The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-01-31

M TKn SALT QUESTION In TIE LATE CoHvRN.
rloH line reader will remember that strong
resolutions OF some OF the cihZUns Of Greens.
vile county, con0emntng monopoly Of salt
and censnrlnx member Of the UOn ventiOn
as an alleged mOnOpolizsr, were presented
to that BODY by the member from the xtoro.
sai0 county. The occurrence TOOK place ON
the 2sth November. The following remarks
were submitted by Mr. Branch, OF Peters
burg, aud Mr.. Uhambiiss, on the occasion:
Mr.. BaAsoK.-Mr. President. tn gentleman
from 0reenSville prsSsn tod this morning Re.
solutions adopted oy some OF mis- constituents,
winch, a. q friend has just intlmated, seem
to reflect upon me. 1 call your attention 70
the NTH resolution, which reads thus:
"That it II an insult and indignity to the
people Of Virginia tor q Union man and an
vxtVrtionate monop0lixsr to hold = seat In
the Convention tor altering the laws of the
STATE"
This is 1t an affirmative Islander upon this
body. but surely II \ negative attack upon
one or more OF ls members.
l am the senior partner Of the house OF
Thomas Branch SONS, Ut Petersburg, and
hold myself responsible for the acts " that
house 10 the CONSTITUENTS of the member
from Greensville, to you, ana to the world.
/ am FULLY aware OF Inc clamOr about ap0cu.
latOrs ana extortionsrs, and would a. soon
DO an adultsEer or drUnkard a. an ext0rloner.
am now not In that category By those who
kn op me; but ignorant or m alicious persons
have taken liberties with me which rspel
by giving q statement OF my transactions in
salt.
I bought . cargo Of salt last May from
house in this city, and shipped it TO Peters
burg, advertised it for sale, and Kept 1t on the
market until 1t was sold. The sale Of the
cargo did not average more than about four
dollars per sack. We urged merchants to buy
duced to buy a. much - two hundred sacks
at % per sack.
We continued to sell rather lower than our.
rent rates; our house. In fact. kept down the
the cargo the last OF October, BY selling from
five hundred to seven hundred sacks ~ o. 70
$3.50 per sack; few sacks at % and eS.6o
and yet the whole average Of the sales did not
Of salt were generally lower In Pstsrsbarg
than in richmond or Norfolk.
/ We sold salt for both Of these markets we
sent about ono thousand sacks to DAnville,
which was sold At about ~ % nets. M.
Eutherlip, the member from Pittsylvania.
Will cou8rm this statement We also sert
two hus1dred sacks to Clarksviiles which
was ON the market 1rom Inc ume 9. tn ns Zip
Msrtin. Tannahill l. Co., bought one hun
dred and nine sacks OF this SAT- a. vlo. wni!e
II IL my pleasure to say mere snat this 10
. high. spirited concern. which has done ~
much for the Southern cause - any house
SOAAAko&ye
to say, refused to transport q portion Of this
SAT-, and they sold 1t where it was stored at
ga TO "a % ye. only . few days after our
,is bought 20 q % mi 1 g IRON mSm
in this city, at el6 20. Neither they nor I
were extortioners, according to mercantile
or moral laws. A. prices advanced, We
the supply In our city, and Of course keep
prices down. We bought about three thou.
sand sacks Of Virginia salt, which We sold
1t Lynchbure, Norfolk. and Petersburg.
Ing it would be very high; and. having this
opinion, advised many persons to buy In the
months Of June, July, August, and Ssptsm.
Dor. Now, cir, II had been mercensry Or
extortionate, ~ am insidiously accused,
surely / would have aotsd very differently.
Supply and demand dx ths price Of every.
thing In times Of war - we'll - in peecs.
Many Of the traducers OF their 1oighbors
aeem 70 lose sight Of the fAct altod her that
salt at so per sack, when bacon e Ming at
twenty Ave cents par pound, u cheaper thAA
salt at q and bacon at ten cents. 1tcosts NO
more to fattsn hoes now than Y did last year.
sells his bacon ut twenty nve. or even thirty
centsin fact, / sold bacoa At thtrO cents for
. consigneF, and he has not ompl6lned Of ne
pleasure and scorn. would appear disintsr.
osted and magnanimous By CLEANING With me
their own factors and merchants, their own
ohort-sighted calculations - o the opening Of
the ports. and the newspeper scribhisrs, VIE
/ think may sadly say that not oss Of ths
gentlemsn's commitments who 1pt the docu-
meat e this body was customer OF n,ine. {
has been conducted on mercantile prineiplss,
and IL am subject 70 the charge Of extoetion.
20 let It h.; bat / an confident yol Will rightly
appreciate what I have said. And sarsly
hmm vvfll - Tia intun Af0o done ne.