Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1869-04-30

they would wish, but the FIVE counties
through which the road will pass have al
ready subscribed 800, 900, and s50O,00o
more is to be added by two of them-Au-
gusta and Roanoke So deeply are we inn
pressed with the necessity Of the work, that
we are willing to mortgage our estates to Sc
cure free vent for our trade. Applause.
In all the affairs that concern this world,
interest solves all practical problems. Our
interest demands competition for our trade,
avenues of transportation opening in every
direction. Your interest calls for avenues
to you in connection with the best fountains
of trade, and then you must put forward
your enterprise and talent for business; and
if others beat you, you must go under. But
Baltimore has always taken the stand that
with equal chances she is not going under.
Applause.
History in the past shows that all those
anticipations which some cities have INDUCED
of being overshadowed by the enterprise Of
others arc not necessarily truthful. Why,
for instance, has not New York dwarfed
Philadelphia and Baltimore or Baltimore,
Philadelphia and New York ? Each of them
has stretched forth her strong arms and
grasped for herself fountains Of trade And
SO for other cities-say Richmond and Nor
folk-the palm is within their reach.
After referring to Prof. Maury's 'Physi-
cal Survey" and recommending it to the
study of Baltimoreans, the speaker contin-
ued: This Valley Railroad is no new idea,
It has advantage Of being the revival Of an
old track oftrade. l recollsct when quite !.
little boy seeing tho wagons coming by my
fathers door which had started from Balti-
more and were going to Knoxville. This
was the Baltimore and Knoxville trade route
This trade forty years ago was the fertile
source Of large fortunes. with which many
Of your old citizens, some of whom are now
living, have been blessed We are not call
ing on you, therefore, to venture your mon
ey in new enterprise, but simply to replace
the old wagon team with steam horses to
carry your trade form Baltimore to Knox
vile and the great Southwest.
You, gentleman Of the Council. are the
representatives Of the third city in the I'm
ion, containing population Of 3a0, 600, with
u taxable wealth of 1912, 100000. What
was it when you broke the ground in 1926
or '27 Of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad :?
In 1880 your population was $4,000, and
your taxable wealth at that time was $685.
100000. In 1910 your population had
awelled from eighty to one hundred and two
thousand. In 1850 it was 10000; in
1860 it was 235, 900; now it is $4,000,
and your taxable wealth has increased from
1926, ZOO, 900 to 1912 100000 What has
caused this expansion Of population this
increase of wealth ? 10 there any one cause
for it but the building Of the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad. Applause. That is the
secret Of your wealth and prosperity.
But not only have you extended your
arms to the North and West, you have
bravely opened up new avenues Of commerce
with the exterior world BY land and by the
sea, all Of which must make Of you an as
sured frst-class city on this continent
Now, I desire to know whether you think
ii is worth your while to increase the area Of
your competition for trade. Volney, very
bad authority on some subjects, but very
good on this, called the great Valley of Viz
ginia the garden spot Of America-the gra-
nary of this continent. Especially when I
remember what has transpired there in the
past few years, may this remark be fttingly
illustrated When the poor Confederates
would be huddled round their camp fires,
with their faces as long as General Lees
sword. they would sometimes say to the old
chieftain there tremendous applause. sWe
have no rations;' and his reply would be,
"Squeeze Augusta, Rockingham and Rock
without getting what he wanted. Applause
and laughter. There is something in blue
sod soil to keep US from remaining poor and
we don't intend to stay poor either. APP
plause. The value of our lands is S32,
239, 293. It is true there is difference
between country land and bricks and mortar
in Baltimore. There is especially one great
difference. One constantly produces grain,
cattle, &C., and the other produces, some
times, sense Of regret that the money is in
bricks and mortar. Laughter.
By the proposed route $2.600,000 Of
traffic passes through your hands; and mer-
chants know what clippings they can take
of Of that sum. in the shape Of storage,
carriage, freightage. and especially ratage-I
never could understand ratage. Laughter.
Yet the rcsources'of this great Valley are
not recounted The speaker then went on
to describe the many natural mineral and
manufacturing resources Of the Valley. all
of which, together with the agricultural
wealth and the great enthusiasm Of the peo-
pie, gave assurance, that the investment
sought would be safe one, and would re-
dound to the general benefit of Baltimore.
The charter of the proposed road pro-
vides, he continued, that counties and cor
porations shall be prohibited from imposing
upon it any taxes at all, and the State only
in proportion to taxes on other works of I'M
proyement Besides this the local interests
are Of themselves guarantees and pledges
that Virgins will do nothing to the preju-
dice Of your interests involved in it. Balt;=
more has the opportunity now Of accepting
these great interests, II they are rejected,
why We must wait. In the meantime our
charter will be taken from us, and our trade
connections must settle themselves in some
other direction.
In regard to the manner Of paying the
amount asked for, Mr.. Shelley suggested that
the city take from its treasury million Of
dollars worth of the stock of the Baltimore
\ Ohio Railroad Company placed there forty
years sgo-thas has long ago accomplished
its purpose-and put It in this new, and he
believed, better enterprise. This would be
what the lawyers would call q transfer from
one interest to another, and as to the impor-
tance of this interest he would now only fur
Their say that it was SO thoroughly apprecia-
ted by one who no longer occupied posi-
ton in public life General Lee) as to have
induced him to retire from his post at Lex
ington for few days to come with us. and,
in our humble and modest way, help us to