The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-10-03
VOL. xxx.

ferent parts of the State to argue matter
which was already settled. lie hoped that
al the members OF the Board were pre-
pared to hear, consider, and decide upon
all that might be said, and trusted that
those who were opposed to consolidation
might bc heard before this matter was ad'
Judged.
Governor Peirpoint.-My object was to
state the convictions Of the Board upon
the propositions before il, and It's determi.
nation to hear all that was to be said. He
hoped that the Board was not q bunch OF
dough, but that they had their own opi.
Mons. He hoped that the Board had dis.
crction enough to distinguish between the
wheat and the chaf which was offered
them.
Mr.. Goode, Of Norfolk, announced HIM
self friend of consolidation. The qucs.
tion concerned the people of the whole
, State, and was not whether the interests OF
| localities should be looked to, or whether
A or b or G should be elected president
The Board had met to appoint proxies to
represent the State at the meeting of
stockholders of the Virginia and Tennes,
see railroad on the 10th Of next month, and
the great question there would be the con.
soiidation. The stockholders of the Nor.
folk and Petersburg road had adopted reso-
lutions favorable to it, and had appointed
committee to attend that meeting OF
stockholders, aud that committee will
bring that question into that meeting. The
speaker said he spoke not as railroad man
nor as a feed counsel of corporation, but as
Virginiau who was anxious for the good
of the whole people of the State. For
many years they had been striving to
gain the trade ofthc Mississippi Valley, and
had patiently waited to get it. In ls4S the
people of Tennessee had said if Virginia
would run line to Tennessee they would
take it from there and carry it to the Mis-
sissippi Valley. In reply to this, the Lc-
giSlaturc Of Virginia passed bill charter
ing the Virginia and Tennessee railroad.
The next year the Legislature passed a
bill giving any railroad right to connect
with the Virginia and Tennessee railroad
at either terminus, and directing that that
road should not offer any obstacle to the
passage OF freight or passengers, and that
its cars should be used in common with the
roads connecting with it. The grand OBJ
icct then was the building up of Il grand
continuous line from the seaboard to the
Mississippi Valley. The people commenced
waking up. The people OF Petersburg
asked for charter to run road to Lynch-
burg, and il was granted on the express
stipulation that the guage should he the
same as the Virginia and Tennessee railroad.
So, too, with the Norfolk and Petersburg
railroad. Did not all this prove that the
Legislature intended one grand line to the
Mississippi Valley, Has this object been
What has been done! SO
far from having continuous line, we have
nothing Of the sort.
Look at Richmond; it is ciicctually cut
off from southwestern Virginia. Can any
Richmond merchant get Il through receipt
to dcp6tS on the Virginia and Tennessee
railroad! If his goods come the other
way, can he get receipt beyond Lynch
burg! The speaker knew the fact that
merchandise started from Norfolk for
points on the Virginia and Tennessee rail
road reached its destination the day after
goods for Knoxville, Tennessee, which
were shipped on the same train had been
received. At Lynchburg they arc trans
ferrcd to other cars, weighed, ETC., which
keeps them for twelve hours, and then
they have another twelve hours rest at
Central depot. The remedy for all this is to
have one head to manage the whole line.
1t may be said, would it not be better, in
stead of consolidating under one head, to
have better organization than now exists
for each road. Let us take warning from
the past. We all know that railroad prcsi-
dents think they arc petty monarchs OF all
they survey; and we all know, too, that
while they wranglc over tariffs and time
tables the public waits.
The consolidation now proposed is not
one of interests or stockholders, but one
which is only intended for the better man
agement of the roads in it. In Great
Britain to-day there are forty-tirc railroad
companies, running over 1858 miles Of
track, with lS7 stations and at any of
these stations citizen may deposit freight
and get receipt for its passage over any
road of the forty-iive. They are all under
an associated management" but all have
their presidents and directors. Look at
the Fort Wayne and Chicago railroad.
Nothing but consolidation saved that. 1t
was valued at S2,60O,000, and after con-
solidation its value reached $4,000 900, and
its stock rose from S6 to Sl0l. The New
York Central road is also the child of con-
solidation. The railroads of State do not
belong to the Board Of Public Works, nor
TO the directors, but to the people OF the
State. He had been commissioner ap-
pointed to confer with the people of SOUTH
western Virginia, and had been informed
by gentlemen that such was the discriml-
nation against them that they were pre-
pairing to haul produce thirty miles over to
Lynchburg rather than be driven into sub
hitting to such discrimination. They
have iron, coal, and gypsum. They
have hay enough to feed all the stock
in Virginia, and might como to the
market Of Richmond this morning and
find nothing but northern hay. All this
is due to the odious discrimination against
way travel. lie would not dctain the
Board TO describe the vast trade Of the
Mississippi Valley. 1t would build up
cities if the railroad communication was
free and unrestricted. 1t wonld give us a
strength with the railroads united which
we would never have if they were divided.
Ii would give us power to effectually resist
the efforts of cities outside Of the State to
draw trade from it. That mammoth cor,
poration the Baltimore and Ohio railroad
has its eye ON the Southwest, and the city
of Baltimore would be glad to see Rich
mond, Petersburg, and Norfolk become
mere wayside stations. Last year, when
the State was in distress, she came knock
ing at the door; and be was not afraid TO
say that the last Legislature had given
away TO her its birthright. lie begged tna.