Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1870-12-12
COMMUNICATE

zctte, for the information Of the public gener
alfy, and that each member OF the City Coun-
ell may have a copy, which il Is hoped they
will individually study and preserve for future
reference, before the important q~uesIiUn snail
be decided which is now before them 10 wit
the permission tor this company to pass over
our streets without compensation?
I must again apologize to you Tor the ire
oucnt use OF your columns, ard to your readers
Tor trcspassing upon their attention on this
subject, which some OF them may ti.lnk l have
worn thrcad5arc.
But it should be borne 10 mind that the fight
is with Il powerful aud INSCRIPTIONS corpora
ton, who has USED, and are still using, and Will
continue to use. all sorts Of measures to lnilu
ence and intimi1ate our community to the at
tainmcDt OF their selfish ends, regardless OF the
welfare Of our people, as they have shown them
selves OF the interest Of the Statc and Of the
pcopln of Price William and Stafford, and cs
~pecialIy of cur cd ucighbors OF tho city 81
Fredericksburg.
WHY it was that the representatives OF these
counties and of that city especially, should
have permitted the passage OF this act, which
by the second section completely cuts them or
from any direct connection with this road, Is
simply marvellous.
By this section, the "c4lurany l. authGriZ-
cd, at their option, to make connection or their
| railway, with that CT the Richmond, Fredericks
burg and Potomac railroad" just where they
please. l. IS 20 be feared tina: thls - nuW past
remedy.
Having thus done tlt;r bet, or worst, 10
PROSTATE the interests ni thar cl:y, Dy biastllg
the hopcs they bad rc2:oHah% entertained
from the title Of this hii. - have Hunthcf rat
road toto 1hrir towr, truin "Iirii they might
4 1:.. ,.l ,L,- ~. ttlri ami
Prime. William, they no@ !Irn u,o" Us, and
| threaten 20 pass around A!cxaudiia and deprive
US OF al! the facilities i1r trad" 40! travci, which
we could hope for from The construction q: the
| Alexandria and ErcdcrickSbur!: railway.
There seems to be no doubt hey arc now lun.
| ming an experimental line or lines west nI the
| town: some say by way OF Springfield Station
| on the O.. A. & II. il. K, ana others on the
west at the town and hy way c! the tctc4raph
road.
Cunning and unsc:upuious as they are. the
| veil TO cover their designs is too thin, too Him.
sy, 20 deceive even the most fabulous or cur
| peoplc. and all sensible men must kEo". it is q
| mere blind to brighten Us from our proprlely,
and get possession OF our streets without aGc-
uuatc compensation therefor.
This company, their lcga! couns;l, their al1crs
| and abcttors, in the Legislature ana elsewhere,
know full well that they have not the shadow
| of authority under their charter, t. make q
| railroad from uHy Other point than from and
to Aicxandtis. What does the closing para
graph of The sCcHn! section OF their CHARTER,
after the permission to connect with lie Itlch
| mond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad,
say from its Junction with TIC Richmond,
Fredericksburg and Potomac l'al'road Alex
andrIa.'
What IS the conclusion Ct the amended
| paragraph TO tho third section, in The p%rovis0?
| quote il literally "PrOyidCl that the rates
OF charge for tho transportation ct passengers
and freight upon the said railway, 10 or from
| the CHu of .Alerondrfn, shall not be rateahIy
higher" &c, &c.
Mark the phrascology: t. or IrCm he Ciy
of Alexandria-not ircm poor house ICnn. not
| from West Eod, but so and from the City Of
Alexandria,"
This high ans mighty carnoraiion, this
Pennsylvania Central Hailroal Company,
under the coEnomcn of "Altxandria and Fred
cricksburg Railway Company" having resort
ed to insidious and covert threats. by its coun-
sci and by the act OF running lines around the
town, let me tell them, that others can threat
en- as well as they.
| am now prepared to say that in ease Of q
violation Of their charter By running their road
otherwise than TO ana from the llfF OF Alex
andria" they will be met, not with thar wea-
pons they have used, but openly ard man-
fully front to front, and We shall see, whether
a corporation, the mere creature Of Legislature
will, shall, trample upon the rights Of the pee
pie, or whether they are not amenable to the
laws Of the State and punishable for any lnfrac'
ton Of their charter.
They will find there is still -piTi: "%noug: lett
Of the Old Virginia stamp, 10 beard tho hon OF
this ~souiless and bloatcd monopoly, rs cur fore
fathers did the Lion Of England in tic good
old antc.revolutiouary days-thcy may yet find
"Somc village Hampton, who, with dauntlcss
breast,
The little tyrant of his falds wi!hs'ool,"
ready end willing 10 do battle for The right,
even ~agaiusta crushing monopoly, which eau
WELD the control of untold millions, to crush
and o7erpowcr o community struggling for ex.
istencc under a debt. which they mean honest
ly 10 pay. naugre 81! the disadvantages under
which they have lnbored, under tic heel Of
Federal despotism during the whole tcrm OF the
struggle for "the lost cause" M%*""*.