The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1870-07-07
NO.. H.

the Chesapeake road will have to reduce it
charges, or the trade and travel will 90 t
Baltimore. Richmond and Baltimore vii
thus be competitors for our trade The tw
roads will be competitors for Transportation
The Chesapeake & Ohio will reduce its char
ges say one dollar. The Valley road will pu
Its charge little lower. This will compe
the Chesapeake road to make a further reduc
ton, and thus it will go on, until charges fol
passengers and freights are reduced to some.
thing like the northern standard.
Let our farmers consider what would he
the effect of these reductions on their inter
erts! The saving in freights, in single year,
would much more than pay their taxes. But
this is not al-when the freights are brought
down to fair rate, many commodities which
now cannot be marketed at all, will become
important articles of export. The saving on a
single car load of cattle, or -four, or hay or
corn, will pay the whole additional annual tax
which farmer with a farm valued at S1O, 900.
would have to pay! The railroad tax on such
tract of land, would be Sc per year This
is ascertained by estimating his whole annual
tax Cat the present rate o. 30 cents on slOO)
at $50. The railroad tax would add to this
tax, one-fifth. or 20 per cent, which gives the
result $500, as the railroad tax.
lsany one so blind as not to see. how
immensely his interests would be promo
ted by such a reduction in fares and
freights? Can any one fail to perceive that
the construction of the Valley Road, would
be of incalculable advantage to the agri-
cultural interests of the county?
But we must not overlook other great
interests, which would be developed by it,
Every one knows, that our mountains
on the Eastern and Western borders of
the county, are filed with iron ore, of the
best quality, and in inexhaustible quanti-
ty. The only obstacle to the development
of these mineral deposits, is, the want of
convenient access to market. Give us the
Valley K. r. and this difficulty will be re-
moved. FORCES and Furnaces, will, at an
early day, be called into existence, and the
sterile mountain spurs, that are now value
less, will become sources of great wealth.
A large portion of the agricultural pro.
auctions, will be consumed by the hands,
employed in these mines, and at these
iron works.
We have heard some narrow-minded
persons say 'why should we subscribe to
this road, when we feel satisfied the road
will be made without our aid % This is
certainly very illiberal suggestion. It
proceeds on the idea that we shall profit
by the outlay of others, without bearing
Dur just share Of the burthen-Mat se
hal reap achere other people haze soaon
We can hardly reconcile this idea with
'ur notions of common honesty. We
would almost as soon think of waiting un-
i'll our neighbor had ploughed his land,
md sown his seed, without our help, and
5hen at harvest, expect to come in, and
cap share of the crop!
This idea does not exactly comport with
.he-old fashioned notions OF. Justice and a
air dealing, that have always prevailed
lmong the people of Augusta.
But is it true, that the road will be
made without our help? We think we
IRE by no means warranted in assuming
such to be the fact. Baltimore city, the
Bait. y. L. K. Co., and all the counties
llong the line, have come forward with
iberality, and subscribed their shares
They have done all they are able to do
Taoo millions nine hundred dollars, noy hang
IN the subscription Of augusta. If we SUBJ
scribe 100000, we are certain to have
100000 expended among us. If we
refuse to subscribe, it may be, that the
whole enterprise will fail. Our neigh
bours will be disguised with the illiberaIi-
ty of Augusta, and let the matter fall to
the ground. Let us then be on the sure
side. Let us not hesitate to make the
which is necessary to render
the conditional appropriation of nearly
three millions, absolute. .lsl-
Some persons will say, ssthe R. r. will
not come nearer to us, than it now does;
how will it benefit us! Even if the R. R.
is made, We will have to haul our produce
to Staunton, to market. How then will
it help us!''
Conceding the facts to be as stated, we
emphatically deny the conclusion drawn
from them.
Suppose the R. R. is no nearer to you
than it is now; suppose you will still have
to haul your produce to market at Staun-
ton-do you not perceive that by build
ing up Staunton and increasing the num-
Der of buyers, and by reducing the cost
Of transportation from Staunton to Rich
lHoHu VI bdlllllOFG, UH1G the OCaunJOQ
merchants can afford to pay you higher
prices for the products of your farms 3
The reduction in freights will result more
benefcially to the farmer, than to the
merchant.
IF you now take your -four to Staunton
to sell, the merchant looks at Richmond
and Baltimore prices, and deducts from
them, LIST cost of freight, say so cents, 2,
cost of marketing-3rd his profit.
Suppose you reduce freight one half, is
it not plain that the merchant can afford
to pay you higher price than he now
does, by at least the amount of the reduc-
ton in freights?
But suppose again, you build the road
and cause manufactures, g., to spring up
at Staunton and the town to grow so large
as to consume all you can PRODUCES it
not plain that you can require prices, very
nearly equal to Richmond prices, to be
paid to you for all you raise?
Add 5000 to the population of Staunton
(Which would very probably be the case
if the Valley Railroad is made), and who
can fail to see what market it would af-
ford for the products of our farmers?
Old Augusta now has proud name,-a
name won by her wisdom in council-her
valor on the battlefeld-her patriotism in
every emergency-her enlarged and liber-