Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1866-02-09
The bill to amend the charter Of the Ma


The bill to amend the charter Of the Ma
nassas Gap, and Winchester and Potomac
Railroad Companies, allowing the Manassas
Gap Company to construct railroad from
Winchester to Strasburg, passed the House
Friday last, by large majority, and, hay
ing previously passed tAc Senate, is law.
This is one step, and very important one,
toward the development of the Iallahsec-
ton. The bill elected quite discussion, in
which Messrs. aylor and Baldwin, delegates
from Augusta, took an active part. MIR.
Baylor expressed the sentiment of the peo-
pie of the Valley, when he declared his viii
lngness to vote for any charter, which did
not involve an appropriation, thus leaving it
entirely to those interested to determine
whether they need railroad and can con-
struct it, This is the right view of the case.
Charters for railroads will be asked for in
different portions Of the State, and the State
Is unable to aid in their construction, but, if
the people Of the sections interested desire
their construction and can build them, the
charters should be granted. BY our one
sided and selfish policy in the past, Virgin
ia. though one Of the oldest States, is now
far behind many Of her younger sisters
Nothing will SO promptly aid in the develop
mcnt of her material resources, or so GER
tainly ensure her future prosperity, as the
construction of her much needed channels of
REORGANIZATION.
In many States, very few important points
are without railroad communication, and these
railroads Go not centre at any point within
their limits, but traverse them in every con-
ceivablc direction, and their towns are pros
porous and these States are greatly benefited
thereby.
No matter if railroads do traverse our State
from side to side, if we furnish the induce
mcnt the trade will stop within our borders.
Without an inducement it will never benefit
but the beginning, we hope, of a system Of
railroads in every desirable and available di-
rcction in the State, upon the completion of
which we shall see Virginia, the richest State
in the Union in resources, no longer a lag
gard in the race for prosperity, but boldly
leading the van.
In regard to the short sighted policy OF
Virginia in the past, we commend to our
readers the following remarks Of Col. Bald
win:
"MR BALpw1S vacated the Chair and advo-
Gated the bill He thought that a commit
nifty was the best judge of what was for their
interest. The gentlemen had applied this
principle the other day to private enterprises,
and surely when applied to neighborhoods
and communities it holds equally good. The
parties presumed to know best what is their
anterest, the representatives of the Manassas
Gap road, the only road to be affected by the
road asked for, are here anxiously awaiting
the passage Of the bill The gentleman from
Richmond says Virginia has commercial
policy. Yes, she has. Hinc lilac In
436 she rejected the proposition of the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad, which agreed fer
the right of way through her territory, to
give her fifty cents per head upon all passen-
gers, with the additional privilege of tapping
said road at any point along its line. This
was in pursuance Of the commercial policy
alluded to, which amounted to nothing more
nor less than to make the entire agricultural
and mineral wealth of the State tributary to
the city of Richmond. Next in furthcrance
of the same object, which was to keep Balti-
out of her borders, she builds the Virginia
and Tennessee and Covington and Ohio
roads, and then taps them at more than one
point Afterwards she constructs a road
from Gordonsyille to Alexandria, and an
other up the Valley to Harrisonburg, all at
the expense Of the State, at least to the
amount of three-ffths, thus doing, at an inn
mense expenditure, what the Baltimore and
Ohio road had agreed to do for nothing.
The proposition Of this road, already referred
to, if it had been accepted by the State,
would have paid all the expenses of our
State Government, and would have built
every mile of railroad in Virginia. And
now we have an appeal from the city OF
Richmond at a time when the State is finan
cially PROSTATE, to continue this commercial
policy, and to defeat the BILL because, for
sooth, Baltimore is again to be kept out.
While he was unwilling to call any town
onc-horsc town, he thought it would be pol
icy in the State to burn many of them, and
pay for them, rather than that they should
continually stand in tie way Of the develop
mcnt of the graat interests Of the State
Let this short sighted policy be thrown
aside, and the opportunity be given to de-
velop our resources and our lands will increase
III value, our towns in size and business, and
our cities in trade and prosperity, (altogeth-
err impossible if our people be kept i'll their
present greatly reduced circumstances, by
refusing them small moaicum of al ask
cd, without cost to the State or themselves,