The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1869-05-13

talists and your millionaircs-all obtained in
a few hours Such has been the impression
made upon your business men that hundreds
Of them have expressed willingness to SUBJ
scribe two millions, if necessary. The popu-
lar heart and feeling are in favor Of the
road. The only question is the one Of the
power of the city council to make the sub
scfiption. He understood that the city coun-
sellor has advised the council that they have
the power to appropriate their stock in the
Baltimore aad Ohio railroad Company to
this subscription.
Judge Shelley then read the provision Of
tie constitution relating to the power Of the
city to subscribe to works Of public improve
.nent, and said he saw no prohibition to prevent
the subscriptonin the mode proposed. But it
would be for the city councils to determine
whether they would submit the question to
the Legislature and to the voters of Balti-
more If you are driven to this slow proce-
dure, it will not be. accomplished until the
spring of 1870. If you come to the conclu-
sion to aid the road, you cannot doubt your
power to ask the consent of the Legislature.
But the action you take must be quick
The people in Virginia are yearning to hear
! from yu. They yearn to be told that you
have done what you could He pleaded for
a prompt decision. The counties Of Augusta
and Roanoke will soon be called upon to vote
whether they will mortgage their estates to
the extent Of 100000, to make up the req
uiste 81 200, 600. They will say, What good
is it for US to vote for this subscription if Bal
timore gives cold and deaf ear to our petit
ton for subscription? But if you will do
what you can, he pledged himself that the
subscription on their part should be made up.
Every taxpayer in those counties will be
interested with you in protecting the proper
ty of the road from local taxation. 1t has
been suggested that the property of Virginia
may not hereafter be safe in the hands of her
future administrators. But the instincts Of
the negro are honest. They came forward
themselves and voted the inviolability Of the
public debt of Virginia. Your money will be
as safe in the Valley of Virginia as in the Val
ley Of the Muskingum How far the names
on this petition names of the millionaires
of your city-will influence your judgment,
he could not say He hoped the people of the
Valley would be permitted to come to their
gates With their caravans Of treasure.
COL. HARMAN's REMARKS.
Col. NJ G.. Hartman, president of the Vir-
ginia Valley Railroad Company, said he had
made arrangements shortly to extend to this
council, to the business men of Baltimore, and
to the press an invitation to visit the towns OF
Staunton and Lexington. Ie wanted them
to see for themselves whether the country was
4 what it had been represented to them, and he
wanted to show them some old Virginia hos
pitality, in return for the many attentions they
had received from the citizens Of Baltimore.
Col. Hartman also spoke in relation to the
contemplated road, and said the people o.
Baltimore would have once considered it {
great boon, if 1t had been offered to them, t
build the whole road.
After some conversation the meeting ad
journed. .sa
! After some days deliberation, the City
Councils, we understood, have refused to ths
effect, that the Councils propose to ask thu
Legislature for authority to submit to the vo
, tiers of the city the proposition to authorize
city subscription of 81 ,oOo, 900, provided
the counties along the route Of the road irs
subscribe 81 100000 and arrangements ar
made to secure by bonds Of the Valley Rail
road Company the additional sum of (say
$4,000 0.
And this, notwithstanding the fact that tn
business people Of Baltimore and its mos
cnterprising capitalists the with Mayor ant
many of the Councils, are said to be warml,
in favor of the road. After the defeat o
the Augusta subscription, and this coyncss o
Baltimore-tha Valley Railroad is in DANCE
of falling wounded in the house Of its friends
The whole thing is in a nutshell: the VALLEY
Railroad can never be built until the nsones
is raised and unless fair proportion O
that money is raised in Baltimore and il
, Augusta county enough cannot be raised an,
, achere else. :-s,.--4
If Baltimore dallies any longer her chance
will be lost forever. IF Augusta again re
fuses, Rockbridge and Botctourt will pass GU
by Lynchburg, and Augusta will never be The
great crossing for the Valley but will remain
at the mercy Of single monopoly railroad
for long years to come. sea a.t
WANT THEIR SHARE-The dark wing o.