The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-10-04


ing as long as there was any hope in con-
tention for our release from this discrimi-
nation, / introduced in the Senate the
Facility bill, which provided for the free
circulation Of cars over roads connecting
Virginia cities with the Mississippi Valley.
The Virginia and Tennessee railroad then
made every effort to defeat the bill, which
would have done everything that its friends
now claim can be done without combina-
ton. The Richmond and Danville railroad
also opposed It.
Colonel August Gould you have got
! ten through ticket on the canal and Eir.
cinia and Tennessee railroad by that bill
General Mahonc.-Ies, sir.
Colonel August.-Could you get n
through ticket over tho Richmond and
Danville railroad
General Mahone.-Yes, sir, by that bill !;
but the Danville people opposedit. They
wanted to bc out of the family altogether.
| In the meeting of the Virginia and Ten
ncsscc stockholders, all we have asked was
that the commissioners should have the
privilege of speaking before it and ex-
planning the merits ol"thc plan-a free dis
cussion. This combination proposes no
| consolidation of stocks, or debts, or reve-
nnc. 1t means to leave all those things as
they now stand. 1t means that the Eir.
ginia and Tennessee railroad shall give the
same terms to the canal and to the South
Side and all other Virginia railroads.
Something had been said about its being a
grand trunk railroad. II isa grand trunk
/ to dump out everything at Lynchburg.
! And that's the State policy, is it To let
everything run loose, No, sir! The Lc-
| gislaturc made the guages the same,
and contemplated making the trunk i"
! help out some other lines. and letting them
| in turn help it out. A,+tor the details OF
! the combination, which had been asked
shout yesterday, they may be attended to
after the great work of combination is done.
| That combination meant that pro rata rates
should prevail all along the line. lie
secuted the idea that it would drive off
travel or freight from the Virginia and
! Tennessee railroad. 5" far from that,
/ il could not he expected that roads
which were working with it. and in lnca-
sure dependent upon it for their support,
would do anything which would lessen its
business.
/ Mr.. Sl.ciicy Of Smyth county. said that
! the receipts ogfke Virginia aud Tennessee
railroad amounted to 5000 week, and
this was while the country had been de
va>tatcd from Mississippi to Norfolk. And
I in view of this fact We lind Norfolk, with
newborn love, sending commissioners TO
WOO by proxy this Queen OF the west.
The speaker came representing the VIZ
.inia and Tennessee railroad as Il corpora
| ton and himself as stockholdcr. The
question now discussed involved the inall-
I nuration bv the Board of Public Works of
/ a system which was new and untricd. lie
referred to Governor PHrp"int's past his
tory and the help that he had extended t"
/ the people Of Virginia in preventing 'helr
oppression. and hoped that he would not
now aid in depressing Il portion Of The peo-
pie Of the State who were opposed TO The
measure. He denied the right OF the
Board of Public Works, the creation of
the Legislature. to do what the Legislature
itself did not dare do. They themselves
existed by default. The law prcscrihcs
that they should he commissioners elected
from each of the three great districts OF the
State. They were not commissioners
they had never been elected: their oll-
cial life would end in six weeks if the l.r-
-islature which is to meet does its duty
under the Constitution and orders an cleo
ton. And yet in this, the last six weeks
of your official agony, Norfolk asks you to
! Law YOUR hands OH three great State I'M
provcmcnts.
lie proceeded to discuss, first, the pow
crS of the Board of Public Works: second,
the policy, if they had the power; and
| third, whether they should exercise that
power il they hail it.
The Board he thought, had no right To
instruct proxies, nor should they do what
was the same thing-appoint proxies IN
favor of consolidation. Who is this I" mas
| ter head, and mind, and hand that is to
manage this consolidated road We are
not told but we arc left to guess. Well,
! if a railroad president gives evidence that
he can manage u road well, | will join
| hands with him. President Owen. OF the
Virginia and Tennessee railroad, has
proved that he is Il man who can manage
a railroad When that road was torn up
from Bristol to Lynchburg h went to work,
and in an incredibly short time had the
track repaired, and new iron upon it, and
! the cars running the whole length OF the
line. He kept mp the financial affairs OF
the company with great ability; and now
| its receipts are over Sl,OOO,000 year,
though the country through which it runs
has been devastated by war.
The speaker could not reconcile the idea
of consolidation with the independence oil
the separate companies included nit. The
law declares that they shall have one pre-
sident each, and that the board of direc-
tors shall appoint all officers to conduct
the business of the roads. The speaker
read the law on the subject to show that
each railroad was guaranteed the entire
control of its own business, and with that
control the Legislature itself was dcbarrcd
from interfering. Suppose this consoida-
ton was carried out with one president at
the head of all three companies, and the
Norfolk and Petersburg and Southsidc
roads were to swallow up the receipts OF
the Virginia and Tennessee railroad, who
would rcctil,y this wrong! What head of
a company would be sued for il! How
could one man bring suits if president OF
all the roads
Ivnchburg subscribed sJ00,000 to the
VIRGINIA and Tennessee railroad, and Rich
mond S2O0000, aud of the Fl ,20O,0 900 To he
subscribed, 100000 was raised, of which
Norfolk contributed mol one dotio,', nor has
she ever subscribed dollar to it. And
now this gallant old grcy-hcadcd Duke of
Norfolk comes to this beautiful Princess
Of the West and wants an alliance. lie
saws he will build up the country. We
don't want him to build itIlp. We will