Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1870-08-02
For the Spectator.
To the Tax-Payers of Augusta.

A short time since, quite number of hand
bills in advocacy of the Railroad tax were dis
tributed over the county, which the President
of the Valley Bail Road, so-called, took the
trouble, and with flourish of trumpets, to in
form the taxpayers of Augusta emanated from
the Hon. A. 4, II. Stuart. hope Col. Har-
man will not feel disgrqntled if the said tax
payers of the county refuse to sneeze whenever
Mr. Stuarts taste or inclination may lead him
to take snuff The intelligent taxpayers OF
this county cannot afford to let any one do
their thinking or in the slightest degree indi-
cate to them what is or is not their interest pc
cuniariy or financially Mr. Stuart is entitled
to his opinion land the right to change i'll as
and every other taxpayer, but that Mr.. Stuart
and others have erred IN some OF their facts
and figures is what now intend to try to prove
1t is urged that the whole amount necessary
to be subscribed before commencing the road
is So, 200, 600, and 81, 900, 900 have been taken
and Augusta is asked to take the remaining
$500, 900 to insure the commencement Of the
work in a few months. | would like very much
to know where the remaining three millions
and upwards is to come fiom to complete the
work, for it is asserted the estimated cost of
the Road from Harrisonburg to Salem is So
59S, $685. again | ask, where is the deficiency
of millions and upwards to come from to COM
plete the road | can tell you; the counties
and towns along the line and through which
the road passes, will be called upon for an adj
ditional subscription Yes, Augusta will be
asked to vote another $780, and you will
be told the $500, 600 already voted, will be val
ueless, will be thrown away, unless you vote an
additional $500, 1000 And suppose yoa refuse,
what then. The Company must Issue its bonds
and sell them at whatever they will bring 10
the market What then-the Company must
mortgage the Road-what plain farmers call
giving deed of trust, to secure the payment
0f the bonds when the bonds fall due. What
then, will they be paid | am inclined to
think the company will say we lack the spondo
hr, In other words the money then? the
Road must be sold-Rho is the purchaser
Baltimore 4 O. r. r. Company; your Road
now in the hands of foreign corporation to
do as they please with you-your $500, 200
gone, sold for mere song; for the Bait. u q.
K r. Company would have no competition in
the sale and purchase of the Valley K. H.,
they owning the Road from Harrisonburg to
Baltimore, Now, fellow-taxpayer are you
prepared for this f-iook before you leap. A
aoreed to subscribe 81 100000 and the Balti-
more & o. r. r. Company has agreed to sub
scribe another million how is this ? We were
told by Mr. Stuart and others that Baltimore
City and the Bait. & 0. r. R. Company had
subscribed one million each now we are told
they have agreed to subscribe one million each.
[ speak by the card, for l quote verbatim
from the address of the Central Committee to
the voters of Augusta county. ln one breath
we are told they hdpe subscribed and in the
next breath they have agreed to subscribe, q
very marked difference between having done a
thing and agreeing to do thing. | tell you
fellow taxpayers it looks little queer to a
man up q tree Again, admit for argument
sake that Mr.. Stuart and others are right, that
Baltimore City has subscribed. What are the
conditions? here they are that there shall be
enough subscribed to construct the entire Road
by those solvent and able to pay. Now is such
the fact? l assert there is not enough sub
scribed to build the Road, and do it without
rious; then is Baltimore City bound for her
million. even admitting she has subscribed.
1t is urged by some, that we will obtain
Richmond prices for our produce. Was such
the fact when the Chesa. & Ohio Road was
building? I think not the idea of contractors
paying more than market price for produce, to
say the least of it, 1t is simply absurd any
contractor buying above the market think it
highly probable never intends paying. This
ia county and again | ask, did We obtain Rich
mond prices then? if not then, why should We
obtain them now. 1t is estimated the cost OF
making the Road through Augusta will be ST.
500 600, and therefore that amount will be
spent in the county; just as we'll argue that
the cost of running the Chesa. & Ohio Road
through the county is spent here; wherever
the contractors can buy the cheapest they will
buy, and even grant that they bought all their
supplies of us, what does that prove only, that
we have sold to them instead of some other
party. Does any one undertake to say, if they
had not bought our produce it would have rot
ted on our hands have we not market for
all we raise? are these contractors shut out
from the rest of the world, that they are COM
PEELED to bid against each other for Augusta
county's produce. Mr.. Stuart informs us that
the matter in issue is wealth or poverty |
think MIR. Stuart risked great deal on that
assertion, but have charity enough to sup
nose he did not mean what he said To talk
about poverty in connection with the old coun-
ty of Augusta, 1.-THE Empire County Of Vir.
GINA (another quotation from the Central