The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-10-04
Rlrblmon1 4ispatfl.
TUESDAY MoRNIEas .oor. ..I... !. !.
The Convention nj wcnsworiI,,
correspondeace q the Riehuesa Di.p..eh.

81 =
corsespondcaceo of the Richmend Dispatch.
uAxvILLn Oct. fss. 1859.
FeMstoa at Wentwofth, Rockingiaam county.
andEwrite yoa = short account Of what trans.
pired there, and of the excnrsion Of the Rich,
m9nd Delegation. Y 3 :, =
| The Convention was held ON Thursffay and
was attended by delegates from ban Vile Sa-
lem and Richnlond The ecounfry iuimedia,e.
" on the line al the Coal Fields Road, was rep
4 resented oy some OF the strongest and staunch-
| est of the very wealthy citizens of that part
OF North Carolina. Anong the very distin-
gulshed persons present were Ex.(foyeruor
MoREH.AD. from Greensborough, THos SET
fLE, Jr, Speaker ef the last House si Commons
OF N. G., and a. NJ SCALES, Esq. ex -memb Der
/ OF Congress from the District
! Inc meeting was organized by placing that
| most excellent and popular gentleman, DIR.
ROBERT L. BHopSAx, of Rockingham, in the
| chair, and The appointment OF JOHN NJ REY-
SoLps secretary. The proceedings were
/ opened by speech of great animation and
force from Mr.. SETTLE, and short addresses
] were in succession made by Messrs. j. X. An
pERsoS OF Richmond. W. 7. 2SUTBERLIN OF
| Danyilie, A. ID. DICKINSON of PriRce Edward,
| a. s. BuFoRD of Danville, +. FRIES OF Salem.
N. c., and ex-Goy. MoREHEAD. As it would
eacumber your columns too much, / will
briefly state few points in the debate inter
/ estng 10 your citizens.
MIR. SETTLE warmly sustained the enter
prise, described the manner in which the
scheme passed the Legislature, (which sup
| pose you Will explain.) denounced the tyran-
ny by which the Western North Carollnians
| were denied q route to Richmond, the best
market for their products in the vain yet patri-
otic hope, he confessed, of building up great
| commercial city at Wilmington or Newbern.-
| The more recent scheme OF building up such
| place at Beaufort and Morehead Oily, he
| thought more reasonable; but even that
I locality was not the place for their to-
bacco and wheat, and it was a tyranny
I to endeavor to force them to go there
| The route they had gotten from the Legis-
| lature he described, and urged upon the meet
| ing its Importance. Ii was the shortest they
| could get, and it had many advantages, while
| it was only one hour longer than the shorter
| one, which had been killed of by the mistaken
| idea OF forcing commerce from pride and pat
riotism BY this route the great mail between
| the North and South could be carried in
| twelve hours less time than by any other, and
1t present ted advantages superior TO all Its COM
| peiitors. He asked the Richmond delegates if
| ever they passed over finer agricultural
| country than that they trayersed in comm z
| to Wentworth They intimating by shake
| of the head that they had not, Mr.. s. added
! that the road continued through just such a
| country 10 Germanton After recapitulauDg g
! its advantages, agricultural! and mineral, and
| the desire OF the people to trade with Rich
| mond, Notwithstanding that Eastern North
| Carolina had endeayored 10 force them to go
| where they would get less money for their
| produee,) he appealed 10 Richmond and TO Viz
| ginia TO know whether they would assist in
| making the road through the Coal Fields He
| estimated that the entire road from Danville
| TO High Point would cost 81 ,20n, ,o0o--a sum he
| believed fully sufficient to build and equip it
| in the hest style. The people of North Caro-
lima would build all that laid in North Caro-
| lima. All they desired was a pledge that the
| gap between the Virginia line and Danville
| should be built.
| Mr. ANDERSON explained his position and
| that of his colleagues, rs giving them au-
| thority 10 make pledges; but expressed his in
| dividual opinion that the gap in Virginia
| would be undoubtedly built by the Danyile
| Road and the parties interested. He expressed
| his qualification at the sentiments uttered
| by Mr.. SErTLE and acknow lodged the justice
| OF his views OF the agricultural wealth and
| mineral riches OF the Dan River Valley
| With regard to the point and manner of the
onneetion, he trusted that matter would be
| settled in "a friendly manner, discarding local
| and selfish considerations, and for the good OF
| the largest number. When that question was
settled and they knew where they We're 10
| meet he would venture to say that the parties
| interes ted i'll Virginia would do their duty
| As for the country, he knew none on earth
| he would more desire to connect with that
city where all his interest is We're located.
| The Chairman, Dir. BRoDNAx, thanked Mr..
| A. for the disposition he had exhibited to-
| wards their enterprise, and for the kind sent
ments he had expressed relative to their coun-
try.
| ledged that there had been ground for suspect
| ing that Danyille was opposed to extending
railroads beyond her limits; but change had
| taken place, and the large public meeting
which sent him and his colleagues Were unani-
nous in favor of the Coal Fields Road. He
gave some strong views in its favor. Incident
ally he alluded 10 large purchases of tobacco
| III Richmond lover IL thousand hogsheads in
! the ye3r1 for the Danyile manufacturers. He
| inferred that this proved that Danyille would
pay more for tobacco than Richmond. (Goy.
MoREHEAD, subsequently, in his speech, play
| fully brought forward Leaksville as q candi-
a 10 far
| He had no doubt that every man in Leaksville
would tell you that IeaksviEe would pay
| more for tobacco than Richmond or Danviiie
which excited laughter.] He wan ted to stop
the tobacco in Danrille. He said that the
manufacturers in Danville and in that part Of
the country, could furnish n great deal OF
freight for the Coal Fields and Central Roads
All their tobacco for the South could take that
route. A customer of his had directed him to
wagon his tobacco across the country to Green's
borough, and there put it on the railroads
and it cost more TO wagon 1t that distance than
| it would to send the same tobacco 10 St. Louis,
via Richmond and Baltimore. OF the five
| millions Of pounds OF tobacco manufactured
ia Danyille one half, he said, would pass over
this Coal Fields route TO the South.
Messrs. DICKINSON and BUFoRD made ap-
propriate sheeehes. MIR. FRIES pledged his
people to go forward earnestly and energeti-
caliy with their road from High Point to Ger
| manton. when the friends OF The Coal Fields
Road Went to work.
Governor MoREHEAD made q capital ad-
| dress, designed TO stimulate the friends of the
| improvement in their exertions--especiaily
| those of Rockingham, who he represented as
com pletely bottled mp, knowing little of the
world, and especially in winter being unable
| to leave their homes without the danger of
| sacrificing the lives of themselves and their
| horses. This was the most impor tant day for
| Rockingham, he said, since the Revolution. He
| warned the people interested in the work
| against differences about points and routes
let them take the best they could get, and
thank God it was no worse. When they got
| the road to Danville, they congratulated
/ themselves that they were within thirty
| miles of railroad. He warned Them
against quarrelng about points which
were to be so much nearer to them
| He considered the building of a railroad now
| a small matter. When they built the Central
| Railroad of North Carolina they fixed the day
| for its completion lst January, 1885, and ! twas
| finished the both of that Inonth-just 2s
days over the time. He urged that day be
| fixed now for completing the Coal Fields
| Road, when voice cried out, 1.-TWO years. =
| sim afraid that's too Short" said the Cow
ernor; '.you have too many tobacco worms in
| Rockingham but fix a day, after you are
ready to go to work, and work to finish it by
| that time" He wanted to see the road built ;
not because he wanted to go to that great city
of Richmond, of which We had heard SO much,
| bat that they might draw trade from Rich
| mond! railroad ran both ways, and so
| might trade; and trade being entirely recipro-
cal, it might, he reasoned. go both ways to the
profit and advantage of both ends of the line.
He made some very sensible remarks on the
mutual relations of commerce. He spoke of
the immense resources of the Dan River VAL
ley-its coal iron, .limesto tone, marble, &c, and
it's agricultural resources. he described how,
by this road, the interests Of North Carolina
would be advanced, as 1t would throw the
great through travel, now lost to North Caro-
| lima, upon her Central Railroad.
Governor MoRKHEAD enlarged upon each
| point in his speech here alluded to. and made
yor ha md ,nd
| speech was appiauded and had a good effect.
Upon consultation, IL was determined that
! thirty days notice was necessary, before the
company could organize; and, on motion of