather appeal to
prejudice) was the abolition question. The
changes on this were rung until it might have
been thought that the corporation which gen.
1lemen were SO anxious to exclude, had no
view in coming into the State, but to set all
zhe negroes free. Coming from Wheeling-a
town whose prosperity depends entirely upon
the success of an immense foreign corpora
zion, running more than enc hundred miles
through the State-this argument against fo-
reign corporations (all except the abolition
branch ofit) did seem a little strange. Upon
the abolition branch, the same persons that
proposed to render it criminal for a foreign
corporation to come into the State, have made
very singular commentary. They have
brought forward bill authorizing an Ohio
Company, situated in the Western Reserve,
tthe very hot-bed of abolitionsm-a country
where the abolitionists outnumber all other
voters in the proportion of five to one to
come into the State with a railroad from Cleye-
land, bridging the Ohio at the extreme North.
ern point OF Virginia, and running down the
Eastern bank of that river for more than fifty
miles. The work would be utterly useless in
any aspect OF the case but the worst feature
81 that case remains 10 be explained. As soon
rs this Western-Reserve.Abol ition- Company
shall have subscribed the required sum- the
Board of Public Works is 10 pay it over the
required three-ffths of the cost, and afterwards
ii is TO be misdemeanor of very fagran
character to cross this railroad with any other
unless by virtue of future legislation. To rem
der any such legislation absolutely imposs
BILE, the bill is so framed as TO make the part
aership with Giddings perpetual contract
with which, of course, the Legislature cenno
interfere.
Had any person told US, ten years ago. tina
the day would come when e scheme so man
strous would have been offered TO Virrin;,
Legislature. we should have pronounced the
man vile slanderer What will be its fate
we know not. Whether this State Is n h.
bound to Giddings and his Western Reserv,
men forever by contract which no powe
known to our system can cancel or not, we ar,
NOT prepared to say. But we hope, in com
mon decency, we shall hear no more declama
Iioh ABOUT foreign experimentation aboli
fonism as connected with them-cr any o
1he demagogue rant which. in this case, seem,
1ohase utterly usurped the place of decen, a.
gument and common sense.
" The ne~ ere engines for petersbur
arrived at City Point Monday, and were TO
taken up to Petersburg yesterday. One
them is named "Bollingbroke,r ,, the other ..y;