Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1868-11-10
Valley r r Meeting

On Wednesday night last, meeting was
held in the Court House to discuss the ques-
ton of subscription by the town OF Staunton OF
the sum of 800, 900 to the stock of the valley
R. r. Company.
On motion of Col B. Christian, Mayor N.
K. Trout was called to the chair, and Jno. b.
Evans, Esq, appointed Secretary.
The meeting was then addressed by Col. III.
G. Hartman, the President of the Valley Il. Il.
Company. He earnestly urged the propriety
of the subscription, and gave the assurance that
the road would be put under contract within
few months after the sum of 81 900, 900 should
be subscribed by the counties and towns along
the line of the proposed road, and expressed
the belief that that amount would be sub
scribed.
Judge H. w. Shelley followed Col. Hartman
with speech characterized by sound, prac-
teal views, He said that there would be, in
short time, tendency to immigration into the
South, and particularly into this fertile Valley.
There are times said he, when people were
called upon to decide, and that promptly,
whether they would be great and successful, or
| stand back and be beggars. The present is
such time with the people OF Staunton. This
is not the time to be alarmed at taxes 80
Years ago, the old fogies Of Stanton were
startled when it was proposed to establish the
water works They feared the taxes could not
be paid, and that the town would be rendered
bankrupt Now Staunton has eight miles of
water pipe, and it has increased greatly both
the value of property and the population of the
town.
He said there were two things which the cit
liens of this county were wont to do success
fully: LIST. To choose the best men to repre-
sent them in the Legislative Halls. Ind To
do boldly what they were called upon to do
This was a time for the citizens of Staunton to
act boldly, if they wished to win the distinc-
ton of being the city Of the Valley. dl
One thing is certain, and that is, that the
Valley R. R. will tap the Covington & Ohio
R. R., and it will depend upon the action Of
the citizens of Staunton whether it will thus
tap that great line Of trade and travel at this
place or not IF Stanton shall subscribe the
proposed amount it will be made a point on
the Valley R. Riff she does not, that road
may tap the Covington & Ohio r. R. at some
other point The interest on the 100000 at
6 per cent would only be 40 cents on the 800
value Of property in the town at its present
valuation, but the population and value Of
property in town is destined to a great increase,
and the tax thus rendered less burdensome.
In November 1886, meeting was held here
to secure the extension Of what was then known
as the Louisa r. R. from Gordonsville to
Staunton. Rockingham county tried hard to
make Swift Run Gap point on the Road
The President Of the r. r. hesitated, rather
leaning in favor of that route, with Harrison
burg as contemplated point on the Road
After an anxious consultation with Col. Crozet
one night, Judge Sheffey, then one of the Rep
resentatives of this county, the next day Of
fered an amendment to the bill providing that
the route should be in the direction of Coying
ton and to cross the Blue Ridge where the dis
lance and cost would be least. The bill thus
amended was passed, and the Road secured to
Staunton.
Stanton, said Judge Shelley, cannot afford
to fail to vote the proposed subscription of
800, 0O0
Suppose the Valley R. R. should cross the
Covington & Ohio r. r. at the toll gate four
miles from Staunton The scream of the
whistle then would make the Oldest fogy in
Staunton grunt Then they wauld regret that
they had not voted the tax. Should this be
made point of intersection of the Valley and
Covington 4 Ohio Railroads, Staunton will be
come place of wealth and population not now
even dreamed Of by the most hopeful. M
The building of the Road through this coun
ty would necesstate an expenditure within the
county of more than million Of dollars. All
will be benefited by this expenditure.
BY the CONSTRUCTION of this Road through the
county, its citizens would make four times the
amount of the tax in mere business point of
view. He dated the prosperity of Stanton
from the building of the AicAdamized Road in
the Valley He concluded by the expression
of the hope that this people would work out
noble destiny.
DR.. G.. r. Harris, being called upon, ad-
dressed the meeting briefly He said that this
was not the first time he had spoken in advo-
cacy of Railroads when he had the honor
to represent Augusta in the Senate of Va, he
had spoken in favor Of the great line Of Rail-
road WHICH passes through this PLACE. Also in
the Staunton Lyceum when the vote was very
gratifying to him.
He maintained earnestly that the prosperity
and life of Staunton depended upon voting the
proposed subscription. He said if Stanton
did not vote the subscription, that if it did not
die it would, like the Yankee butchers calf,
kinder gin eout." His remarks were greeted
with applause.
At this stage of the meeting Col. Hartman
moved that the vote of the meeting be taken
upon the question of subscription. The vote
was taken, and resulted unanimously in favor
of it.
On motion of Col. Hartman, the chair ap-
pointed a committee of ten to canvass the town
in favor of the proposed subscription of $780,
900.
The chair appointed the following to consti
tute the canvassing committee of ten: Robt.
G.. Bickle, Dr. c. R. Harris, R. Mauzy, Jno.
B. Evans, J. G. Marquis, Jed Hotchkiss VIM.
E. Tans, =. N. Bell, Wm A. Burke and
Bolivar Christian. trI1s5
Prof Jed Hotchkiss made few remarks, in
which he said that there was in two deposits of