The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-02-11

/, would be willing to collect these tolls for
no,b;no Init Il Is perhaps much better 10
,ov on honest man q reasonable salary
~ mt some one in this responsible po-
s;,;nn who would make q small fortune
rom the stealages. To reduce the ex-
nenses for master carpenters and other
rood mechanics would be O great mlsior-
tune. for upon the skill and ability OF the
| mechanic the expense, character anu uu-
rability OF the work in a great measures
denends. and poor or cheap worKmen
unpla not only prove the most expensive
!, tho long run. but might result IN great
sacri6ce of life and property, and justly
Law the company open to great censure.
+ q not TO be supposed that the Times is
at war with all the improvements that
empty their freight into Richmond, and
therefore deem it perfectly fair to insti-
tute a comparison between the other
improvements to show that this com
pany is not actually profigate in employing
an "army Of officers" and paying them
"princely salaries" The James River and
Kanawha canal, with its branches, IS 20
miles in length, and contains about ioo
locks and quite a number OF ferries, winch
| of necessity must be managed 10y rehaoie
men. The whole number of employees on
this 223 miles is 374, or about one ana
two-thirds per mile, while the gross length
| of the railroads in operation in this State IS
LOIS miles, with 1892 employees, or three
| and one third per mile; or, IN other "o.u'
the complaint against the canai ioi .n1
number of its employees might DC ulseu
with Just double force against the abroad
| of the State.
The railroads are left entirely untram-
meled, and charge what freight they please.
| The State has forced the canal to reduce ITS
tolls to comparatively nominal rates; and
while the canal carries more frelght Dy
1878 tons per annum than all the ral!-
roads running into Richmond combined,
still the difference in favor oil the canal
for carrying the same was for 1866, S4o',-
goo. 10: which clearly demonstrates that
either the railroads are sustained by their
eXorbitant charges of freight, or else
the canal is rendered Improbable by the
extremely low prices it is forced to charge
and the facts above show clearer than any
reasoning that instead of sinking $4,000
in 1866 that on an equal footing with other
improvements the James River Company
would have made a handsome surplus over
its expenses.
One would certainly infer from what we
have said that the railroads were paying
handsomely, but such is far from being the
case, for no road came as near meeting its
expenses for 1866 as the canal did by a
great many thousand dollars.
In urging the claims of the James River
and Kanawha canal to the encouragement
of the citizens of Virginia, shall not at
tempt to show the golden results that are
expected to flow from this source when
the canal is completed to its natural west
ern terminus, but | have chosen simply to
take it as it is, partially finished, running
up into the mountains and there stopping
and when | have shown that even in this
condition it has brought more freight to
Richmond than all the roads combined, at
a cost of comparatively nothing to the az
riculturist, / think | have shown that the
canal has some claims upon every one who
desires the prosperity of Virginia. If the
James River canal is allowed by false le-
gislation to go down to bankruptcy, as the
| Times suggests, the rich country through
which il runs will have no outlet for its
produce, and even should a railroad be run
along its banks the lime, cement, and mar
bic quarries Of Virginia would have to
close, for the charges for freight on rail-
roads are too heavy to allow these quarries
to be proftably worked.
The canal must be kept open even if it
should become as much Of I" a white ele-
phant' as the railroads; and the State
had better make an appropriation every
year to meet the current expenses OF the
canal than allow it to be out OF working
order.
At the present time there is a growing
disposition on the part of producers to
seek a market in BALTIMORE The Balti-
more and Ohio railroad is extending lis
strong arms quietly, but surely, into Virgil
MIA, carrying off each year more and more
freight from our own cities. The Orange
| and Alexandria and the Richmond and
fredericksburg roads are each taking pro.
duce from the State to northern markets
but the cold ditch" as true and sluggish
perhaps as old Virginia herself, is year
after year emptying her rich freightS into
Richmond without a danger or desire OF
deserving this State for another market,
If we Judge of Richmond by the amount
of business she transacts-and | know OF
no more correct standard upon which to
determine the prosperity of a city-then
this canal contributes more to Richmond
than all the railroads combined and the
city of Richmond should hesitate a very
long time before throwing any impeachment
in the way of this great work.
The Postoffice Department of the Ma.
1 ,,n,n1 Cnyn,p want 1nnC mot moot lfS nnr-
rent expenses by about $4,000, 900 per an.
mum. The Times, | presume, will not claim
that this is owing to the small amount Of
business this department transacts instead
of the smallness Of the charges for carry.
Jig newspapers and letters; and / presume
no one would exchange the benefit derived
from our mail facilities for the sake OF
saving their amount of tax to raise So 900,
900 t. the United States Government, mol
would they claim that this most useful O
departments should be abolished, leased
, out, or sold and | am surprised TO see thai
an able and influential journal of Richmont
should insist upon the James River ant
Kanawha canal building up this city by
carrying freightsf for nominal rates, and theI
want to sell or lease it out because forsootl
il does not pay its own expenses.
If the State will not render aid to this
great Improvement, let her at least cease
to Cypress it and | hope that the Rich
mond Journalists in criticising this work
will do so after considering the great bene
fits that the business of Richmond is de
irving from this source, and while they
condemn what they believe to be wrong
will generously endeavor to point out a re,
medy. G.
THE OH WELLS OF C~ALcAsIEU, TEXAS
Colonel Gray has visited the petroleum