The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-10-10

sscribing to the Convention which recently met II
70 .as eMe sulphur Springs, sentiment OF hostility
Ihad the honor Of seat In that CONVENTION, was
member OF its COMMITTEES of d. had a much inter-
coufso VITA ifs members as perhaps, any one 10 IT,
ana WIN tne best possible opportunity of knowing
~ sicWs on the matters before IT, can assure you
existed in the Convention not feeling
OF unAInoness or jealously towards your city.
1our correspondent singles out Mr. Riyes n \
friend OF Norfolk, and leaves the inference TO be
drawn tnst your city had no other friends in the
1ody Ihers is mot the slightest ground for this
aisctimnation. II b utterly unjust, unwarranted
oy solitary act that tran,pired, or . word that
was uttered In the Convention
90 not Deiieve there was single sentiment
uttered oy Mr.. R. about Norfolk, that was not
vention. The truth is Mr r. said but li,tie of Nor
foik, and that little was, what has been said by
Thousand others, and what everybody knows-that
Norioik 10 the best seaport in virginia or the South;
our chief seaport, she ought to oe cherished
by the state, and that the Covington e. Ohio road
would De Instrumental in building her up as acom.
mercial city. This latter position was taken by
otner members of the Convention, and it is incen-
trovertsbly sustained by the very able report of
MI Fiske to which your correspondent refers and
which ne may rest assured will certaiulv see the
light, 1t the press viii publish it.
do not mean, of course to disparage the speech
of Mr.. Rives As all his efforts are it was able and
eloquent In the extreme, and marked by the liberal
and comprehensive views of the statesman from
which an instructive lesson may be learned by
your correspondent, who seems to think there
is but one city iu the State, and that the whole
of Virginia lies on the South side of the James
River.
Your correspondent goes so far as to charge that
Norfolk had many "bitter and persevering enemies
In the Convention and that Mr. Rives while stand.
ing up for her. 'eas surrounded bythcmp-in other
words, that the whole Convention were "bitter and
persevering enemies of Norfolk. l do know
and do undertake to say for the Convention,
that this imputation is wholly unfounded There
were no "bitter and persevering enemies of Nor.
fok" in the Convention l would risk my lite on it,
that there not single enemy of Norfolk In it
no. not one. There was not one word of unkind.
ness towards her uttered. No jealousy of her was
expressed by single member. On the contrary,
1t was the general believe the universal sentiment
of the Convention that Norfolk is interested beyoud
any city section of the State in the great central
connexion with the West, and that, OF course, In
promoting that connexion, it would be promoting
the interests of Norfolk. The correctness of this
view will, | think, be made irresistibly apparent
when the papers and arguments brought out by
the proceedings of the Convention shall be pub
lished.
The Convention, 1t is true, did vote down, and by
very large majority, the proposition of Mr. Rives
this done on general reasons having no special
reference to Norfolk. 1t was argued and think
most justly, that such convention would irrtate,
instead OF allayng sectional jealousies would ge-
ueI atc HtW duu lnterc6tS. ana lead 10
enormous grolling scheme, far beyond the fnan.
cial means of the State. la this decision of the
convention, there was wisdom. IF the people will
consult their true interests they will send no more
delegates to conventions, but depute to their le-
gislsture enlightened statesmen who will look to
the good of the whole State, and who will without
regard to sectional considerations aud log rolling
arrangements vote the appropriations necessary to
finish the great works in progress, and push for
ward the great central line as speedily as possible
to ia ollf he Cfofo 4
without heavily increasing The taxes of the people,
A general internal improvement convention would
push matters beyond this wholesome point and
foot up a bill that will alarm every considarate
man in the Commonwealth. depress public credit,
and overthrow, perhaps, our whole system of in.
ternal improvements.
Nor did the Convention indicate hostility to the
New River branch of the Virginia and Tennessee
Road. That would have been altogether idle;
because that branch has been already provided for
by law, snd large State appropriation. What it
did do In this regard, was simply to express its
opinion of the superiority of the Covipeton and
Ohio over the New River connexion, as a means of
obtaining the Western trade not for Richmond
only, but for all our seaboard cities Norfolk in.
cluded and the ground for this preference will be
found, when all the proceedings OF the convention
shall have been made public, unanswerably con.
elusive.
And herein lies full reply to another charge of
your correspondent, that the Convention purposed
to "cut off the Southside from all connection with
the Ohio. and from all interest in the Covington
route" Such thing was never dreamed of by
any member of the Convention. The Southside is
free, whenever it chooses, to make branch road
from Christiansburg to the main trunk at the
mouth OF the Greenbrier, and as for Cutting off
the Southside from all interest In the Covinpton
route" the idea is yet more absurd 1t is the Co.
vington & Ohio road, in connexion with the Ca
nal, which is to furnish the directest and far the
cheapest line OF transit from Ohio valley to Nor.
folk and all our tidewater cities. If this be cut-
ting off from all interest in the Covington route"
your correspondent has queer notions of "cuttjop
off" 1t is anything but "cutting off," 1t is the
forming of a conneXion-a direct connexion-the
cheapest connexion-in my judgment, the very
best possible of all connexions for all seaboard
eities.
Clifford s. Co." or OF any portion of the Richmond
delegation, 'to read of the favor of the people
the great line of railway that has seaport at one
end and the Mississippi at the other" If there be
anything truer than another, it is that the people of
Richmond have no enmity to the Virginia Sc Ten
nessee Railroad The best evidence of il Is that the
ci,y of Richmond has subscribed one hundred thous
and dsllars to that road Has Petersburg or Norfolk
or the whole Southside together, done as much, or
ANYTHING indeed, for a NOrthside roada Richmond
'read out OF the favor OF the people" this noble
thoroughfare, so interesting to her and to all the
State, and in which she hoIda hundred thousand
dollars worth of stock.
AlOW mC ACAc W say tnot ACSdIu tHo tcImb III
which your correspondent speaks OF Mr.. Johnson,
of Richmond, who was chairman OF the committee
of2l, in exceeding bad taste to say the least of
IT, suppose the object was to disparage the con-
vention by disparaging its leading men. If your
correspondent knew Mr.. johnson as he is known
in Richmond, as a gentleman of sound head and
sound heart, of sober and well poised Judgment,
expanded mind and liberal views, clear perception,
and withal meek and unpretending modesty-I
say, had your correspondent known Mr. Johnson as
he Ia known where he is best known, his place of
residence, Richmond, he would hardly have ven
tured to make him a subject for bringing ridicule
upon the Convention Mr.. Johnson discharged
his duties, discharged them well, with ability
which am sure, has been questioned by none save
your querulous correspondent and with dignity
by which no one can better profit than your cor
respondent
Irepeat, there was In the Convention none of the
enmity to Norfolk charged by your correspondent;
and as friend of the internal Improvement OF the
State protest against his attemptto add another to
the many sectional ieuds which have already and
90 long retarded the progress OF internal i'm
provements, and hindered the prosperity OF the
Stste.
On another point beg leave to correct your
correspondent. After criticising the organization
of the Conventions criticis, BY the way, altogeth-
or unjust, he complains that 20 Tar - ne knew,
' not one prominent man from the whole Southsde,
from Norfolk to the Ohio, was invited to the Con-
vention.'' He Is mistaken Some OF tho promt-