Star of the Kanawha Valley. [volume] (Buffalo, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1856, 1856-02-06
ny, g.. 1855

parties and show the ''character and
extent" of the scheme alluded to. Il
In the 21st annual report o.. tile
President ofthe James River and Ia,
nawha Company, we find a long and
elaborate paper designed to show the
superiority Of the water line of tina,
Company over the Covington and
Ohio Railroad, and in which it il ur.
gently commended that the Railroad
should be altogether abandoned, and
the water line substituted, or that the
Railroad should be made as a portage
for the Canal, across the mountains.
As you seem to he ignorant of the ex-
istenee ofthat paper, we will quote a
passage or two, in the hope thatyou
Twill he induced as warm and active
friends Of the Railroad, from what
you learn there, to give a careful pc.
rusal to the, whole report. The re-
port, on page 1916, speaking Of the
several schemes proposed for making
a connection with the west, proceeds:
1T would seem that the simple ques-
tion for Virginia to decide would be
which plan railroad or canal will
best promote the objectin view, viz:
the securingto Virginia her. Just share
of the trade and commerce ofthe west.
| - $50 -, Having
determined that question, her course
Ms a plain one, and as.to its wisdom
there can be no difference of opinion,
to employ aHherI means, AID con
fcentrats aHher, eneryies an the qe-
con,plisAment Of tie Plan thus de-
ter1ntned on, and by all means ac-
complisA at inthes shortest time g,'ae-
ticaUe. Your committee feel CON
strained, however reluctantly to en-
ter into a brief examination of the
merits of the canal, as compared with
the Covington and Ohio Railroad. -
They sought eagerly for some line OF
argument that would enable them to
bring favorably before the public, the
claims, of the canal for public support
without disclosing the merits of tie
rai1road scheme. They: failedtofind
any ola character that satisfied them
selves, or that was at all calculated to
do. justice to: tie canal.p r.,q4rs
"We construction Of Tie Corg'ng-
TN dad OAio Raafoad, 6yMe STATE,
can oAly BE- JUSTIFIED Tie. ground
IF TIE failmp 9f Me canal To- meet
he erassts y'tfs puUia" Gc. In a
word, the whole report is o <labored
argument to show that the, Railroad
should be abandoned IN favor of the
water line. /. ~. ~, ~
You will perceive, then, that when
we speak ola scheme calculated to
defeat the Railroad, we refer to the
modest proposition. Of the James
River and Kanawha Company ito
concentrate all the energies of the
State in the Accomplishment of their
werk; and the abandonment of the
Railroad. Here, webelieye, you will
find the mature, character, extent,
and locality" of the scheme. If you
desire further information, we refer
YOU to the delegate from Kanawha,
who concocted and who induced you
to sign the paper. addressed to us; he
probably. from his conexion with the
J. r. & X. Co. and others, whose pri-
vate interests are similar, can tell you
what combinations have been entered
into by the pretended friends of the
Railroad, calculated to insure the sue
cess of the scheme Of that Company.
/ lis true that the stockholders did
not adopt the report from which we
have quoted above, but you will see
that they rendered to MI. Kenna, its
author, ''their thanks for his able re-
port" and referred it to a committee
'.to report such mode OF attracting at
tention thereto. assits Importance de-
serves" Under the Recommendation
of that committee the report was pub
lished, and was circulated through.
out the State, by the ]. r. & X. Co,
for the purpose ofadYancing the views
contained in. it. Besides, Mr. Ken
ma stated iifthe Kanawha. meeting, in
which he took an active part, that the
flames River and Kanawha Company
entirely concurred in the report pre-
pared BY him, but did not have the
nerre and boldness to adopt it: -.
We now ask you4ifwe have not good
reason to apprehend hostility, open or
secret from this Company, to the
Railroad We ask You further; if it
was at all lcnlculatedto allay our APP
prehension, when we saw our own
delegates in the Legislature asking
for appropriations to the James Riy-
er and. Kanawha Company, and leav.
ing the patronage ofthe Railroad to
strangers from a distant part of the
Stated Nor are our fears for the safe
| ty ofthe Railroad in any degree less
ened, when we find by our own ad-
Emission, that nineteen of its swarm
and active friends in the Legislature
have. up to the. present time, been in
ignorance Of q scheme calculated to
defeat the Railroad, ofsuch public
notoriety etfi III b2stt9s s!E3