The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1868-03-25

Valley been swallowed up by .xClinton's river
Of the n Y Canal 70 bring the argument
home to yourselves, has Augusta been hurt
or helped as yet by having the Central road
running through her territory ? Answer these
questions, just wake up and look around you
abroad and at home, and you will not dream
these errors of Rip Van Wrinkle age of sleep
This was the argument of Louisa and Abe.
malle against Augusta These arguments
against work like this are not simply alb.
surd, but at this day would be supremacy ri
diculous, if they were really not in the way Of
such work. The very activity Of trade, in
its highest tide of flow to market for consump-
ton and expectation, draws to its whole line
busy, thinking, working population. It
multiplies vocations Of life and industry not
known to dirt roads, to quiet villages. and to
the rude arts needed only for small demands,
and it drips even from its trade in transit
tn on the way more profits to ructify every
locality than the locality could produce be-
fore, It brings mechanics, the strong men
of America, to the line it introduces la
bor-saying machinery and skill never there
before; it brings not only more Art, but
more Science, and the learned professions,
as we'll as the trades, rise in grade and Dig
nifty Az! ,vorth and talent !; it gives to the
farming interests new implements of cul-
ture, better seeds, and raises the price of
lands it brings higher mental, as we'll as
land culture, and seats schools worthy of a
people, governed we'll or i'll in proportion
to their intelligence ,and establishes church.
es for a thrifty people who can be better
able to sing hymns of praise for blessings
amidst the hum Of industry. It makes a
hama market for as much as you ever pro-
duced, and you may double your products
and there will be twice as much consumed
as was ever required for your locality be-
fore, and if you can make surplus you
will have then quick and cheap transpor
tation for it to the nearest market. Your
nearest market is Richmond, and Richmond
poured into by the Western food of pro-
duce will turn to manufacturing, like
Philadelphia, and be soon compelled to
have this line terminate at Port at New
port News, at the very jaws of the Capes.
Richmond, too, has lief babblers Some
have gone SO far as to argue that they will
do all to take trade to Richmond, but will
do naught to send it away.
They will receive but not forward-eat
knt not not eyacuate. This plethoric idea
Of Richmond has kept her from having a
port to rival Baltimore at least, if not
New York, long ago; and that idea is not
more absurd than for Augusta to say, eve
won't tap the Valley of the Ohio, lest it
reduces our prices for produce" Suppose
it does, still the Ohio Valley IS tapped by
youy rieoz, Baltimore, and the question is,
shall she have the monopoly of the Yves
tern travel and all the profits of its trans.
portation, and be allowed, without an eff
fort to prevent it, to compel you to 60 the
longest routes, and insure you the most de-
lay and expense in getting to her mart
there to compete aoith acestern products, Have
you pork to sell You have to 60 to Bal
timore now to sell most at least price, and
there you find all Ohio and Indiana and
Illinois competing with you. Go to Rich
mond to sell, and there they compete with
you to as great advantage. Why? Be-
cause you have no mart nearer home, and
let Baltimore have all the command, and
all the profits of the best and shortest ways
to market. Your true interest demands
that you should have the shortest ways to
both Baltimore and Richmond, and let
neither have monopoly of your products
and the trade in them. You ought, by all
means, to set them in competition with
each other. If the food of produce comes
from the west, you will need many ways
and every way to let it out to the ocean
and if you desire high prices for your pro-
duce, you must make opportunity for as
many bidders in market as possible. This
argument is not fair, and not ingenious
and just. It would be more manly at
once to say that we are determined not to
do our part, we are ashamed to confess that
we are waiting for others to do our work
for us. And, | regret 10 hear that some
do take the stand that they will not cons
tribute to this road, because Baltimore
will construct a road through Augusta to
Salem; and perhaps soH}e one else will
some time OF other construct railroad down
the James from Covington to Lynchburg
| ask this people, if that be SO, to pause
before they act, like the fool in Horace,
who'stood all the time on the river bank,
waiting for the waters to pass by before he
attempted to cross over. Depend upon it,
that if you wait for the Hercules of Balti.
more to lean upon, you will lose more time
and profit than the whole Govington & Ohio
Railroad, would cost you. If you hire
Hercules, you must pay Hercules price
You hire him at your expense in more
ways than one. He will have command Of
stock, and tolls, and freights, and not you
and he will compel you to 60 $40 miles out
of your way to get to market; will drip as
little Of his profits in your way as possible
and will prevent you, by all the means il
his power, from reaching your true back
country, the Greenbricr and Monroe and
Gauley and Kanawha country, to say moth
ing of the TransOhio region, or he, Her.
cules, will do all the work for yo., ano
then control it at will, and take all the
profits. My advice to you is, by all mean;
put your own shoulders to the wheels, ano
De your own Hercules-your own servant
AS your servant he will serve you, as YOU
rival he will enslave you. Are you will
ing and ready to sacrifice this to Hercules
for the paltry expenditure on your part @
not more than $l38,0oo in the next siz
years? IF you are, you will prove your
selves more than Beotialf, you will prove
yourselves afflicted with ssjudicial blind
ness" Let Lynchburg in welcome con.
~ L \