The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-01-28
The fink between the Mississippi and
the Chesapeake.

Tho Committee of Roads of the Senate
of Virginia, Mr.. KEEN in the chair, held
meeting Saturday night, at which num-
Der of railroad officials were present, to-
gether with several members of the Com
mittee Of Roads of the House. Mr..
Speaker BALDWIN addressed the commit
tee in very able speech explaining the
proposition of completing the Covington
/, and Ohio railroad by means OF the consoi,-
dation with the Central and the Norfolk
! and Southside railroads. In the course Oh
his speech he argued the constitutions
question, expressing his decided con'ic-
tion that there was no difficulty at all on
that point. He denied that there was .
sale of the property in surrenderins inc
| State interests in the roads proposed 10
be consolidated. The State only "com-
mutedn her interests for tax, and that
tax began the day the contract was COM
pleted, and was extended as steadily as
the improvement, every mile adding to the
tax. The State ceased to be represented
in the roads, her interest in them dlsap-
peared, and the tax came up instantly to
represent them, and it was the duty of the
Legislature annually to appropriate this
tax to the payment of the public debt, in
conformity with the requirement of the
Constitution. He presented in the strong
est light the advantages to be derived by
the State directly in taxes on the roads,
and indirectly in the general Improvement
and the increase Of the wealth of the
country.
After the conclusion of Mr.. BALDWIN S
speech the committee ordered the two
bills to be reported-viz., the bill to COM
plete the Covington and Ohio railroad, and
the bill to complete the line Of railway
from the Virginia seaboard to the Missis-
sippi and Ohio rivers" Both these lines
contemplate consolidation - consolidation
4 in interest, and consolidation in means
and exertions for the completion of the
great works. The consolidation OF the
Covington, the Central, and the Southside
and Norfolk and Petersburg railroads, es-
tablish the Chesapeake and Ohio railroads,
and the consolidation of the Norfolk and
Petersburg, the Southside, the Virginia
and Tennessee, and the Virginia and Ken
lucky railroads, forms the line TO be called
the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Ohio Rail
road Company" Both schemes contem-
plate the surrender Of the States interest
in and her claims upon the roads COM
biuing for the consolidated lines, she
receiving in return the mill tax on ton
mage and passengers in perpetuity. An
important feature in both acts is that the
rates upon the roads chartered under them
shall be pro rata to all the cities of Vir-
pinia. and that the rates shall not be higher
than those charged to places outside the
State.
In the course Of Mr.. BALDwIN'S speech
he remarked that no reference was made
in the Chesapeake and Ohio bill to Messrs.
PELL & Co., who had been negotiating Tor
the completion of the Covington and Ohio
railroad. Those gentlemen would either
fail altogether or succeed in their efforts
before the bill could become law. II
thew succeeded, the scheme under con-
sidcration could be readily abandoned. 1t
they failed, the consolidated company
could be promptly organized and go into
operation.