Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-04-10
: Railroad Matters.

Observation-Disclosures A. B. has appeared.
in the Richmond Whig, in relation to matters:
which yitally concern the interests Of Alexanz
dria and the country of which it is the market,
and will be likely to attract much attention.
Please, therefore copy it, in order that all
concerned in this section, may see and read it,
and that proper explanations may be rendered,
-or~its assertions Incorrect bezrefuLea. Our
railroad interests are, veto be c0nsl Tered and
attended TO, however much they may have
failed in the expectation formerly INDUCED IN.
The writer of the suboned is commenting up.
on the address OF John W: Garrett. President
of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company,
delivered at monthly meeting OF the directors
of that corporation in Baltimore, on the 10Th of
February last.
CITIZENS. End STOCKHOLDERS.
1t is fact of record that the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad Company is the owner Of shares
in the Orange and Alexandria Railroad Com
pany, which give it control of the policy Of
that company. This has been the case for sew
eral years, and now we have the declaration OF
Mr.. Garrett, in the pointed address to which
we have referred, that the Board of Directors
of his company has decided to aid the Orange
Alexandria and Manassas Railroad Company
in extending it's line from Strasburg to Har-
risonburg, upon an agreement tor working that
line in connection with the Baltimore and Ohio
road, upon terms mutually satisfactory Ot
course, this '''aid5' would never have been given
by Baltimore corporation except for the pro-
motion of the interests of Baltimore, as
opposed to the interests of Alexandria. Nor
can any agreement for working that road in
connection with the Baltimore and Ohio road
be other than injurious to that betrayed old
citv of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. Such an agree
ment is mo other than contract in advance,
made by the Orange, Alexandria and Manassas
Company to be satisfied with the working of
this Virginia road for the interests of Balti-
more, and against the interests Of Alexandria.
Surely, the Legislature of Virginia, in almost
unanimously turning over the NJ anassas road
to the Orange and Alexandria Company, never
contemplated so humiilating contingency as
contract in advance by that company to allow
this road to be worked in connection with the
Baltimore 2and Ohio road upon terms sausfac-
tory, to and paid for By Baltimore. J
There arehother strange revelations IN this
address of Garrett. He reports that the CAPT
tai requisite to complete, to work and to Oh;
tain the control of the Winchester and Poto-
mac Railroad company has been furnished ex-
cusively by the Baltimore and Ohio Compa-
nv :" and he discloses most unexpected arrange
ments for constructing railroad over the space
between Winchester and Strasburg. 1t seems
that Baltimore is to furnish all OF the $500,000
for opening that link. From the day when Plr-
GINA began to legislatc on the subject OF rail
roads, her Legislature has persisently, and
against the strongest solicitations, refused to
allow Baltimore to come one foot further into
the Valley than Winchester. But at the SEES
sion OF 966-7, under solemn assurances that
Baltimore should take no benefit from the
privilege but that it should go to the benefit
of Alexandria and other Virginia cities, the
General Assembly finally, though reluctantly,
authorized railroad to be constructed between
Strasburg and Winchester. But what now do
we hear as to the use which has been made of
this privilege2 Is the Orange, Alexandria and
Manassas Company taking control of this link,
and bringing it into subsection to the interests
of Alexandra and Virginia? Not at all. That
company has agreed in advance TO permit the
Valley sections Of the Manassas road to be
worked by the Baltimore and Ohio Company,
and has permitted this company to obtain en-
tire and absolute control Of the link between
Winchester and Strasburg.
The whole nineteen miles are to be made by
Baltimore, and the entire cost, $500, 1000, is to
be supplied by Baltimore. With the entire
ownership OF this link, as we'll as or the road
from Harper Ferry to Winchester, and with
the right Of working the part(rom Strasburg
to Harrisonburg in connection with the Bal
timore and Ohio road,'' Baltimore will have
unbroken control of the entire line ofone hun
dred and one miles from Harper's Ferry TO
Harrisonburg. The Valley, therefore, has
been virtually surrendered to Baltimore by two
acts of the Orange, Alexandria and Manassas
company; namely first by its agreement in adj
vance to let the Baltimore and Ohio company
work the division between Strasburg and Har-
rsonburg; and second, by its permitting the
Baltimore and Ohio company and its friends to
subscribe the whole stock and obtain absolute
control Of the division between Winchester and
Strasburg.. liz. ~-..-....,. .. ....,.-.
Thus has Baltimore, through a bargain with
the Orange company, wrested from Alexan-
sdria and from Virginia, the trade ofthe Valley,
1t was quite natural that Baltimore, through
her great railroad corporation, should thus aim
boldly at commercial empire in the direction of
Virginia; but we were not prepared to hear
that r,own princip pal railroad company in the
upper Potomac region of the State had con-
tracted iii advance to permit its own road thus
to be worked by,a foreign company in the
interests of Baltimore. T.. 5-- A. Is.
Va. demonstrations Convention.