Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1857-09-11
The Devil Among the Rail Ro.d..

up tue ghoSt
The Devil Among the Rail Roads.
controversy has for some time been in progress
w The Baltimore papers between Messrs. Denme.d
q S'ns and Messrs. Wynans, both manufs cturcrs Of
Locomotives on large scales, from which. il the
public IN general and Presidents and Stockholders
OF N Roads in particular do not profit il is their
own fault Ii appears that the Messrs D's. having
on hand "A superior freight engine, inches On lin.
inder, 20 inches stroke was DESTROYS to dispose of
1t to the Northern Central Railway Company, and
IN order to ensure success, addressed TO Mr. j. c.
Davis, the Master Of Machinery Of the company, a
note in which they signiGed that was their custom
TO allow to any Of their friends, who would put on
their own roads, or sell to other roads one Of their
engines, the snug little commission Of one hundred
dollars! This note was not only not answers by the
person to whom was addressed but laid il before
his employers hrst and then sent it to Mr.. Wynans
to be used as ammunition, m his war with the Den
meads Strange as the whole affair is the strangest
part of it is that Messrs Denmead SO far from being
ashamed Of their part in it, boldly justify their con
duct and affect to regard the transaction as perfectly
that i e nan yASE sSsa 70 g to assert
lift be fact that this species of bribery is com
mon, among those who have the selling and buying
ofenSines upon Rail Roads, it is high time that the
public should be made acquainted with it 1t is I'm
possible not to the effect il must inevitably pro-
duce. The manufacturer who pays best will Away
dispose OF his engines let their quality and perior-
nance be what they my. He who pays nothing,
who will not take hint or scoTns to offer bride,
will never be able to get engine upona road. I'm
der such circumstances the company must pay the
piper, aud, il the road be wretchedy equipped and
involve its owners in ruin, they blame nobody
but the master of machinery who gets one hundred
dollars for every engine he puts upont
We have no reason believe that this system OF
bribery prevails in Virginia, though the language
Of Messrs- ID. is general language be 1t is
can every day occurrence" they say, and in saying
so they embrace all Rail Roads, and all masters Of
| machinery. We have no reason say, to believe
that the system prevails here But it is due to the
public 10 the Stockholders the Presidents Of Rail
Roads, and to the Superintendents and Masters Of
Machinery themselves, TO make thorough inyest-
CATION. Let the matter be probcd to the very boz
| tom. Let not shadow of suspicion rest upon any
| body connected with internal improvements.
Let the Board OF Public Works take up the subject
Let the Legislature enquire into this "every day oc-
| currence."
The public cannot fail to see the enormous power
which this system, If it be general, places in the
| hands Of every Master of Machinery. Let us sup
| pose that he is Yankee, fresh from Boston, and
deeply tainted with that heresy from which no Bos.
,onian absolutely free. Let suppose that he is
fLll-blooded, blue headed, woo-died Abo,itionst,
who has been taught from his cradle to mutter cur
SEES upon the South and now only visits us to pick
up the dimes, which We are always anxious to be-
stow on any body in preference our own children
Does any body believe that he will not have per-
feet understanding with his abolition brethren Of
Boston, who happen 70 be lin the manufacturing line
Does any body believe that he will suffer engine
man ufactured elsewhere, to run upon his road ?
Does any body conceive that he will refuse any en-
CINE, however Indifferent, sickle at any price
And, with such Master, under such = system upon
all our Rail Roads, how uA-y engines wilbur shops
in Richmond, Alexandria, and Lynchburg dispose ofy
No. one There will De no where for them to 20 for
that purpose, since the whole South will have been
pretty much as Virginia is. Can they sell them in
the Norths Let any man go to Boston, with the
most perfect engine that ever constructed bv
human ingenuity-let him carry in his pocket Ger.
tcaes from every engineer in Great Britain France
and this country-let him offer his engine to Mas
sachusetts Rail Road-and see what answer he will
get He will be laughed at, rs n simpeton He
will be told that Massachusetts, has too much pride to
buy single engine from another State Besides
she will touch nothing which has been deflod by tie
touch Of Shareholder. Did any man ever hear OF
a Vrginian holding any sort of Office in Massachu-
settsI Never, neverl