Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1854-09-13

w zoxEsDAY. sEernuaaa IS, 1871.
Internal improvements.


Ralnal Conventions are now the order OF the
day No sooner had the White Sulphur Con
yen,ion adjourned than the people OF Norfolk re-
n.wed their invitation, Of the 23i Of May last, to
The friends of internal improvement, to assemble
in thai city. on "Wednesday the oth OF Nuvem-
hsr. for the purpose of securing the co operation
Of all sections and parties in completing 'our great
6nes Of railway 20 the West in snch manner
and direction rs will inure to the benefit oil the
State and to that Of our own cities" Annther
movement has been made in Rockbridge Tor
general Railroad Convention in Lexington, on
:hs 25th Of October.
IL is very much to be desired that some plan
tyr roconcilihg conflicting interests should be de-
vjseI before the next Legislature meets, but we
far that liNle cm be accomplished until after the
election of Governor Political aspirants VIII
~ TO the Railroad Conventions, and the inter
s,s Of the State be lost sight Of in the effort to
noso,e personal or party ends. At the White
Sulphur Convention one of our Ex-Governors old
Isyb for the Western vote in the Democratic
State Convention. BY offering to be one OF spec-
fed number to subscribs five hundred dollars to
tho Coyiuuton aud Ohio Road We admire this
,aode Of doing business. however. aud hope the
other aspi,ants will accept the proposal II each
Of them will enter for that amount, the sum ne
cessary to complete the road will be raised at
once
The spirit with which the proposed Lexington
Convention is advocated by our contemporaries oil
that place does not augur iavorabIy tor the har-
mouy aud success of the meeting, should 1t De
held The STIR proposes to settle the controyer-
sy between the Central and the Lynchburg and
Tennessee Railroads, by adopting gauge TOR the
Covingion aud Ohio Road different from tina t of
either of the others thus dePriving both improve
,nents Of the advantages OF an unbroken lire to
the Ohio River. This is Il sort of Of "dog in the
manager" policy, which will satisfy nobody aud
benefit no section of the StIte. But the Gdsette
rs in favor of abandoning the work on the Central
Railroad beyond Stanton, and getting to Gov
inQ.on by a new route. 1t says: after reach
ing the Tunnel, the proper direction rs every one
can see, instead of running out OF the track in
search of the whereabouts Of Stanton, would
have been to come up through RockbrIdge and
f]otetourt and cross the mountain to Corington by
way of Daggcr's Springs" What pity the
Engineers did not sec it when they were locating
abe Road! DR.. Jordan pointed out the superior
advantages of this famous route at the White
Sulphur, and at the Lexington Convention of last
year our friend of the Ga=cttc thinks it the best
in the world, but we beg leave to remind him
that "Jordan's a hard rOad to travel"
But still another scheme is proposed. \ writ
ter in one of the Petersburg papers advocates the
extension Of the South Side Railroad from Lynch
Surg to Coyngtoa. Ii the friends of this project
have the means OF carrying it into execution, we
have nothing to say against it; but we hope the
State will aid no Improvement except the Cow
layton and Ohio Railroad. At present it seems
that this great work must be constructed on State
account, if it is made at ALL When that is &C
eompIished we trust the Commonwealth will part
with her interest in all Internal Improvement
Companies, and wash her hands OF the whole
Business Otherwise we shall have condition
o. affairs as corNpting, aud as injurious to public
morals. as is said to exist IN the State of New
NOrk