Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-08-16
e. nfurnal Improvsmsnt Policy Of Viz
e1niA.


A1assllise correspondent Of the New York
Tinss tAas writes % that joarnal from Harrison
busxs iasihis staaes
ThSinSSsual iaprsvsnsns policy Of Virginia Is
Car fou heiag wiss or consistent With her pest IN.
tsrssts. No sooner dos shs construct railroad
lie than shs charters another whose interests are
Is dircss noafics with ths completsd line For IN
sHanca. - construofea road from Petersburg
~ Esnse ksrr and aoAresly had the trains cum.
.Sss;ssd rHnniue ard The line been In succcssfnl
ourrs.isu. when she charters another road from
Lynohbarx u Chaflottssville 70 connect with tho
Oranre ard Alsxandria Railroad. thus divert'ng
the tfads sAsrisd cvev tho Virginia sod Tsnnesses
Rsilroed u Lynchburg, from the Soutbside rad,
az LvuchbavE and pstsrsburg road, to this extern
s;on 81 he Orange and Alexandria road. by this
divsressss R;chmond and Petersburg are saer''
-. a ~ iutareets If Alexandria and Baltimore.
Ard = VIII the Manassas Gap Raiiroad. which
i, inteued 70 b. carried TO the Virginia and Ten
nes.es, tsuos 20 divert the trade Of the Southwest.
era REGION ftom Lynehhnrg 70 Bal.,mors' and 9th
mens policy is obnoxious TO somewhat similar OBJ
jsctions. :.
In some respects the internal improvement. poll
az Of Virginia Is, ~ the above correspondent says
ssfkr from bsing wiss or sonsisten. with her best
interests" But mos wo think, in the respect
which b mentions.
The CONSTRUCTION Of the Lynchburg extension OF
the Orange and Alexandria Road will no. injnre
70 say apprsciable extent. tho trade Of the South
side Road The Lynchburg and Alexandria Road
IL ve may % designate 1t, was projec'cd for the
double purpose of accommodating the local trade
Of The ceuntry which |, traverses. aud Of forming
a link Ia the nearest and most direct line OF ira
vel between the North and the South. II may. to
some extent, injurc the tvarei upon the Sonth''de
Road. bat in no respect will 1t interfere with Its
frsighsAge.
Il wss projected for no such purpose, and it it
had been, tho purpose could not be accomplished.
Everybody knows, ~ we'll from experience as from
reason, that articles Of freight in Lyuchburg. des'
tined for the scaboard, will 70 either ria the ca
nal or the Southside Railroad We could not al
ford 70 send articles of any bulk by railroad to
Alexsudria, even Il our commercial relations with
that cisy were fxed and established.
There Il, then, no antagonism ofinterest between
the Lynehburg and Alexandria.and the Souih-ido
Roads, except in respect Of the through travel
We are disguised to think that most persons over
rate that. The prediction is sometimes made that
the completion Of the Lynchbnrg and Alexandria
Road will work material injury To the Sonthside.
We do not anticipate such u result AL Railroad
men know that it is the local travel which is the
cream of the business That cannot be affected
by the other road, nor its freigh;age. nor its
mail transportation. The natural annual increase
in the business Of all our roads will, We venture
TO say, In year or two. make up on the South
Al. -. .l,.n tr,v Ian
that may be sustained in consequence of tho con-
struction Of the Orange and Alexandria extension.
80 that there 10 no danger, a. this writer do
clares, that Richmond and Petersburg" will be
"sacrifced 10 the interests of Alexandria and
Baltimore" We say this In no spirit OF hostility
10 Alexandria, for she 10 glorious old Virginia
CITY,. remarkable for tho enterprise, intelligence,
and proiuse hospitality of her citizens. We
speak only what every body in this region knows
10 be true whom we say that no appreeiable diver
gcnoe Of the old current Of trade will ensuc from
tho construction of the Lynchburg extension"
When our proposition to build n road from
Lynchburg to the North Carolina line was before
the Legislature winter before last we demonstrate
Cd. In series Of elaborate articles. that NIL the
talk about "diverting trade to Baltimore" WIS tho
mersst moonshins. Trade is always going by that
it will seek deep water uia Railroad one hundred
and eighty miles long, when it has water limo
70 60 BY will strike every practical mind ms utter
" absurd. We desire this undeniable fact to be
ssnsnbersd. 90 that when the bugaboo Cry OF
baltimore IL raissd again as an objection to our
North Carolina Road, it may be answered and
put down at once.
Equally fallacious is tn, idea Of the writer that
the extension of tho Manassas Gap Road to union
with the Virginia and Tennessec--if it should
ever be made-will ipjare the freight business of
the Virginia and Tennessee Road, or the roads
connecting with it. The trade of South Western
Virginia cannot DO diverted to Baltimore and
other Northern cities," simply because tho dis.
tance is too great. Nothing except the very light
est articles Of merchandise could bear the cost of
Railroad transportation for 80 grea, distance
The Manassas Gap Road is already in operation
from Alexandria to Woodstock in Shenandoah. -
If the trade along the line of that road does not
already 90 70 Baltimore--as it does not. I'VE see
no reason why it would 60 there if the road were
extended There would, in fact be less reason
for il. For. The further the distance it has been
carried, the quicker will any article Of ,ncrchan
disc stop for market. To save its value from be-
ing eaten mp BY freight, Il seeks always the very
y nearest market II can get.
In one respect II would 10 bad policy to extend
: the Manassas Gsp Road 10 Salem on The Virgins
ssaud Tennessee Road. and in one respect only
And that is. il might divert the through trauel
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