The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-01-17
SECTIONAL RIVALRY.


more. She Is now the third city in the Union
il point of population, and, If her future pro-
gress corresponds with the past, she win soon
be second only to New York. The secret of
her success is not to be founded any great
natural advantages which she possesses. On
the contrary, she has had peculiar obstacles
of this kind to overcome, and cannot compare
with many cities of the South in natural ca
pacities to become a great commercial city.
Her whole triumph, and il is one of the most
decided and wonderful ON record, is owing
principally, we may almost say solely, to the
indomitable enterprise of herpeople, andtheir
unity of counsel and action in the grand strug-
gle for supremacy with other cities of the
Atlantic seaboard.
We hear great deal in Virginia, and even
in our halls of legislation, of the immense
growth of Baltimore, and the impending dan
ger that she win throw Virginia cities CON-
pletely in the back ground in the race for
power and wealth. But if this event occurs,
if we are doomed forever to paddle our
course in the boiling wake of this ocean
steamer, and finally to be left out of sight
altogether, we have no one to blame but our
selves The Ohio river washes our western
border, yet Maryland reaches it before our
selves, and, by our own permission, crosses
our own territory to do so. 1t is useless to
waste regrets over the past, but what are our
prospects for the future When viii Virginia
reach the Ohio river? VIII it be in three,
ten, fifteen or twenty yearsi Instead of push
ing forward at once to the great field Of COM
petition, the most commanding point of which
is within our own reach, we are at this very
moment engaged in lettering the energies
and obstructing the progress of the works
which have been already commenced for that
purpose. The james River Canal must
be stopped ere it has proceeded half way to its
object; the Central Railroad, at the point
threatened by rival independent road, and
the Covington and Ohio work must be fetter-
ed with break of gauge, or not permitted to
reach the Ohio. What arrant nonsense, what
puerile weakness, forever to raise the bug
bear of Baltimore, when the only enemy we
have at all to fear is the stupid, bigoted, ma
ignant, sectional jealousy which prevails in
our own councils, and which bids fair at this
moment to paralyse Virginia, and to render
every dollar she has hitherto expended in pub
lie works dead loss to her treasury. The
strife is not between us and Baltimore but be-
tween one Virginia city and another. The
spirit that prevails is just this: if one section
cannot get its desired Improvement, then no
section shall have any, and the whole State
shall suffer! No one can deny that this is the
fact, and lift be the fact the State is doomed
to the condition of province, and her own
sons alone are responsible for it.
Enterprise and union have raised Balti
more and every Northern city, to their pre-
sent wonderful pitch Of prosperity. These
are the qualities which have converted the
water and ice of New England into gold and
made the wilderness blossom like the rose
The absence of these will change a garden
into desert. Its melancholy thought that
Virginia, with natural advantages for
great commercial State, unequalled by any
in the Union, shall be destined to weakness.
impoverishment and insignifcance by the su-
iGdal jealousies of her own people.
THE CENTRAL RAILROAD.
We invite attention to the reply of the
President Of the Central Railroad to the arti
Gle of "Henrico' 1t is well that the charge
against the Company was made public by
>'Henrico," since it affords an opportunity to
make equally public its vindication. 1t is
very strange indeed, that the expenditure on
account of the relaying of track and construc-
ton should be set down to the account of or.
binary expenses; and the President COM
pletely vindicates the Company from such
a statement of its affairs.
VIRGINIA LAND ScRrr.-The Washington Star
rays the Secretary Of the Interior has made the
following final decision in regard to Virginia Land
Scrip:
1st That he is required by the act of Congress
thoroughly to revise the proofs in each case, and to
Judge whether the issue OF the warrant by the authO
rites OF the State of Virginia sanctioned by the
laws OF that Commonwealth not but that in cases
when his mind might be equally balanced, or nearly
go his respect for the Judgment of the Executive Of
Virginia would induce him to sustain it,
ID The warrant, as issued by Virginia for the ser.
vices of stewards and other warrant officers in her
State Navy, for the bounty apportioned those of
one Craze fii9Ief RANK snOuIu De
Fed by ne issue of scrip, if otherwise entitled
3D. That no officer is entitled to a double allow
ance of bounty land.
4th That while there Is room to doubt in strict.
iy legal view, yet considering the equity likewise,
those officers who were transferred TO Virginia BY
the Continental Congress- were entitled to the war
rants issued to them by Virginia.
9th. That supernumerary service and what is
termed dead service" win be recognised in &C.
cordance with the views expressed by the Attorney
General
9th. That the act OF Congress of Feb aarv 1913
does not apply TO these Virginia land warrants, and
that they are assignable.
JOHN MIrcHELL's VIEWS on AMERICAN SLAVE
RY-The last number of The Citizen" John Mitch
elPs newspaper, contains the following:
James Haughton is merchant OF Dublin a wor.
fby and sincere man, bu. amiable monoIuaniac.
He has published letter, addressed TO Thomas
Francis Meagher TO whom he wants to say few
solemn words across the Atlantic" Thepurport OF
these solemn words is al contained in the extracts
here following:
sis liberty less the right of the black nan than of
the white man Ifit be co. prove il. q
H.